Wednesday I was walking home just after dark, and I realized the air had that soft, moist feel of early spring. I was coming home from picking up my once-monthly Big Mac meal from McDonald's, where several customers were in shorts! Was it just a week ago that we were almost down to single digits?
Big Macs are one of my guilty, but fairly frugal, pleasures. I limit myself to once a month because although I think they taste really good, and so does my dog, they are really not at all healthy, and the fries that accompany them are even worse.
Eating out, whether at fast food places or more up-scale restaurants, can be hazardous to your budget as well as your health. But face it, restaurant dining is pleasurable and a part of sociable living. I have so many happy memories of eating out. When I was young, the "ladies lunches" of salad with date bread and cream cheese finger sandwiches, served in the dining room of an upscale department store, were a special treat when on a shopping expedition with my mother. Restaurant meals through the years with friends celebrated birthdays, graduations, promotions, engagements, retirements, and anything else that needed a festive gathering.
We don't have to give all this up just because we're now living on a small income. I've found that I can have a good time, and do a lot less financial damage, if I just plan ahead a little. Planning and attitude are key.
A bad example from my week is instructive in what NOT to do. A student and I had planned to have lunch together. The restaurant to which we intended to go, a steakhouse with great food, turned out to be closed for renovations! I thought of a little Peruvian restaurant nearby and my companion was delighted at the choice. Now, I hadn't been there in a couple of years. It's an interesting place, but the food had been kind of hit or miss... some things very good, some not so much. But what I did not realize was that they have raised their lunch prices... a lot! No wonder we found ourselves to be the only diners in the place! And although my student ordered a seafood and rice dish that she seemed to enjoy, the chicken with rice and cilantro I ordered... abysmal. Gloppy and prepared with those frozen peas and cubed carrots, and no cilantro I could discern. My student ordered a really outstanding appetizer that we shared, a small dish of potato with a flavorful sauce topping a layer of savory chicken salad, so I did at least taste something interesting. But the bill was way too high for such a lousy lunch. My student vehemently insisted on paying, and she could well afford it, but still... I regret that I didn't make this a better experience for both of us.
This event was not better because I did not prepare the way I usually do for a meal out. I should have checked the steakhouse, number one, so I would have known that it had closed. Knowing that, I should have found a better alternative, and then, most important of all, checked their menu and prices online. Almost all restaurants post their menus online these days, either on their website or on Facebook. It's part of standard marketing, I guess. I try to always decide on my order before I even enter the restaurant. And if it's a restaurant you don't know much about, reviews on Google, Yahoo, and Yelp can be very helpful in deciding if it's worth a try, and if so, what to order.
When I'm eating with friends, I tend to get caught up in the conversation and the ambiance of the place. I get distracted, and often do a poor job of ordering. That's why I need to decide ahead of time. At the Peruvian restaurant, for instance, I should have gotten something from the appetizer menu, which was a lot more interesting than the entrees, which are also far too much food for me... or anyone, really. That seems to be true at many places. A small dinner salad, plus a bowl of soup or an interesting, flavorful appetizer, is often much more enjoyable than a big entree or one of those humongous full-meal lunch salads. And it may be more nutritious and less expensive, as well.
We did not order anything alcoholic, but my companion ordered a very sweet beverage, a fruity chicha, which was several dollars more. I don't care much for sugary beverages, but I reflexively ordered a diet soda. That was another mistake. Now, I'll sometimes have a glass of wine, but in general, if you really need to watch the pennies but still want to dine out, you'll concentrate on the food and forego beverages, including alcohol, and just have water. After all, the markup on beverages of all kinds, especially alcoholic, is huge at most restaurants, and they are rarely anything special. You can often have dessert for the cost of a glass of wine or a cocktail, and I'd much rather have the dessert. I can always pour a glass of wine at home... not so with the special desserts many restaurants feature.
I also usually ignore the "specials of the day," especially those recited verbally by the server. Notice how they never tell you the price? According to the experts, in many establishments these specials are things the chef is trying to get rid of... kinda like restaurant overstock... and prices on these specials are often inflated, to give the restaurant a little higher profit margin. Specials may also be listed, with prices, on a menu insert, but I usually just stick to the regular menu. That's the food the restaurant has become known for, after all... specials are often trial runs.
In case you feel embarrassed at seeming "cheap" by ordering an appetizer rather than a full meal, realize that the wealthiest women, especially, often order the least. They're intent on maintaining their willowy figures, and may order just a salad and mineral water. Waitstaff are well accustomed to that. Just don't skimp on a tip. Especially if your bill is small, leave a generous tip. You should budget for that. Being a poor tipper is just not OK, and if you cannot afford it, you should stay at home until you can. That's assuming the service is at least acceptable. Sometimes servers make the assumption that all women customers are poor tippers, and ignore them. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!
I will avoid going back to the Peruvian restaurant, as I don't feel it provides a very good value. But if I could have a do-over, what would I change? I'd check online... but they are one of the few restaurants around without a website. There is a menu on their Facebook page, but prices are not included. Prices are only given for temporary weekend specials. Based on that lack of information, I would have found another place nearby that does post a full menu with prices. I'd order a small salad and a tasty appetizer. Water to drink. Maybe a cup of coffee if my companion wanted to linger over dessert (she didn't). Even though I didn't end up paying for my meal (I tried!), I would have enjoyed it a lot more than that huge mound of gloppy rice topped with a flabby-skinned chicken thigh.
