How often do you guys eat out these days?

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ThrowingAbundance@reddit

I've gone old school and now primarily eat out only for special occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries. Amazingly, without all of the sodium, my arthritis is under control.

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TheAngerMonkey@reddit

All the time, actually. We're not rich but we love food and live in a place with a surprising variety of cuisines.

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I eat out way too often but I haven't eaten at a chain casual restaurant restaurant in as long as I can remember. I'll get fast food, but it I'm sitting down and spending more than $15 it's at a locally owned place. My city (Philly) has incredible restaurants at all different price points and I can usually get a minimum of 2 meals from a single dish.

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TheAngerMonkey@reddit

I have eaten my way across Philly and as a food town it definitely punches above its weight class.

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brainfreeze77@reddit

This but my exception is Culvers. You can't get a better burger for the money anywhere. Also their fish is great.

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MarandTierra@reddit

I hear you. I’d much rather have awesome Ethiopian or Thai food instead of fajitas and sugary margaritas.

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lynxpoint@reddit

Same here! Lucky to live in a city with ample international delicious options! I don’t think I’ve ever been to an Applebee’s?

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Obi_Wan_Benobi@reddit

Hey hey how, keep it down, I’m tryin’ to keep this rent low.

Uhhhhh, don’t listen to this guy! St. Louis is a violent hellscape with nothing to do and nowhere to eat!

Just…fly right over, per usual………

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TheAngerMonkey@reddit

Yes! Sorry! MURDER CAPITAL ::plays recording of gunfire out the window from phone::

Seriously, I goddamned love this town.

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Fickle_Wrangler_7439@reddit

Agreed. There are great local, family-owned restaurants out there.

Why the hell is OP talking about chain restaurants that were always garbage?

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emptybeetoo@reddit

Your local Thai, Ethiopian, etc. is a lot more likely to use Sysco/US Foods than the big chains

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Glum_Palpitation104@reddit

This, I worked for Sysco. Sysco is the go to for small private restaurants. Only a few food service companies will entertain a one off. Sysco will supply anyone no matter the quality. You'd be surprised how many of these places literally order same stuff just different preparations. Recipes are even developed by in house sysco chefs for specific restaurants.

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crazyk4952@reddit

If I knew that a restaurant didn’t order from Sysco or unifi, I would go out of my way to support them.

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Glum_Palpitation104@reddit

Not to ruin this but most Health authorities require food bought from an approved food service.

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bleu_waffl3s@reddit

Burger King uses Sygma you can eat there

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Glum_Palpitation104@reddit

Sygma is owned by Sysco

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TP_Crisis_2020@reddit

There used to be a little hole in the wall chinese restaurant behind this truck stop where I live that was THE BEST. It was an old man who didn't speak any english, and he just had a big wok on a single burner. And by big, I mean like the thing was like 3 feet in diameter. He cooked everything in that wok, and just deglazed it with water between each dish he cooked. His children, who spoke english, were the ones who ran the FOH. And they were like 10-12 years old. He would get to work every day at like 5am and spend all morning prepping. He made his own noodles in house, and bought all of his ingredients from the local asian supermarket.

It was THE BEST chinese food I've ever had in my life. I would go there at least once a week. About a year after I found the place, I moved to a town about an hour away, but I would still make the drive down there at least once a week just to eat there because it was so good. I went down there for lunch one day and it was closed up. Came back the next week and it was still closed up. A few months later the building was up for lease. Don't know why he closed up, but I was BUMMED about it.

That was about a decade ago and I still think about that place all the time.

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thetallnathan@reddit

More Perfect Union did a really good video explainer of this: https://youtu.be/rXXQTzQXRFc?si=c_ipIjee59yaWMF9

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Ok-Boysenberry-719@reddit

You'd be surprised how many of these places literally order same stuff just different preparations

Does that mean they're all getting the same raw chicken and unpeeled onions? Isn't the preparation why people choose to eat there? I can buy organic local free range farmer's market chicken, but I can't cook it the way they do at the Thai place. If this is a factory farming/big agro concern, that's a separate issue that I'm sure many who only cook at home are participating in if they use non-local grocery stores.

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Ok-Boysenberry-719@reddit

Can you explain the implications of that? So they get recipes from them?

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TheAngerMonkey@reddit

For ingredient procurement, possibly, but every entree at most major chains comes in pre-made and is reheated

Olive Garden, of all places, is the exception.

But considering my local shawarma place is also my halal butcher... I'm going to call bullshit on your assessment of "more likely," sorry.

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funmaster320@reddit

Same- we eat out constantly but never at any chain restaurants.

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fermentedradical@reddit

I concur. The way to go in this climate is to eat international food rather than shitty American chains or mediocre "new American" restaurants.

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c0147@reddit

Food prices are so high right now that even mediocre spots are charging a whole lot of money. I’ve peeled back significantly on going out because it’s just a low bang-for-the-buck in most places these days.

I cook a lot more which is excellent for my health and also for my wallet.

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epidemicsaints@reddit

Pizza and Asian food only. About once a month.

Everything else is worse than frozen food from the grocery and 4x the price. It's not a treat at all, I just feel ripped off.

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Kramereng@reddit

You can make top end pizza at home super fast for pennies on the dollar as well. If you’re local grocery store has fresh made dough balls (not the prepackaged stuff in tubes), then you just roll it, add the right cheese or blend, then it takes no longer than a frozen pizza. And it’s fun!

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epidemicsaints@reddit

I do it every once in a while, I am a proficient baker. I love the days old bagged dough!!! Makes the best crust.

We have really good cheap tavern pizza close by though, and it calls to me.,

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Kramereng@reddit

Cameo?

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epidemicsaints@reddit

It's a standalone bar in a small town out here. The kind with a drive through where you can buy cigarettes and lottery tickets.

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Chemical_Butterfly40@reddit

I used to buy pizza dough at Trader Joe’s, but I learned to make it at home. It’s not the best crust, but it’s really fun to make my own pizzas.

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Desperate-Pie-4839@reddit

Probably a fair bit of eating out is frozen food anyways

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Sudden_Discussion306@reddit

Depends on where you go, I guess.

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ABSOFRKINLUTELY@reddit

You have to search out the local mom and pop scratch kitchen places.

We pretty much only eat out for birthdays celebrations etc, with the exception of picking up a pizza here and there or the really great authentic and cheap local taco place.

But if I'm spending money I damn well won't be eating at the kind of place that reheats crap from Cisco.

I try to search out places that serve scratch dishes with pride. My favorite is teeny tiny little pizza gelato place run by a family from Naples. They are so freaking nice. It's a few bucks more than a papa John's but holy shit it's worth it

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goofytigre@reddit

..from off the Cisco truck..

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denzien@reddit

Pizza is really easy to make at home of you're feeling adventurous. It's a bit more difficult if you're going to make dough, but the store bought thin crusts do a fine enough job. They're roughly the same as the thin crusts we used at Papa John's - already formed and par baked and ready to go.

Making your own pizza means you can use higher quality ingredients, and if you want extra of anything you can be sure that there's actually extra of that topping.

Olive oil for sauce, or just get a jar of Rao's pizza sauce. If you have a 4oz spoodle, it's perfect for a 12" pizza. Both for measuring and for using the flat bottom to spread it out. Leave at least half an inch from the edge of the sauce to the edge of the pizza (more if hand tossed). You want cheese to go there. Corporate called that a "cheese lock".

Cheese is the harder part - there's nothing like that cheese we used at Papa John's, but I did find that shredded Ouaxaca cheese works wonderfully. If that's available where you are.

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stations-creation@reddit

Same this is the only take out I get. And I have one diner that has the most amazing pancakes I’ve ever had.

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epidemicsaints@reddit

I would go out for a big full breakfast as well now that I think about it.

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chrissymae_i@reddit

Yes, it's way easier than making all those different breakfast dishes yourself. Especially when there's a larger number of people, like a family gathering. And the cleanup after making a large, diner- style breakfast for everyone is a nightmare. I've done it a few times too many.

Now we either go out for breakfast or there's something very simple like coffee, croissants and fruit or cold cereal, at my house.

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DrewBaron80@reddit

I with you, although it's more like once every 10 days for us.

We get pizza because it's my favorite food, but I only have it once a month or so for obvious health reasons.

We order Thai or go to a restaurant cause it's tasty, relatively healthy, and less expensive than most other restaurant food.

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balding_git@reddit

i buy myself a large pizza every couple weeks and have 2 slices at a time and stretch it out over 3-4 days.. the cost per “meal” works out to $4 or so which isn’t too bad!

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MoviesFilmCinema@reddit

That’s great self control. I would crush that bad boy.

