Are you a miser when buying your lunch on a day out?

Take this menu at a pub I got to.. for example... it looks like a nice menu..tha's a given..however unlike the USA as @Nathan stated.. the UK doesnt sell large portions and particualrly on high days and holidays they serve even smaller portions... so if you take this menu for example.. and you choose one starter, one main and one dessert..we'll say.. you have cauliflower soup.. follow it with roast turkey as is the Christmas traditon... and then have Chocolate torte and coffee.... then that will cost you £130 per person... equivalent to £170 USD..or $264 AUD..per person...let that sink in...also on Christmas day you only get the table for 90 minutes, so no relaxing lunch

remember this is a PUB...not a restaurant where we'd pay even higher prices....
Screenshot-2025-11-22-at-15-40-03-Bricklayers-Christmas-Day-pdf.png
 

I posted about this recently. We'd gone out to dinner at a casual hot dog eatery (couldn't really call it a restaurant) and treated our daughter and her family, so six altogether. Yes, they were jazzed up hot dogs, but the price came to $166, all told. Over $27 per person for a hot dog and beverage?

Later, I figured out that I could have made the identical meal at home for $40 TOTAL and had leftovers. Lesson learned.
Rising prices - Wow!

On the other hand, a few times a year DH & I patronize a small Mexican restaurant a couple of towns over. They make excellent large fish (snapper) tacos. Two tacos each (no sides) are just the right amount for us. DH usually has a beer, I'm designated driver and stick with a glass of water.

Including tax and tip, we're outta there for a well-spent $15/per person. Nice ambiance (we generally sit on the patio), good service, great food.

I don't mind paying for good food I don't make at home, but my days of spendy high-end restaurants are in the rear view mirror. Been there, done that. To death.
 
StarSong said:
@hollydolly, that menu is a stunner. $170 per person? Hard pass.

Do you think they'll have a lot of patrons that day?
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Yes they will.... despite the fact that people will likely pay for this on a card.. and be paying for it later.. ..I will bet anything I have they will get a full house with no problem at all..

here's an example of how I relate to being a ''miser''...We are going for Xmas lunch also at a nice pub which I researched because I wasn't about to pay the aforesaid pub 's prices... .. very nice.. not such a fancy menu.. but very nice, and with 5 star reviews... ..and we all will enjoy it as much if not more than the first


Screenshot-2025-11-22-at-16-16-39-birch-xmas-menu-2025-birch-xmas-menu-2025-2-1-pdf.png


Screenshot-2025-11-22-at-16-17-01-birch-xmas-menu-2025-birch-xmas-menu-2025-2-1-pdf.png


Screenshot-2025-11-22-at-16-17-33-birch-xmas-menu-2025-birch-xmas-menu-2025-2-1-pdf.png


2 courses are £35 pp.. eqv to approx $46 USD... or $71 AUD....

...or £42 for 3 courses..... much more sensible IMO....
 
StarSong said:
@hollydolly, much more sensible, indeed. TBH, I find the second menu's offerings more appealing anyway.
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I thought you might... and I do too, which is why I chose that particular pub along with the price of course...

I understand that all pubs have to have a limited menu for the festive menu rather than the usual long menu's... but I feel that the pub I've chosen gives enough of a variety for most people's tastes, for a Christmas lunch ..plus it has a beautiful ambience as well as situated in a lovely village.. so we're not given up anything like that for a lower price.. but tbh.. this pub is the exception in it's lower price ..most pubs are charging £80pp and upwards for Christmas fayre, and some of it is, quite frankly ,quite poor
 
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hollydolly said:
Take this menu at a pub I got to.. for example... it looks like a nice menu..tha's a given..however unlike the USA as @Nathan stated.. the UK doesnt sell large portions and particualrly on high days and holidays they serve even smaller portions... so if you take this menu for example.. and you choose one starter, one main and one dessert..we'll say.. you have cauliflower soup.. follow it with roast turkey as is the Christmas traditon... and then have Chocolate torte and coffee.... then that will cost you £130 per person... equivalent to £170 USD..or $264 AUD..per person...let that sink in...also on Christmas day you only get the table for 90 minutes, so no relaxing lunch

remember this is a PUB...not a restaurant where we'd pay even higher prices....
Screenshot-2025-11-22-at-15-40-03-Bricklayers-Christmas-Day-pdf.png
Click to expand...
Now that is out of control.
$264 is quite ridiculous.
 
hollydolly said:
I thought you might... and I do too, which is why I chose that particular pub along with the price of course...

I understand that all pubs have to have a limited menu for the festive menu rather than the usual long menu's... but I feel that the pub I've chosen gives enough of a variety for most people's tastes, for a Christmas lunch ..plus it has a beautiful ambience as well as situated in a lovely village.. so we're not given up anything like that for a lower price.. but tbh.. this pub is the exception in ti's lower price ..most pubs are charging £80pp and upwards for Christmas fayre, and some of it is quite frankly quite poor
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Our extended family Christmas meal is on Dec 7th this year, and will be at the Mops & Brooms at Well End, almost next to the new Sky TV studios in Borehamwood, or 'Elstree' as the posh people call it.

I believe the Mops are doing a Christmas Day meal as well, but I've no idea how much that's likely to be. Probably over £100 I expect.
 