Through bad experiences like this, I've learned that the key to successful restaurant dining on a budget is... advance planning. It is definitely possible to enjoy wonderful meals out on even the tiniest budget, though perhaps not often. I check the menu first and make my selection before I ever enter the establishment. When I do that, I almost always have a successful meal and end up with a smaller bill.
We don't have to give all this up just because we're now living on a small income. I've found that I can have a good time, and do a lot less financial damage, if I just plan ahead a little. Planning and attitude are key.
A bad example from my week is instructive in what NOT to do. A student and I had planned to have lunch together. The restaurant to which we intended to go, a steakhouse with great food, turned out to be closed for renovations! I thought of a little Peruvian restaurant nearby and my companion was delighted at the choice. Now, I hadn't been there in a couple of years. It's an interesting place, but the food had been kind of hit or miss... some things very good, some not so much. But what I did not realize was that they have raised their lunch prices... a lot! No wonder we found ourselves to be the only diners in the place! And although my student ordered a seafood and rice dish that she seemed to enjoy, the chicken with rice and cilantro I ordered... abysmal. Gloppy and prepared with those frozen peas and cubed carrots, and no cilantro I could discern. My student ordered a really outstanding appetizer that we shared, a small dish of potato with a flavorful sauce topping a layer of savory chicken salad, so I did at least taste something interesting. But the bill was way too high for such a lousy lunch. My student vehemently insisted on paying, and she could well afford it, but still... I regret that I didn't make this a better experience for both of us.
This event was not better because I did not prepare the way I usually do for a meal out. I should have checked the steakhouse, number one, so I would have known that it had closed. Knowing that, I should have found a better alternative, and then, most important of all, checked their menu and prices online. Almost all restaurants post their menus online these days, either on their website or on Facebook. It's part of standard marketing, I guess. I try to always decide on my order before I even enter the restaurant. And if it's a restaurant you don't know much about, reviews on Google, Yahoo, and Yelp can be very helpful in deciding if it's worth a try, and if so, what to order.
When I'm eating with friends, I tend to get caught up in the conversation and the ambiance of the place. I get distracted, and often do a poor job of ordering. That's why I need to decide ahead of time. At the Peruvian restaurant, for instance, I should have gotten something from the appetizer menu, which was a lot more interesting than the entrees, which are also far too much food for me... or anyone, really. That seems to be true at many places. A small dinner salad, plus a bowl of soup or an interesting, flavorful appetizer, is often much more enjoyable than a big entree or one of those humongous full-meal lunch salads. And it may be more nutritious and less expensive, as well.
We did not order anything alcoholic, but my companion ordered a very sweet beverage, a fruity chicha, which was several dollars more. I don't care much for sugary beverages, but I reflexively ordered a diet soda. That was another mistake. Now, I'll sometimes have a glass of wine, but in general, if you really need to watch the pennies but still want to dine out, you'll concentrate on the food and forego beverages, including alcohol, and just have water. After all, the markup on beverages of all kinds, especially alcoholic, is huge at most restaurants, and they are rarely anything special. You can often have dessert for the cost of a glass of wine or a cocktail, and I'd much rather have the dessert. I can always pour a glass of wine at home... not so with the special desserts many restaurants feature.
I also usually ignore the "specials of the day," especially those recited verbally by the server. Notice how they never tell you the price? According to the experts, in many establishments these specials are things the chef is trying to get rid of... kinda like restaurant overstock... and prices on these specials are often inflated, to give the restaurant a little higher profit margin. Specials may also be listed, with prices, on a menu insert, but I usually just stick to the regular menu. That's the food the restaurant has become known for, after all... specials are often trial runs.
In case you feel embarrassed at seeming "cheap" by ordering an appetizer rather than a full meal, realize that the wealthiest women, especially, often order the least. They're intent on maintaining their willowy figures, and may order just a salad and mineral water. Waitstaff are well accustomed to that. Just don't skimp on a tip. Especially if your bill is small, leave a generous tip. You should budget for that. Being a poor tipper is just not OK, and if you cannot afford it, you should stay at home until you can. That's assuming the service is at least acceptable. Sometimes servers make the assumption that all women customers are poor tippers, and ignore them. Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!
I will avoid going back to the Peruvian restaurant, as I don't feel it provides a very good value. But if I could have a do-over, what would I change? I'd check online... but they are one of the few restaurants around without a website. There is a menu on their Facebook page, but prices are not included. Prices are only given for temporary weekend specials. Based on that lack of information, I would have found another place nearby that does post a full menu with prices. I'd order a small salad and a tasty appetizer. Water to drink. Maybe a cup of coffee if my companion wanted to linger over dessert (she didn't). Even though I didn't end up paying for my meal (I tried!), I would have enjoyed it a lot more than that huge mound of gloppy rice topped with a flabby-skinned chicken thigh.
Through bad experiences like this, I've learned that the key to successful restaurant dining on a budget is... advance planning. It is definitely possible to enjoy wonderful meals out on even the tiniest budget, though perhaps not often. I check the menu first and make my selection before I ever enter the establishment. When I do that, I almost always have a successful meal and end up with a smaller bill.
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