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balding_git@reddit

my stupid brain has wonderful self control for that and things like a bag of chips or a can of pop (chips take weeks to finish a bag, ill have a can in the fridge for a couple days before i finish it)... but if im anywhere near chocolate its gone. just gone. i wish i could have a bit and leave it but i just cant lol

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ceesa@reddit

Same here, but there's a great place near me with a killer chicken sandwich that I'll keep in the rotation too.

Once a month is all I want to spend. Everything is just so expensive.

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APOC_V@reddit

This is almost exactly what I was going to write. Except around here the local pizza places fall into the disappointing/ripoff category and I’d rather just have frozen.

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BillyBattsInTrunk@reddit

Almost never. Not worth the price, the quality, the time, the parking...

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RealisticTangerine35@reddit

Once a week. We are on keto and love cooking though.

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Tylerdurden389@reddit

Almost never. I'd rather get myself excited to try a new recipe, go buy the ingredients, and give it a try. Then I can say "Good. Now I dont have to go out to eat this anymore".

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raff_riff@reddit

Seems I’m the minority here. My wife and I eat and drink out a 1-3 times a week. Sometimes more. But we have no kids, work a ton, and do it either to save time or to let loose when time avails.

And yes we realize we’re extremely lucky and privileged but it’s due to awful work-life balance.

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Unusual_Piano7118@reddit

I’m over here low-key thinking I either DoorDash or eat out/take home at least four days a week.

My spouse kinda sucks at cooking.

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CatsNSquirrels@reddit

I think there are a lot of us. We eat out usually 3 times/week and all on the weekend (Fri night, Sat lunch, Sun lunch). We both work full time and I am sick of cooking by the time the weekend comes. So we build it into our budget. It has gotten very expensive, though, and we’ve talked about cutting back.

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Appropriate-Food1757@reddit

A little less since we do have kids. Not the oldest is 12 now we went on Friday. We also like to takes the kids to restaurants.

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jesusmansuperpowers@reddit

I think it’s a vocal minority. We eat out at least 3 times every week, plus usually get something delivered 1-2 more times.

Grocery store isn’t even saving money anymore. I made us a steak dinner the other night.. $43 for the steak alone (shared). Ya that’s cheaper than a nice steak house but it’s just as much as going to a normal restaurant for pasta or something.

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LovelyHead82@reddit

Only time we go out to eat is when we travel/go on vacations.

It's just not worth it to spend $100 on mediocre food and service

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Tonio775@reddit

About the same.

I'm a single dad and might bring home takeout once a week. Sit down restaurants are a rarity...

Had the opportunity to go to Outback recently with family and had to laugh at their prices. It was once a go-to spot of mine in my 20's but now their entrees range in the $30s---meanwhile you're still being delivered a steak that more or less requires the A1 and/or Tobasco...

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No-Memory-2781@reddit

Probably 1-3 times a week - takeout once or twice and then a nicer sit down restaurant once a week. But because of my husband’s job, we get to expense that nicer meal and I feel very lucky! We very rarely ate out when I was a kid. It was a big deal to go out for dinner.

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quotientobject@reddit

I think you need to separate out a few things. Fast food and the few fast casual places were not that cheap relative to wages in the 1980s and early 1990s. By the late 1990s that had changed a bit and probably hit its peak quality to price in the 2000s and early 2010s due to how cheap labor was.

So what is true I think is that the quality you get has diminished in the last 5-10 years due to greater use of Sysco-type frozen foods, meaning everything has about the same poor quality, and that obviously price has skyrocketed. You can probably blame both private equity and labor costs.

What is also true is that over the last twenty years, the quality of food you can make at home and also get as prepared meals has gotten significantly better compared to the 1990s, and the Internet, for all its faults, has made cooking information much more readily available. You used to have to take a cooking class prior to YouTube and the Food Network. So Outback seemed way better than what you’d make at home if you couldn’t cook well.

Add it all up, and going out to eat has lost a lot of its luster beyond just doing so for convenience.

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AI_Negative_Nancy@reddit

Every meal

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FethB@reddit

Weekly, more or less. We eat at the same greasy spoon every Saturday for brunch because the waitresses love our daughter, whom they’ve watched grow up since she was a baby (now three and a half). We get fast food on road trips and when we visit family in the big city, there’s often a big sushi outing. But that’s all, we don’t get to enjoy a variety because we prioritize the greasy spoon joint for our daughter.

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therobotscott@reddit

Once, maybe twice, a week.

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jcstrat@reddit

Once every couple months.

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alltheblarmyfiddlest@reddit

Ha. Hardly ever.

I've been itching to enjoy something that I didn't make or slave over in the kitchen for some time.

My go to is bibibop or a local bakery. Joys of being GF, safe options are limited.

Just made my recent fixation meal...chopped and stir fry sweet potato, garbanzo beans and sweet onion.

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7empestSpiralout@reddit

Once or twice a month and usually on birthdays/holidays.

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ShutYourDumbUglyFace@reddit

More than I'd like, but I'm the only person who cooks and I'm exhausted. We NEVER go to sit-down restaurants anymore. It's all fast food or fast casual.

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1GuyNoCups@reddit

Every chance she lets me

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denzien@reddit

Since I rediscovered Costco, we've gone out maybe 2 times in the last 4 weeks. $500 for 3 weeks of food is a good deal, since that same money would only get us 2 or 3 restaurant meals. Many years ago it got to the point that we were ordering food every day for dinner, but then everything got a lot more expensive. So, it's a big departure from the lifestyle creep we experienced in the 2010s.

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

Way to much lately due to birthdays, mothers day as in hers and mine and a wedding. Will be cutting back for a while now. Plus in the summer I would rather grill/smoke at home than go to a restaurant. It has been since December since I have had fast food.

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drinkslinger1974@reddit

We (family of 4) went out to eat twice over the weekend and it felt like we had won the lottery.

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Either-Cap-2057@reddit

We do a solid amount of fast casual (1 - 3 times a week).

There's been a strange "compression" of value and quality in the past few years. "Nice" restaurants are serving the same frozen Sysco shit as casual and service is not different. Also, I'm not sure if it's an aging thing but sitting down to a fancy dinner for 2 hours seems like torture. Fast food prices are pretty high now.

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PleaseDontBanMe82@reddit

Every time my wife and I bang

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ManateeFlamingo@reddit

Probably more often that I should. The sticker shock is real when I order for my family. I'd love to eat out more often but it just really is not affordable.

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Minute-Yogurt-2021@reddit

Given the highest inflation in the EU - none.

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Dickrubin14094@reddit

What is this eating out you speak of? Like when the weather is nice and I eat on the patio after grilling? That’s about the only eating out I’ll do

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Stinertron_1979@reddit

Maybe 1X a month - it’s at least $80 for a family of four - no thanks - I can cook at home.

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Due-Blackberry8056@reddit

As often as I am in the mood for KFC...

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Jerkrollatex@reddit

I actually do takeout fairly frequently. My schedule is a mess and I have a chronic pain disorder so sometimes I just can't. I rely on a Chinese, Thai and a New Mexican restaurant, burger joint and a taco place mostly all local places. Lots of vegetables about the same price as fast food. I'm giving business to my neighbors. Today I got take out from a little Italian place near me. Not terrible a little expensive. I probably won't be doing that again. The portions were tiny and they forgot my truffle fries.

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fromthedarqwaves@reddit

Almost never. Birthdays and other holidays is pretty much it. Spending $80 for something we can make at home makes me cringe.

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katiespecies647@reddit

Same here. Pre-pandemic, we'd treat ourselves a few times a year when we craved certain foods, like sushi, pad thai, pizza or Indian food. During the pandemic response, we learned how to make everything we craved at home, so now it's unthinkable to pay restaurant prices to satisfy those cravings.

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SBSnipes@reddit

To me the key is effort and cleanup. If I can make it at home but it'll be 2 hours of active cooking, 5 pots, 6 utensils, etc etc etc.? Not worth it. But a burrito bowl? Tacos? Burgers? Sandwich? Definitely just make it at home unless it's an occasion or something

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knittinghobbit@reddit

On grocery days when I absolutely do NOT want to cook after putting everything away, I make sure I get a rotisserie chicken and a baguette or some sandwich rolls or something. I have a vegetable box weekly, so it makes for an easy and relatively cheap meal when I can’t be bothered. Rotisserie feels like a treat but is actually cheaper than getting raw chicken I would have to cook, so {shrugs}.

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chrissymae_i@reddit

This is our household hack as well. Those whole cooked chickens come in handy when cooking is too much. It's a quick meal you and you don't have to go out and spend money.

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MoviesFilmCinema@reddit

Thai Food seems to have 33 ingredients

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PaleoSpeedwagon@reddit

And that's just the sauce jk jk

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squintpan@reddit

A lot of stuff has gotten so unhealthy, too. I gotta worry about my sodium and shit now. I remember more food used to be made in-house with normal ingredients and now everything is defrosted Sysco with infinite shelf-stability.

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-SandorClegane-@reddit

You talmbout paying for cunnilingus B?

