$70 for a pizza, couple of beers, tax and tip? Wow. I can make 20 pizzas for under $70.
That said, obviously restauranteering is an expensive undertaking. You're talking plenty of food waste, high building and staff overhead, and a slim profit margin.
During normal (non-pandemic) times, hubby & I meet with our son, his wife, and her parents monthly for dinner at moderately priced, non-chain restaurants.
The tab usually runs about $80 per couple. We typically each have a single alcoholic drink plus (non-bottled) water, split a couple of appetizers, each have an entree, and split a couple of desserts.
We enjoy a lovely couple of hours for which none of us has to menu plan, shop, clean, do the prep work, cook, serve, or face a sink full of dishes at the end of the evening.
Plus we all order exactly what we want to eat. Win, win, win, win, win, win.
On these threads I've made no secret of my love for throwing big parties. But dinner parties? No thanks. They've never floated my boat, whether at my house or someone else's. I'd much rather go to a restaurant.