As some other folks have posted, I almost never eat out, so when I do, I don't scrimp. But neither do I frequent high-end restaurants, so there's that. (Actually, there are no high-end restaurants in my area, so that's not a concern.)

Price, of course, is a big deterrent these days, but with the enormous portions served in most U.S. mid-range restaurants I almost always get two meals out of whatever I order.

@hollydolly, that second menu looks delicious! My mouth is watering. Please share afterward (I know we're still a month out from Christmas) how it was.
 
If I’m out on my own, I’m a miser in that I resent paying $15 minimum, plus taxes and a tip for the smallest thing on the menu. I won’t have my car so I’m not carrying around leftovers to appointments. I’ve been known to go to a bakeshop and just buy a muffin for $5. Still overpriced, but it’ll tide me over until I get home.
 
Jules said:
If I’m out on my own, I’m a miser in that I resent paying $15 minimum, plus taxes and a tip for the smallest thing on the menu. I won’t have my car so I’m not carrying around leftovers to appointments. I’ve been known to go to a bakeshop and just buy a muffin for $5. Still overpriced, but it’ll tide me over until I get home.
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I'd splurge on a good muffin now and then. A few months ago, a friend of mine was in from out of town and was craving cinnamon rolls at 10 o'clock at night. There's no place open in my small town that time of night but a Buc-ee's. I'd never been there, but we tried it. They had huge cinnamon rolls and muffins for $3.29 which I thought was an enormous price. We got them any way since no place else was open. They were great! I haven't been back there because it's too busy for me. If I have out of town guests, I will go back there and pay the price. It was worth it.
 
No I’m not a miser when I go out for lunch . I know what I want and I get it. I always get a turkey submarine from Mr. Sub. It’s about $13 and I leave a 10% tip. If it was a full service restaurant I’d leave 15 to 20% but it’s not.
I purchase my sub and watch as they make it in front of me. I usually sit in the car and eat it but occasionally I’ll sometimes sit in the restaurant to eat it if my husband gets a sub with me and clean up after us when we are finished. My husband likes Mary Browns chicken and usually waits until he’s at home to eat it. It works for us.
 
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BJintheUK said:
Our extended family Christmas meal is on Dec 7th this year, and will be at the Mops & Brooms at Well End, almost next to the new Sky TV studios in Borehamwood, or 'Elstree' as the posh people call it.

I believe the Mops are doing a Christmas Day meal as well, but I've no idea how much that's likely to be. Probably over £100 I expect.
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I know the Mop & Brooms very well..when I worked at the studios we would occasionally go up there for a lunchtime drink in summer because of the larger outdoor space .... TBH it's not my cuppa tea as a pub..I'm not overly keen on pubs which allow little children to run around... and babies screaming... when I go to the pub I want to be with adults.. and if anything older children... ..but I do hope you enjoy yours...
 
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KSav said:
As some other folks have posted, I almost never eat out, so when I do, I don't scrimp. But neither do I frequent high-end restaurants, so there's that. (Actually, there are no high-end restaurants in my area, so that's not a concern.)

Price, of course, is a big deterrent these days, but with the enormous portions served in most U.S. mid-range restaurants I almost always get two meals out of whatever I order.

@hollydolly, that second menu looks delicious! My mouth is watering. Please share afterward (I know we're still a month out from Christmas) how it was.
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I will, you'll definitely here all about it, good or bad..lol
 
TeePee said:
I'd splurge on a good muffin now and then. A few months ago, a friend of mine was in from out of town and was craving cinnamon rolls at 10 o'clock at night. There's no place open in my small town that time of night but a Buc-ee's. I'd never been there, but we tried it. They had huge cinnamon rolls and muffins for $3.29 which I thought was an enormous price. We got them any way since no place else was open. They were great! I haven't been back there because it's too busy for me. If I have out of town guests, I will go back there and pay the price. It was worth it.
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I've heard about Buc-ee's, @TeePee. They're supposed to be really nice and have excellent food, which your post seems to prove. Too bad there aren't any even remotely close to my area!
 
Similar to Irish Eyes sharing a meal,value & quantity are what we look for when having lunch out.

This meal at Marilyns Cafe meets all those. The fish portions are as described large, french fries are more than enough to feed two people. the other side we get that is part of the meal price is cole slaw. The price of $16.95 is really reasonable, the service is great. The restaurant is clean & recently modernized. All in all a restaurant that is a joy to eat at.

We've eaten other selections from the menu but beer battered cod is our favorite.

Beer Battered Cod - Menu - Marilyn's Cafe - Las Vegas
 
AnneTeak said:
meet me at the corner in an hour and lets all go to lunch. we will order appetizers and dessert and have ourselves a nice meet and greet.
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That's exactly what I wanted from that menu! Christmas pudding with brandy cream? Yes, please!

I answer "no" to the,"'are you a miser?" question because for me "a nice lunch," is the synonym for "a day out."
Once a month I go to lunch with two friends after book club and we always go to "nice" places so it's a little pricey, but we don't drink alcohol or get dessert so it isn't too bad.

I can be miserly at the supermarket. Frozen pies are half-price right now, so we've been doing a comparison study. The frozen pecan pies are delicious and Marie Calendar's deep dish, crumb top, apple pie is very good, plus my Vegan son can eat it (no milk or eggs.)
 
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