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eastmemphisguy@reddit

Same. This is basically me now. https://theonion.com/area-mom-could-have-made-same-meal-at-home-for-much-che-1819566685/

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No-Salt4637@reddit

I had to go back and check the date on that article when she complained about paying $12.95 for an entree.

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Seraphtacosnak@reddit

Maybe once every 2 weeks.

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GenevieveLeah@reddit

This is how I grew up. Money wasn’t so much an issue as my parents both came from large families, so they almost always ate at home. We only ate out on birthdays or special occasions.

Now? We eat out twice a week as a treat but it is almost never worth the cost.

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BranzillaThrilla@reddit

I am ashamed of how much i use DD.. mom of three i pay for the convience i suppose. Usually an every friday thing some weeks ill binge and order on a schoolnight!

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whattheflagnon@reddit

Twice, today. I eat out way too much. 4-5days a week at least. But I eat smaller portions and can make one meal into two.

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yomamaeatcorn@reddit

More often. Seems like the post covid crowds have finally died down and much easier to get into restaurants

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Significant_Box5735@reddit

Constantly but I travel a lot for work 🤷🏼‍♂️ (types this at a restaurant during a work trip)

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MrThouu@reddit

Sit down, almost never.

But I can't help a fried chicken sandwich a couple times a month.

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beatupford@reddit

We only eat out when we want quality Thai or Korean. Anything else we can make, but there's something about those two types of food that I cannot crack to enjoy making at home.

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JurisUrsus@reddit

A few times per week. Depends. I have a fair amount of client and networking lunches.

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_MoneyHustard_@reddit

Family of 5. Maybe once every 2-3 weeks. Can’t bring myself to drop a hundo on a simple dining experience

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MarandTierra@reddit

Around once a month I meet with a friend or two to try a new restaurant in my city, but we’re selective about where we go. We’ll wait to read reviews/hear industry feedback before we go in.

Other than that, I’ll order out once a week on my own as a treat, but it’s at my regular ramen, pho, taco, etc. places.

The one thing I completely stopped was ordering delivery/Door Dash.

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VinylHighway@reddit

In San Francisco, almost never, unless for social reasons. It is very expensive, and most sit down places now charge 3-7% service fee (not a gratuity).

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Yeah, I live in Seattle. It’s terrible. The one that grinds me is the credit card fee they started adding at a lot of places. It’s a cost of doing business and 95% of people use cards. Just build it into the menu price like every other business and offer a cash discount if you want.

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MarandTierra@reddit

I read recently that restaurant prices in Seattle are some of the highest in the nation, even worse than NYC, so I don’t blame you

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VinylHighway@reddit

Exactly. I’d rather true prices rather than the fake ones that get jacked up. Pay your staff that’s how a business works.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Some of it appears to be passive aggressive attacks on local statues and minimum wage laws. 5% healthcare fee, 3% kitchen appreciation fee, stuff like that. I’ve seen restaurant owners argue that “people wouldn’t come if we raised the menu price.” At least for me and many of my friends, I’m much more burned by the hidden added fees than just knowing what it’ll cost up front

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VinylHighway@reddit

The entire restaurant industry needs a shake up. I get the owners motivation though a lot of restaurants tried to Move to a no tip model but the highest performing wait staff don’t like it and some patrons don’t like not having the perceived power to punish or reward the servers.

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knittinghobbit@reddit

I’m in San Diego. Going out to eat usually means ice cream, a fancy coffee, or maybe a bowl of pho now. If I’m feeding the family we will occasionally order pizza. I’ve got kids, so going out as a family is untenable.

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Pristine_Bobcat4148@reddit

They said if I couldn't afford a (and ever increasing %) tip, then I shouldnt eat out.

So I learned to cook. Never looked back.

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n8_S@reddit

Man odd one out on this one. I hate cooking so does my wife. We do a restaurant or take about 4-5 days a week.

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No-Independence-6842@reddit

Not very often at all anymore. I spent the last 2 years saving for a down payment for a house so I really got myself in the mind set “ if it’s not a necessity then don’t buy it/do it” . I’m moving out of state into my new house so I had drinks with my friends before I leave . It’s probably been 6 months since I went out before tonight.

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ottosjackit@reddit

Really it’s the wife’s call on any particular day. If she’s feeling comfortable and just wants to lay back and enjoy without all the extra effort then I’ll eat her out.

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IvenaDarcy@reddit

I’m single, no kids. I eat out about 3-4 times a week.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

I’m in the same boat. Single, no kids. I keep it to one only because Seattle is stupid expensive. Though, after over 20 years away, I’m moving back to Michigan. Cost of living is a fraction of what I pay now, so I bet that goes up

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IvenaDarcy@reddit

Glad you’ll have more disposable income soon! I’m in NYC and I know it’s crazy expensive here but I find a lot of great meals for great prices. Happy hours, lunch specials and just know a lot of places that aren’t crazy pricey. Often I eat alone but sometimes it’s to meet a friend and catch up which is always nice to do over a meal. Good luck on your move. Hope Michigan treats you well!

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Much appreciated! My Dad passed away a couple months ago, so the main reason for the move is to be closer to my Mom and other family members. Dramatically cheaper cost of living is an added bonus

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optamastic@reddit

Cut back quite a bit. Dont see the value anymore. Feels like a bop every time you go out. I went to a business lunch last week and had two salads( one had chicken, other maybe 1.5-2oz of salmon) and two iced teas. The total was $105 after tax and automatic service fee. Never again will I step foot in that place.

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Frosty_Cloud_2888@reddit

Maybe once a month. With inflation it’s all a race to the bottom. I can cook for less cost and much better taste and then I am also meal planning for the week.

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MetalEnthusiast83@reddit

Once or twice a week I think. We have two kids so I’m counting takeout.

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VectorJones@reddit

I can't stand to look at a restaurant menu anymore, remembering the prices of things before everything went to shit.

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Tie_me_off@reddit

Way too often. A few nights a week, lunches too.

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bluemitersaw@reddit

I'm going to steal a line I saw on another thread.

Half as much as I could and twice as often as I should.

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Burnitalldown1@reddit

Damn. One of my favorite fringe benefits of my job is they buy me lunch everyday… so I eat out a lot…

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mountednoble99@reddit

Never.

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Stuffleapugus@reddit

Not as much as I should.

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El_Guapo_Supreme@reddit

I'm in the minority, but I eat out twice a day. I also stopped living in the US full time. The food there is shit, it's expensive, andi can't understand how chain restaurants stay in business.

Local joints have good food usually, but it's too expensive and wasteful to cook for myself as just one person. Not to mention having to eat leftovers several times a week (even if it was bad the first time).

I've saved a lot of money and earned a lot of happiness eating out.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Out of curiosity, where are you living these days? I lived in the Netherlands for a year many years ago and found that it was quite inexpensive. Though admittedly, it was a very small town

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El_Guapo_Supreme@reddit

I travel all over. Currently I'm in the Yucatan. But the story is the same everywhere I go: food is inexpensive and good.

Unless you're in the US. Then it is low quality and outrageously expensive.

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Usual-Bag-3605@reddit

Once every three weeks (when my mom goes in for her chemo treatments). We've budgeted it in, to ensure she can have whatever she wants on that day.

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Curious_Instance_971@reddit

Once, sometimes twice with the whole family. Occasionally I pick up lunch for myself. It’s too expensive now.

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Apprehensive_Hat8986@reddit

that we can’t expect prices to be the same as they were 25-30 years ago. That’s absurd.

That's the thing. It's not absurd. The wealthy were still crazy wealthy, but we literally had more money in our pockets for a little longer before it ended up in their vaults. They've ground us down, trashed worker protections, and degraded our incomes for so long that it's affecting what we think of as reasonable. What you proposed is reasonable. What's absurd is that it's not possible right now. And only because of the policies that favour wealth concentration.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

I certainly don’t disagree. Housing prices, healthcare, other basic necessities have risen far more than what inflation would dictate. So even if dining out simply tracked with inflation, it’s still doesn’t make sense to do it regularly for many people

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Perfect_Mix9189@reddit

we're empty nesters. now that we're only feeding two people, we have found that it's cheaper to eat out sometimes, especially cuz we can split one meal because the portions are so big.

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MountainCry9194@reddit

I eat out with customers and expense it. Otherwise, we do takeout maybe once per month, and fast food when we travel long distances. I get a credit card credit that we use quarterly, but that’s about it.

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thatpunkyrat@reddit

I'd say 2-3 times a week but we've recently started cooking at home more. I love our air fryer!

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dontgetmadgetdata@reddit

I eat out less often than ever but not because of prices…more so my partner prefers that I cook. 😂

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PoisonMind@reddit

All the time, but mostly at locally owned cafes. I haven't eaten in a chain restaurant in decades.

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idio242@reddit

If I’m going to a concert, I’m probably grabbing dinner before. So once a week, on average.

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VVrayth@reddit

How often do you guys eat out these days?

Ask your mom!

gif

(Please accept this snarky reply in the spirit in which it is offered, fellow Xennial.)

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affectionateanarchy8@reddit

A lot this week, i was sick so we ordered like 3 soups. But otherwise we been pretty good.

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Kazarak_Starflower@reddit

I know I belong in this sub because without reading glasses, I saw the title of this post as “how often do guys eat you out these day?” 😳

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Shaved_Caterpillar@reddit

Every time my wife lets me

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Govain@reddit

My wife and I try to do a lunch date once a month at a specific place. It's a taphouse and they've got a great selection and don't allow anybody under 21. We like to chat with the staff and tip well so they make sure we have a spot at the bar when they see us walk in, and we usually end up with any "mistakes".

Afterwards we go out 'clubbing' (Costco) to walk it off.

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LMurch13@reddit

Eating out has been replaced with Doordash, and that answer is once a week, most of the time.

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jambr380@reddit

When I do go out, it's almost always at a place with half price apps at happy hour or a $10.99 type deal at Applebees or Chilis, but it's not often.

My partner and I often go to quick service/counter service type restaurants and split a meal, making is decent value. Chipotle quite often, the large Tropichop at Pollo Tropical, a bowl at Rasa (Indian). The value menu at Taco Bell and the $6.99 Dominos pizza deals are also pretty top notch

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Cisru711@reddit

Way too much for my tastes. Not nearly enough for my wife's.

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Serious-Mongoose-387@reddit

maybe 2-3 times a year

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shmallkined@reddit

I started cooking way more during the covid lockdown and haven’t gone to a restaurant to sit down since then. I like my own cooked food more than what I get at your average restaurant, so I don’t feel like I’m missing much. I’ll still order take out if I’m too tired to get groceries and/or cook.

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walter_grimsley@reddit

Hardly ever anymore. I make it a rare treat. But we’re sometimes so tired from work and family issues we will go to the diner or a fast casual restaurant. Nice restaurants are never

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alett146@reddit

Maybe once or twice a month but only really for special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries.

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Vash_85@reddit

Maybe once every couple of months

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jesusmansuperpowers@reddit

All the time. Maybe 5 times a week including lunches.

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catsdelicacy@reddit

You go out?

We have 1 delivered meal per week, sometimes 2 if everybody is shattered

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Fickle_Wrangler_7439@reddit

Once every couple weeks. My partner and I are outgoing. We chat with our basements and waiters, meet friends, make friends, etc.

We also live in a large city, so access to good food is high. Can't remember the last time I went to a day casual chain.

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wollflour@reddit

Pre-pandemic, once a week.

Now, maybe once a month. The quality is super low, the prices are super high, and the expectation for 25%+ tips for terrible service make it easy to decide to just cook at home.

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mollyjwink@reddit

Very rarely. It’s too expensive to taste so bad. Id rather cook

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ExtraNoise@reddit

I'd rather not cook, I'm not good at it. That being said, what I make is generally better than the bland over-cooked garbo I seem to get at all fast food places and many sit downs these days.

I wish I could find somewhere that was just consistently decent. Not even perfect, just good most of the time.

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_R_A_@reddit

Was doing 1-2x a week, but with an almost 1 year old and 4 year old going out to eat has been more stressful than enjoyable.

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dogtor_howl@reddit

We save it up for really busy/stressful weeks. There are some weeks where there’s so much work/other stuff going on that somebody else has to cook if we’re going to eat lol.

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LiiilKat@reddit

When work is paying the bill. Even then, I still prefer to bring in my own food.

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

Was never a going out guy even when it was cheap. The prices now are downright nuts.

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Forward_Damage4779@reddit

My wife cooks 5x a week. We order once and go out once. Sometimes we go out Friday and Saturday. When I was a kid we went out for birthdays and special occasions.

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Short_Koala_9339@reddit

I’m with you- We factor at least once per week. I need at least one day of a break from cooking. It’s a treat.

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summerborn1983@reddit

Never...too broke to do so

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uconnboston@reddit

We used to eat out once a week, family event. Now it’s a bit less but still probably 2-3 times per month. It’s usually because we finish a soccer game and just head to grab dinner or lunch right after and less likely the planned variety.

One of the benefits to eating out is that we do a better job of putting our phones down and having conversations at the table than we do at home. Even if it’s a sit down meal at home, there’s always some distraction. Part of this is just parenting better so I will own that.

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pinkrobotlala@reddit

Usually one dinner a week, takeout, although if the week gets crazy my daughter and I might order something or grab something from the grocery store hot section.

My husband travels a lot for work so he eats out constantly.

I have the occasional coffee/pastry on a weekend

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throwawayfromPA1701@reddit

Depends on if I go into the office or not. Typically I've always bought lunch.

So, at least three times a week.

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therealpopkiller@reddit

Once or twice a week but it’s never anything nice and we also don’t have kids so it’s a lot cheaper. Everything keeps getting more expensive, wages are stagnant, and no one in charge wants to do anything about it. It’s 1788 France in America right now.

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Appropriate-Neck-585@reddit

Probably twice a week, one mid-week-too-tired-to-cook local dinner and normally grab breakfast on Sunday at a diner on my day off. I'm cooking the rest of the time. (Note: single guy, no wife or kids)

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Eazy12345678@reddit

1-2 times a week.

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jackfaire@reddit

I haven't really been able to afford to for the last 20 years so rarely.

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C250586@reddit

I eat out a few times a month. It's just me though, so $20 for a burger is pretty reasonable and saves me a lot of time cooking.

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redditydothis@reddit

A few times a month at most. I’m a decent cook and my wife is a good cook.

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sunshinerae811@reddit

We eat out all the time. I grew up in a house that never ate out except on holidays (Christmas Eve) and the rare occasion. I will and can cook, but I don’t enjoy it. If I cook, my husband cleans- but after working all day we just want to spend time with our daughter vs cooking and cleaning. So going out to dinner is partly family time for us as it lets us all talk and have time together without the time of cooking and cleanup.

We can afford it and it’s family time. On the nights we cook at home I try to cook our favorite foods we all enjoy and then we sit at the table together and eat.

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MotherofaPickle@reddit

About once a month. We have a local place really close that we depend on when neither of us feel like cooking. Or it’s Indian, Greek, Thai, or Chinese.

We had Indian twice last month because we finally found the best place in town and we’re addicted.

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admin_bait14@reddit

About three times a week, I love my wife!

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Azmtbkr@reddit

We have 2 young kids so takeout 2ish times per week, this is more out of pure exhaustion than a culinary delight. Sit down restaurants maybe once every other month.

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SweetCosmicPope@reddit

Weekly. We do a movie and takeout night.

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Automatic_Opposite17@reddit

Never anymore. Used to be at least 5 times a week. Just a waste of money nowadays.

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oscarbutnotthegrouch@reddit

Once a month or so. Only when I make it to the closest city with decent food options.

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WillRikersHouseboy@reddit

Absolutely never.

That’s his job.

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imokquestionmark@reddit

I misunderstood this post

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Similar_Ad2094@reddit

Once a month because we recently bought a house and the mortgage is double our last rent lol

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ShillinTheVillain@reddit

Once a week. Come Friday night neither my wife nor I feel like cooking, so we get takeout and watch something. The rest of the week we cook at home.

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BennyOcean@reddit

I'm on a fat loss plan and the easiest way to manage that is to cook all or most of your food and portion everything out so you know exactly what you're eating. It's not that it's impossible to eat out and lose weight but it's a lot harder to hone in on the numbers as far as calories and macronutrients in the meal when eating out. I've also gotten pretty good at eating the main things I cook for myself, including roasted whole chickens, steak and fish etc.

If I was going to eat out it would be for ethnic cuisines that I can't properly cook for myself or would require too much buying ingredients I don't have, preparation time, and even if I was to do it I wouldn't do it nearly as well as the restaurant... I'm in the greater Seattle area and we have a relatively high percentage of Asians in the population here so many Asian restaurants to choose from. My favorites would be Thai, sushi, Vietnamese noodle soup (Pho), occasional Indian... oh and of course Mexican food. I can make a burrito or whatever but it's not the same as what they make in the local spots.

So yeah, agree that the value proposition is not nearly what it used to be and many places seem to have declined in quality.

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ElfDestruct@reddit

We do going out once a week now in general, and the wegovy means that a whole lot of that order is coming home for leftovers for the next few nights. I've never really had it in me to lose by counting.

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Vaperwear@reddit

Once a month. Too expensive otherwise.

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makingcookies1@reddit

Maybe once every other week at this point.

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CheesyRomantic@reddit

Going to a sit down restaurant (family style and medium fancy) Twice... maybe three times a year (excluding if we are out of town).

Carry out/delivery: maybe once a month

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BillyDMountain@reddit

About once a week. During the winter it's usually local places that have good reasonable combo deals, in the summer a lot of fast food coupons come in plus it's super hot so I go through those.

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Charrbard@reddit

Way too much.

But its usually on deals. $10 large from Pizza Hut. Couple local restaurants have $8.99 burger + Fries that beats any franchise joint. Burger King has the 3 for $7 I use a fair bit. Local Mexican place has a $12 Taco salad that is amazing.

My fridge is basically drinks, pickles, condiments and fruits. I need to work on it.

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an_inverse@reddit

Almost every time I buy in food that's premade from a restaurant, it's mostly instantly regrettably. It feels like it has been so since lockdown.

Much healthier and better for reducing financial stress is to make your own food, in my opinion. I'm no professional chef but I try!

I don't have kids to look after anymore though and when I did takeaways were a godsend. 😂

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TP_Crisis_2020@reddit

Honestly, during the pandemic is when I really stepped up my home chef game, and it's been life changing.

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TraditionalTackle1@reddit

I cook at home most of the time but when its $40 for me and my wife to eat at McDonald’s I’d rather go to a sit down restaurant.

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Ihatebigmosquitos@reddit

What are you ordering that costs that much?

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burjja@reddit

I always have this question as well. I always assume it's a combination of exaggerating, high cost of living area, a location that has a monopoly like a turnpike location, etc.

It may be those things but I've developed a new theory. Fast food prices are ridiculous but they are especially ridiculous for the unaware. And by unaware, I mean those not using an app or don't have a good knowledge of the menu.

Taco Bell is the worst with this. In the app you can get a box with a quesadilla, a taco, chips and cheese, and a drink for less than just buying the quesadilla on its own. I only order through apps/online ordering and then go pick it up. If I just pulled up to the drive through speaker or ordered at the counter, I'm sure I'd be spending a lot more.

I also think people splurge more on fast food then I do. I forego certain items if I think they are overpriced. You can get to $40 at McDonalds if you don't use the common 20% off deal in the app and two people each order:

Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese Large Fries Large Caramel Frappe 10 piece McNugget

In my area, that order x 2 comes out to $42.56 before tax. Use that 20% off in the app and you are at $34.05. They get you one way or another. You either pay more in money, let them collect your data, and/or waste time studying the menu.

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TP_Crisis_2020@reddit

I HATE that it has come down to needing to use a damn app just to get normal prices at a drive thru.

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wetfloor666@reddit

2 meals costs that easily depending on your area. I like a Wendy's Triple Classic Combo with bacon and that is close to $22. The smaller burger meals (1 patty) are about $19-$20. To order out in my house with 4 people it costs well over $100 unless we order pizza and that is nearly $70 for 3 large pizzas.

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Ihatebigmosquitos@reddit

That’s crazy. My fast food go to is Whataburger and I can get the patty melt combo w taxes for $13.

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TraditionalTackle1@reddit

Not everybody lives in the south

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west-egg@reddit

I live in a fairly HCOL area. The most expensive meal on the McD's menu near me is $11.89 (Big Arch). The most expensive dessert is a limited-time McFlurry for $5.59. Two of each of those comes to $35; so I guess that's close to $40 with tax if you're ordering the most expensive stuff on the menu. Or $29 + tax for two Big Mac meals and two "regular" McFlurrys.

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MeatAndBourbon@reddit

When I'm going for the best deal, the BK $7 trio with 3 OG Chicken Sandwiches (and adding extra onion rings, BBQ sauce, extra pickles, extra mayo) comes out to like $8.50 and is well over a day's worth of calories (~2450, or ~280 Cal/$)

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MeatAndBourbon@reddit

It's gotten to where it's cheaper and higher quality for me to go to the local dive bar and get a big ole bacon & bleu cheese burger with fries than go to McDonald's. 12.99 for actually good food made fresh right in front of you, a friendly atmosphere, free popcorn, and 2 for 1 tap beers during happy hour.

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TP_Crisis_2020@reddit

The little gas station in my town has a reall awesome hot bar that is way cheaper and better than fast food. They make their own pizza and burgers. You can go there and get a giant bacon cheeseburger made with real ground beef for like $4.

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SmogMoon@reddit

You can still get a (good) burger, (good) fries, and a pint of anything on draft for ~$10 at one of my cities older and respected pubs. It’s usually pretty full there, but obviously it’s still profitable for a bar to have good food and reasonable prices and not serve Sysco slop. I wish more places would notice.

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Ihatebigmosquitos@reddit

Yeah, people spending $40 for 2 on fast food don’t know what they’re doing or over eating.

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HeyAQ@reddit

Rarely, and it’s Indian only. Everything else I can do better.

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BloodFromAnOrange@reddit

I work from home and leaving the house is A Whole Thing, so almost never unless it's a special event. Or if I worked out particularly hard at the gym.

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SeanDawgMillionaire@reddit

Aside from when someone comes to visit, almost never. I'll go from the end of summer until spring without eating out at all. Hugest waste of money especially these days.

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rharper38@reddit

Our house is a wreck right now and no one has the desire to cook, so most meals. We're not slobs, this is due to having it painted after an accident. It's just a lot

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beofscp@reddit

We get pizza once a week from a local restaurant. It’s been Friday pizza and movie night in our house since the kids were little. They are teens now.

Other than that we will only eat out about once a month with grandparents. Another local place that we all love.

It’s so expensive

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Epicwalt@reddit

I dont even mind the higher prices tbh.. expected.. its the shrinkflation of smaller portions for higher prices that really fucks me with a cactus.

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MeatPopsicle10@reddit

We eat out never per week (it’s me, my husband, and our 3 young kids).

The last time we ate at a restaurant was 9/2024 for my husband & my 10th wedding anniversary.

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PlayPretend-8675309@reddit

1-2x office lunches a week, 1/2 take out meals a week. dinner in a restaurant maybe 1x/month.

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VinceAmonte@reddit

Almost never. I prefer preparing food at home to control the portions and ingredients. One every two months or so I grab a burger at a local diner but that’s about it.

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jahneeriddim@reddit

Take my kids out once every 2 weeks. It’s usually over $50 for the 3 of us and they eat if the kids menu

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iamthe0ther0ne@reddit

I haven't in more than 9 months. I tried ordering pizza in and was disappointed. I mostly li e on pb$j and pasta. It's horrible for my inflammation but all I can afford.

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broblackheim@reddit

Rarely these days, food is cheaper at home, its fun to cook and also my stuff is in my house, but more importantly, no other people are here except me and my wife.

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Retro_Hoard@reddit

I live in Canada and working in the city I used to wonder if there would be a time when food would be come expensive. My work would pay for all the meals and if you stayed downtown enough there were so many specials. All types of discounts with food. Eat out as much as I wanted to really.

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AllSugaredUp@reddit

Usually 3x a week. We're DINKs with disposable income and dont like to cook.

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she-dont-use-jellyyy@reddit

Almost never. But I grew up poor in a rural area so we didn't eat out when I was a kid either.

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59apache01@reddit

Very rarely. All of the restaurants around me suck and are way overpriced for the crap they serve.

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gpupoo@reddit

Once, sometimes twice, a week to give me a break. As much as I love to cook, I need rest, especially living with chronic pain. We live in Chicago and drive around to eat at ethnic places where I’m not able to recreate those dishes at home. But, carry out, with occasional sit down. We used to do delivery, but not anymore. It’s become very expensive to eat in general here.

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Snowpant@reddit

Maybe once a week or once every other week. We only go to a handful of favorite places. We have the money but it’s a personal preference.. I’d rather just cook and eat at home, know exactly what is in the food and not be around a bunch of people.

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Unknowngala@reddit

Never. I have food restrictions due to certain health conditions and I live in a place where no one even tries to accommodate. Too expensive and not worth getting sick.

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heresmytwopence@reddit

Since becoming an empty nest, A LOT. We don't have expensive tastes though. More often than not we spend under $20/meal, which isn't much more than a lot of home-cooked meals.

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ShivvyMcFly@reddit

3 to 4 times a week.

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Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit

It depends on the week we're having. Saturdays are our scheduled lunch date. I feel successful when we've prepared for the week enough that we don't go to a restaurant from one weekend to the next.

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fridaygirl7@reddit

We get takeout from local ethnic places maybe once every 2 weeks. I can’t even remember the last time we went to a sit down restaurant other than our local deli - we have lunch there once every few months.

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TMore108@reddit

Way too much... If I'm home I'll cook for the kids. But I'm a firefighter so I get off from working 24 hours I'm not cooking and my wife can't cook. And now it's spring so nearly everyday my kids have something going on. Some times they'll have two things going on, so even if I'm home there isn't much time to cook.

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DarkAngela12@reddit

Maybe once per month, max. Or when someone else is paying, haha.

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xRVAx@reddit

Birthdays. Report cards. Vacations.

Other than that MAYBE once a month when we're too lazy to cook.

Always local places or Chick-fil-A, NEVER Applebee's type places.

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viridiansoul@reddit

0% of the time. All the chain restaurants suck now and all the ones that don't suck are way too spendy.

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Hips-Often-Lie@reddit

We used to get the Panda Express family meal when I didn’t feel like cooking, which was a couple times a month. It was $35. Now it is $50. It’s insane how much things have gone up. Of course the grocery store is even worse in the percentage that things have jumped.

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NoGoat3930@reddit

Prices are way to high to eat something that doesn't taste like food, but like a mixture of chemicals.

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raikougal@reddit

My God what a gutter mind I have! I misread that title TOTALLY. 😂😭

That being said since I have dialysis, it's more often than I would like since I honestly don't feel like cooking most days. Most these days I just want to come in and stare at the fucking TV for hours until I go to bed.

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SmogMoon@reddit

We go out to eat every Saturday evening. Usually Indian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, or a few of the hole in the wall pubs around us. I cook dinner for the family every other night of the week. Of course random stuff pops up that throws off our routine so it’s usually the Culver’s not far from us in those situations.

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fyrefly_faerie@reddit

Since the pandemic, we try to go to a local restaurant of our choosing once a week to help keep them in business.

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dragon34@reddit

If we eat food we don't make ourselves it's usually takeout our kid is incredibly picky and if I am going to spend money I would really not want to spend too much to have the kid eat French fries and chicken nuggets when he's just as happy with the freezer ones and I won't be frustrated when he absolutely refuses to stay still and in his seat. (He's 5)

Also we are introverts and engaging with the kid uses up all our spoons to deal with humans. The restaurants are usually overstimulating and I have an easier time with portion control when I don't have to ask someone for a box.

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Geoff-Vader@reddit

Eat out maybe 1-2 times a month. Takeout probably a couple times a week.

Getting fit the past few years has helped streamline meal considerations for sure. I eat the same breakfast every day. Rotate through 3-5 quick/delicious lunches I can make when I run home each day. Then usually a light dinner at home and the same late night snack each night.

I wish I could afford to DoorDash like my kids. TBF they do it with their own money from work. And we've had the 'discussion' about what a colossal waste of money it is. But I'm tired boss.

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snail13@reddit

My kitchen is closed for dinner on weekends.

I take care of my mom in her old age. I work from home. During the week, we take turns cooking. On Mondays when I do a grocery run, we usually get fried or rotisserie from the deli for dinner.

Saturday rolls around and my mom is looking on Uber Eats before noon plotting what she is gonna order (on my dime, lol). We always order enough for 2 days of dinner.

Basically we cook Tuesday- Friday.

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annang@reddit

A lot more than we ever did when I was a kid.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Not really. Both of my parents worked at local factories. I had a job at a hardware store in high school. We didn’t do sit down very often as a family, but almost every Saturday we would pick up food from somewhere - but that was when almost every fast food place had dollar menus

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AM_710@reddit

I don't even want to eat at chain places anymore - all tastes like SYSCO - If we're going out it's to a locally-owned establishment. We have families at the school who own restaurants and its feels good to keep the money in the local economy.

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B4SSF4C3@reddit

Out? Rarely. Takeout? Often.

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knivesofsmoothness@reddit

Pretty much every Friday.

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Interesting_Owl7041@reddit

I’d say on average we go out once a week. Some weeks might be more, other weeks not at all.

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cat_at_the_keyboard@reddit

Only a few times per month and only if there's a special or coupon. I hit up the Texas roadhouse early dine deal or get firehouse subs when they're bogo or have a good coupon. Food prices are fucking nuts

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GreyTigerFox@reddit

We don’t. We cannot afford it. We can barely afford groceries.

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SinnU2s@reddit

only for pho cuz i can't make it like those old ladies can

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KillBosby@reddit

My wife only wants it three times a week but I'd happily do it more.

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Ok-Boysenberry-719@reddit

I'm going to be a little honest and say way too often, but I'm not sharing details because it's shameful.

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TP_Crisis_2020@reddit

Honestly can't even remember the last time I went out to a sit down restaurant.

It's gotten to the point where it's not even worth the hassle. It shocks me that even with how much people are struggling, there seems to be a perpetual line out the door at every restaurant in my town.

Why would I want to go wait for a seat to get some overpriced sysco food and be pressured to tip as much as the meal costs to some server that just hands me my plate and drink.

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Resident_Positive472@reddit

Yeah value prop def changed, but moreover, cooking education via social media went exponential

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ottovonbizmarkie@reddit

Hmm, any personalities/channels you recommend for people wanting to learn the basics?

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Brian Lagerstrom is one of my favorites, Kenji Lopez-Alt, Ethan Chlebowski, ArnieTex for some great Tex-Mex

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Resident_Positive472@reddit

If I have some beef in the fridge and I fancy (for example) a creamy beef pasta, I just Google “creamy beef pasta” and hit the YouTube shorts

I always liked Jamie Oliver for basics

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MaddyKet@reddit

A lot - I am the queen of Uber Eats.

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Reasonable-Wave8093@reddit

Once a week

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CalgaryChris77@reddit

Definitely cut down as prices have went up in the last few years. Although it wasn’t as drastic here as in the USA, they had crazy cheap prices that we never did for the low end restaurants.

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smoresporn0@reddit

Family of 4 here with 2 elementary aged kids, I have a handful of places that we will do once or maybe twice per week.

Texas Roadhouse, when we're feeling fancy lol, the local Asian buffet, the "classic cheeseburger pack" from McDonald's, the place we get Chinese delivery from, or the $7 pizzas from Dominos or Papa Johns.

That's about it.

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crazyk4952@reddit

Due to rising menu prices, increasing and unclear tip expectations and decreasing food quality, I eat out much less than I used to.

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ConcreteKeys@reddit

Not only did service and food get bad, but my town turned into a tourist destination and something like ordering a pizza turned into waiting 2 hours. I was used to just driving to get dinner when I felt hungry on the fly. All of a sudden, I drive somewhere and there is an hour wait so I leave and go somewhere else and repeat the situation 4 times till I end up back home an hour later without eating. It just wasn't worth it anymore.

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SusanxStrange@reddit

About 3 times a week. Nothing fancy, we have some local spots with decent food and drinks i frequent - but I'm in a new town and am desperately trying to not be a hermit anymore so. I at least made it out of my house, dammit. Social anxiety in your 40s is rough, man. Is only the bartenders knowing your name a good thing, asking for a friend. Sigh.

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jhenry999@reddit

Multiple times per week. We both earn a good income and work a lot, so it’s a form of outsourcing something we don’t have time for or just want to maximize our down time

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kayveep@reddit

Pizza and fast food. Sit down restaurants only for birthdays

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PinComplete8515@reddit

No fastfood at all I can't afford it ? Eat at home and once a month take the fam , wife and 2 kids, out to a restaurant for about 100 bucks. Barely can afford to eat at home. I work 5 1/2 days a week. I would work more but got the fam to spend time with.

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pct2daxtreme@reddit

Not much, the quality has gone down tremendously where I live. Even ordering from sit down restaurants is rare.

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ArchaicWatchfullness@reddit

Most weekends, but I live in Spain where it's more affordable.

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worlds_okayest_skier@reddit

Usually once a week, sometimes not even that. 15 years ago it would have easily been 4 times a week.

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acatwithnoname@reddit

We cook all meals Monday through Friday and eat out 2 or 3 meals on the weekend.

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Jolly_Werewolf_7356@reddit

I do take out from local non-chain restaurants

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pterrible_ptarmigan@reddit

No kids, low cost of living area. Breakfast 2x a week and dinner 2x a week

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DoucheyMcBagBag@reddit

Whenever my wife wants it.

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SilverAsparagus2985@reddit

Maybe once a week, max. I tend to cook really well for myself and therefore, the price to eat out doesn't even match the experience. They stripped the atmosphere out of restaurants. Ah, capitalism.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Even McDonald’s used to have somewhat of an atmosphere. Now it’s just a cold interior with kiosks, so signs, all grey, and maybe a couple tables. They want delivery and drive thru orders only at this point

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SilverAsparagus2985@reddit

I have coined it the Beiging of American Architecture. It's a way to preserve the status quo (yt). I see it all around where I am and especially in affluential neighborhoods, which makes sense in the broader sense of capitalism. Personally, though, it's never something I want to achieve.

But yes, they stripped the atmosphere out of everything, because they want to save money by people only ordering and leaving. They don't actually want you there--they just want your money. :/

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cranberries87@reddit

*Greiging

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someguyfromsk@reddit

I pick up $15 in wings about 3 times a month, outside if that I think February was the last time I ate in a restaurant.

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PrudentOwlet@reddit

We have 3 kids 15 and up, so we never eat out. Even just fast food is always over $70 for the 5 of us. A sit down restaurant is for birthdays only. We went to freaking Chili's for my 15 year old's birthday last month and it was almost $200 including the tip. Insanity.

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Sunshineal@reddit

Today is the first day my family has eaten out this month. We went out for breakfast for Mother's day. The bill was $120 with tip. No one ordered juice. It was just water and coffee for my husband and I.

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Green-Factor-2526@reddit

Once a week. I bought my condo almost 10 years ago, so my mortgage is pretty inexpensive and I don't have kids

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militant-hippie@reddit

I have never met Mrs Days. If she said I touched her, she's a liar.

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fermentedradical@reddit

Once a week, tops. I'm a very good cook and can make most of what I want from different cuisines at home.

However, this makes me sad because my partner and I are foodies. We want to go out more often, but what's happened in the US is that there has been a bifurcation in restaurants. A mass proliferation of slop bowl places at one end and a few very good, expensive, high-end farm-to-table restaurants at the other. The middle has been squeezed and, more often than not, you're paying a lot of money for Sysco food there, too.

I'd rather spend money making high-end cuisine at home and then the dollars I have will go to either cheaper international restaurants that still charge reasonable prices for high quality food or to high-end restaurants when we travel.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Yeah, I hear that. Sysco and US Foods control such an insane portion of the restaurant scene. It’s all the same stuff. I have some very expensive cooking gear and am moving from Seattle back home to Michigan to a new home I just purchased . I’m going to build out a massive outdoor cooking space so I can just do most things at home.

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dragonslayer137@reddit

Read this wrong.

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Into-the-stream@reddit

My parents never took us out to eat. Like, once or twice a year. We took our kids out more often, usually on road trips. But after Covid prices got so high we only get pizza maybe every month or two. Special occasions we get cheap-ish sushi takeout.

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CornishShaman@reddit

We used to do once a week as a date night. Then that got too expensive so we got take out instead once a week.
That that got too expensive so now we will get take out on bdays, anniversary, valentines only.

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BossDjGamer@reddit

My wife’s never in the mood

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TryFine317@reddit

I work from my company vehicle driving around to multiple locations in a given day and eat fast food lunch regularly. Shamelessly admit I love Taco Bell and have since the 59/79/99 days. Enjoy going out to a sit down restaurant on weekends. (Yard House is my current favorite.)

My spouse is not a cook whatsoever and sometimes I’m in “the cooking a nice dinner mood” but not often. I make my son’s breakfast and packed lunch each school day. I definitely took it for granted as a kid how nice it was to have someone else make food for you.

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No-Relation4226@reddit

Usually 3-4x week. It’s a mix of take-out because we’re busy with evening activities or dine-in for socializing. I used to go out for lunch most days during the work week pre-pandemic. Now I try to make a salad or have a microwaveable meal at home. So overall I’m eating out less than 6 years ago.

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JackBlackBowserSlaps@reddit

Haven’t gone to a restaurant for a meal in years >< some beers and maybe an app is already pushing it. That happens maybe twice over the summer,

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vulgarvinyasa2@reddit

Like once a week but I cook every meal so it’s really when I don’t want to cook. Always something I don’t make like Chinese or Deep fried dishes. Always something less than 50€ for the 3 of us.

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PiratePilot@reddit

Maybe once a month proper. Chain restaurants have diluted their quality a lot but local places still offer decent quality around here. Pricey, especially if you get drinks. But we enjoy it every now and then.

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mightysockelf@reddit

I work in a restaurant, so I'm eating a meal out almost every day - for free!

Outside of that I might grab food a few times a month, but only if it's a steal of a deal. If the price works out to about what it would cost me in time and money to grocery shop and cook up the meal myself, then I'll treat myself to something. I always order to go though, so I don't have to pay an exorbitant tip for someone to wait on me for the 30 minutes or so it takes for me to eat.

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habitualtroller@reddit

Family of five so we get takeout every now and then. We will get three meals and split it family style across the five of us.

I get to select what I eat and then eat it perhaps three or four times a year.

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somecoolname42@reddit

4 lunches a week, pizza about every week, I'll take my girl out at least once a weekend. Sometimes we'll dive to the next town over and get lunch and dinner. Probably twice a month I'll grab breakfast or brunch on the weekends. Most of my breakfasts are a bowl of cereal, but sometimes I cook eggs and bacon on the weekends. Dinners are cooked at home and are normally fairly inexpensive. I'll stretch a rotisserie chicken into several meals, or do pulled pork in a crock pot and eat that for weeknight dinners.

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Subject_Command5442@reddit

Just whenever your mama comes over.

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myuserhasafirstname@reddit

It's cheaper, easier, and better to eat at home sadly (I'm a middle class, stay at home parent.)

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Ambitious_Jelly8783@reddit

Same. About once a week. We do more because my wife likes it, but Ibjust find 95% of places are overpriced and the quality just isn't there....

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Weak_Radish966@reddit

Fast food maybe three times a month. Sit down restaurants are only for special occasions now. We used to eat out as a family probably once a week, but again, it’s unfortunately just too expensive now.

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thatotherguy57@reddit

I go to Waffle House every Friday after work with my sister, it's a tradition at this point, and Whataburger on most Sunday mornings, but that's pretty much the extent of my eating out. Two or three times a year, I'll go out for donuts, and once in a great while I'll go out to eat with friends (once or twice a year, usually), and every few months, I'll order pizza.

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ouijahead@reddit

Man, I have an “okay” job. Far from rich. And to me it’s on par with throwing money away now. I used to have this old timey feel that buying food at the grocery store was not a waste of money if it’s all going to be eaten anyways. Just this year of my life is when I start saying “nah” to things I want because it’s too expensive. Grabbing a steak from the store compared to a restaurant was a good deal. Now it is soo expensive, it’s almost just not worth it. Pork is still an okay buy right now.

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Yeah, pork is one of the few proteins where you can get a good deal. My grocery store seems to almost always have pork butt, pork loin, tenderloin buy one get one free. I’ll buy those and often throw on the grill or smoker

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SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

I think the meals at most sit down places are a pretty good value right now, but I’ve always been in the habit of ordering ice water for my drink. Plus, I typically can make 2-3 meals out of a typical casual dining entree. I go about once a week also. Some seasons, usually the dead of winter around the holidays when I’m exhausted, and the middle of summer when it’s so hot and uncomfortable to cook, I go more often.

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CaptPotter47@reddit

My wife and I do a date night once a month.

Otherwise the only really out to eat is fast food with the kids if we are running between various activities and don’t have time to cook.

Sometimes the food court at the Sam’s Club is clutch for decent cheap food.

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BigPoppaStrahd@reddit

Once a weekend when running errands and doing chores i’ll pick something up

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SlapHappyDude@reddit

Fast food, more than we should including Domino's. But you're right about the near death of casual sit down dining. It got too expensive and the food isn't that great most of the time.

We go out for family birthdays; it's so much easier once there are more than 6 people involved and everyone can just get something they like with no dishes.

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BugEquivalents@reddit

My husband always complains about how expensive it is to go out, but it’s usually his bar tab that drives up the bill 🤦🏻‍♀️

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fullthrottletomboy@reddit

IDK twice per year? My cooking is better, cheaper, healthier.

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SchucksAndMucks@reddit

As much as I can afford. I LOVE all the cuisines. Especially Thai, Laos and Burmese. I can’t make that at home worth a damn so I support my local spots. If I’m going to make a salad I’ll do that at home or use a TJ’s kit. Nothing special there.

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remoteworker9@reddit

Fridays and Saturdays with my husband.

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SubstanceNo1544@reddit

Besides the obvious problem of everything being wildly more expensive these days, the quality has gone down as well.

I spent 10 years cooking for a living so i prefer to eat at home. I know its going to correct, hot, and it doesnt cost me 20 bucks a plate.

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Rthepirate@reddit

Fucking mother's day

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No_Today_4903@reddit

Ohhh chi chisssss! Umm we eat out basically never. Money is tight so that’s a great reason why. I hate to sound old but, it’s so expensive and if the food is good the service isn’t. I don’t expect 5 star service but if you don’t wanna even get me a refill then I don’t really wanna leave a tip. If you don’t wanna leave a tip well then you probably shouldn’t be eating out so then there’s that problem. FWIW I do go out intending to leave 20% so please don’t come for me. I digress. We went to waffle house last week between doctor appointments and that place is damn good. Food great, service great and it’s always a great time there! Meal was like, $16? After tip it was still under $25. Can’t complain. Meal and a show. So we’ll go back there again when we’re back that way. That was two people. But if we go to Golden Corral with like, 4? It’s damn near $100. That’s just. See? Now I’m sounding old! Service is also great there and good food! It just guts me and it’s not like, upscale. To me $100 is a nice place. Not Golden Corral. The other chain restaurants are not it now at least here. Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, nah. $100+ and you’re gonna leave frustrated and mad that you spent so much on food that you could’ve made much better and your own kids would’ve treated probably better than the waiter did.

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dmaul17@reddit

A few times a week. We make good money and lots of great restaurants and pubs near us.

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ActuallyAlexander@reddit

I basically only buy pizza slices, falafel and Japanese market hand rolls since that’s what’s under then bucks. I haven’t gone to a table service restaurant this year.

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cranberries87@reddit

I used to eat out alllllllll the time, especially when in my 20s. Lunch out with my work BFF at least 3 times a week (sometimes 5), plus frequent dinners out. In my defense, I was working two jobs, so it was more convenient.

I’m making a concerted effort to save eating out/takeout for once a week or special occasions now, and I’m focusing on cooking.

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StevieV61080@reddit

This is tricky to answer as delivery has effectively taken the place of a lot of the times we used to go sit down at a restaurant. Not having to leave the house or give a significant tip to a server can make it more appealing.

We probably order delivery twice per week through Grubhub, hit drive-thrus 4 times per week, cook at home once per week, and otherwise snack on TV dinners, soup, leftovers, etc.

When we were younger, we DID go out to eat all the time (we practically lived at 24-hour places like Steak n Shake and IHOP).

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DoodleDoo1989@reddit

Couple times a month, there is a decent pizza, sushi and steakhouse near us. I feel their quality/price is still alright. It's definitely a treat these days though.

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Zsirhcz1981@reddit

Way too much.

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RedditsCoxswain@reddit

$12 for the 12oz sirloin and 2 sides

Adjusted for inflation that’s about $25 just from the 90’s to early 2020’s, not even considering the last few years.

To me, that seems more expensive even if it’s not

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jtmann05@reddit (OP)

Yeah, the hard part is that other aspects of life have increased at a rate that has outpaced inflation, particularly housing. So just the raw number not only looks wrong, but it’s also just a higher percentage of spend.

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Healthy-Neat-2989@reddit

Once a week… we take turns choosing. But even that is losing its appeal. Unless it’s an international variety of food from a small mom and pop, it’s typically overpriced crap that we could have done better ourselves. I’m stubborn and keep trying to find an experience like the old days though.

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mix0logist@reddit

Once a month, probably less. It used to be one of my greatest joys, but we've just been priced out.

Even a McDonald's trip for me, my wife, and our daughter is $30+ now.

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Visual-Swimmer-2253@reddit

When my kids have a busy schedule of practice that day we do fast food (for them I get myself nothing)

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Secure-Pain-9735@reddit

Every chance I get. But I prefer when sh…

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Couple times a month. Family visits and “special occasions” like milestones, birthdays, etc.

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ARKVEN33@reddit

Whenever my wife let's me.

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WendyPortledge@reddit

I get hand cut fries once every week or two from a local pub after working, but I don’t even consider that eating out. Because of health, food allergies, and cost, I haven’t eaten in a restaurant since 2018.

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aspect-of-the-badger@reddit

I have a local gyro place I go to every other week because it still has decent prices. Two or three times a year for any type of sit down restaurant.

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GuyWhoSaysYouManiac@reddit

Few times a week. No kids though.

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rollerfedora@reddit

Can’t do it. Hypertension means minimal salt intake. And all the restaurants salt the living fuck out of their food.

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onions-make-me-cry@reddit

Maybe once a week. I prefer to eat at home. Sometimes we order door dash but I know all the meals that are $30 all inclusive.

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Cb1818c@reddit

We will do take out once a week and always at the same couple of places. It's a very rare occasion we sit and eat at a restaurant. I remember as a young adult we would go to a restaurant one - two times a week. It's no longer worth the price as the food quality has diminished.

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Ihatebigmosquitos@reddit

I eat out a few times a week. I finally gave in and downloaded a few apps for the restaurants I enjoy and it’s been a game changer. I had a free spicy chicken sandwich from Whataburger today for lunch. Tomorrow is Moe’s Monday where I can get a bowl or burrito for $6.99. Don’t get me wrong, I eat at home all the time. It’s nice not having to do the dishes after every meal.

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Church_of_Cheri@reddit

We wait and go have really nice dinners at restaurants with tasting menus and wine pairings every few months. When you learn Olive Garden was invented by General Mills to sell you the very same products you can buy in the grocery store at a huge market, it just reframes how you see a lot of the restaurant industry.

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Squish_Miss@reddit

Never. Not since 2019 and I haven't missed it.

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williafx@reddit

Probably once maybe twice a week. Dink life. Mostly cook at home cuz it's fun and we're still savers.

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Relative_Progress946@reddit

I try not to. I only go out when the fiancé insists on it. Otherwise, I try not eating anything at all. I mean, have you seen grocery prices lately?? It’s like they want only the wealthy to be able to afford to eat and they want the rest of us to believe that’s in our own best interests.

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auramaelstrom@reddit

I paid $40 for 2 adult meals and 2 happy meals at McDonald's today. It was a one off as I cannot stand spending so much on such garbage, but we had a long drive and the kids always beg for McD's on the way.

Usually, we order out 2x a week from local independent places but we tend to split two entrees between the 4 of us as the kids are still little.

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No-Gas5342@reddit

At this point maybe once a month if that. It’s gotten so bad, beyond the price issue.

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Dr-McLuvin@reddit

Prob too much like 3X a week but we can afford it and it’s one of my favorite things to do.

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aroundincircles@reddit

My wife and I have 5 kids, we budget to eat out about once a month, since for 7 people, even a budget place is $140 after tax and tips.

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Timmonidus@reddit

Including lunch takeouts? Probably 5x week. Just going out with the family, 1-2x week.

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DoctorBlazes@reddit

Pretty much just for dates, but otherwise it's just me and my dog and I enjoy cooking. But I have a decent salary, so I could afford to go out more if I wanted to.

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JamesMattDillon@reddit

Once a week. I'll pick up something after I go shopping.

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frawgster@reddit

Lunch, twice weekly. I’m a cheap eater though, so lunch costs like $5-6 each, tops. Dinner, once every two weeks, usually, wife and I will get DoorDash. We’ve absolutely cut back on the last year or so. For us it’s not a question of affordability. It’s that it’s just so hard to find anything that’s worth cost of a don Fer for 2 anymore.

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GreenLeafRelaxed@reddit

Have barely eaten out my entire life. Maybe 3-4 times a year

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Inkd_Bella@reddit

Once every couple of years maybe, that also includes ordering in.

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lavasca@reddit

Few times pee week, maybe 4 not counting Whole Foods meals.

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MrTigerEyes@reddit

Daily at least once. Unfortunately I have way too many responsibilities to have time to prepare anything. The meals I don't buy outside are usually protein powder, granola bars, packs of pre-cooked chicken breast, frozen vegetables, packs of pre-washed salads, etc.

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Sweet_Pea_11@reddit

I make room in my budget for take-out once per week.

Sit down restaurants are for more special occasions like birthdays, mother's/father's days, nice date nights or anniversaries.

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One-Earth9294@reddit

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stations-creation@reddit

Like maybe 4 times a year to a sit down place. Get take out maybe once every 4 months? We both work in food service and maybe a few times a year bring something home from that. Make one big meal a week to last for leftovers and then have this and that around the house. Grill out all summer. Not having the same days off for a long time we probably just got into that groove and also obvs to save money.

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BelleMom@reddit

A couple times a year

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noonesaidityet@reddit

We made it a point go out once a month with friends, but now it's maybe 4-5 times a year, if that. I'll get off early and meet my wife for lunch, and that's about it.

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marxistopportunist@reddit

We're supposed to be saving the planet, so every time you leave the house, something or multiple things have to be more expensive, time consuming, inconvenient or annoying.

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AshDogBucket@reddit

My spouse and i go to a restaurant once a week. If my budget allows, I also will grab a lunch or two every month on my own. Probably once a month i go out to a restaurant for a work thing.

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bikeonychus@reddit

Once a week is pushing out the boat.

We only do it now when going home or bringing food isn't an option. Although, today we got A&W delivered, but that's literally because I woke up with a bad headache and refused to cook today.

In the UK during the 80s/90s, it wasn't common for us to go out either, it was still expensive, special occasions only (so once or twice a year) Both me and my husband had mothers that would pack sandwiches and a thermos of tea that always tasted funky when it was time to drink it.

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Ryanookami@reddit

Eating out? Haha. Nice joke! You almost had me, but I mean, the notion of having enough money to pay someone else to feed me? Ha, yeah, a little too far fetched. Better luck next time!

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CliftonHangerBombs@reddit

I only go out when work or a work vendor pays. I used to go out or order in every night. I started cooking during Covid and now I look at prices at restaurants and it’s just not worth it. Not to mention I look and feel so much better since cooking for myself.

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Constant_Cultural@reddit

Maybe once a month or even two months