The decline of restaurants and eating out

[InOmaha]

Food is mediocre in expensive places to microwaved garbage for fast food. If we go out to a place with decent food, it's $200-250 for 6 people (wife, kids, and thier SOs) and I still feel it wasn't worth it. I could buy good thick steaks and a nice bottle of bourbon for less and grill at home.

Tipping is stupid. My M-I-L got hit up for a donation to a kid's basketball team and the online donation scteen brought up a tip screen she couldn't get around. Who gets donation tips?

 

[lBasket]

Maybe you guys are just bad at picking restaurants? There are definitely bad ones out there, always has been, but there are definitely good ones too

 

[Apparition]

Ours isn’t foreign workers as much as it is 16-20 year old kids who spend more time on their phones than they do serving customers.

The prices are equally absurd though.

I wish it was 16-20 year olds. Here it’d be easier to order if you spoke Spanish or Somali.

 

[Chris]

I wish it was 16-20 year olds. Here it’d be easier to order if you spoke Spanish or Somali.

Oh yeah, Mogadishu, Minneapolis is a lot different than rural Wyoming.

 

[Daryl]

I watched a similarly titled video on a different account the other day....did this one basically blame it on Sysco? Sounds like most of the restaurants in the US are just reheating processed premade Sysco crap so there's been a massive loss in regional variety as well as quality.

This is the root of it!

 

[Zorba]

The minimum tip option now is 18% and most of the time the service isn't even worthy of it.

I'm not sure I understand this "minimum" tip bullshit. Its rare, but if I don't want to tip, I don't tip. If its were to ever be forced on me, I'd revoke the charge with the credit card company. Fuck that...

 

[thedustyboot]

I'm not sure I understand this "minimum" tip bullshit. Its rare, but if I don't want to tip, I don't tip. If its were to ever be forced on me, I'd revoke the charge with the credit card company. Fuck that...

The card machines at our restaurants have a tip percentage options to choose (18,20,25 for example) or an option to enter a custom amount. the custom amount option is the only way to actually not tip.

In BC if you're paying by card you can tip a percentage based on the total bill after tax, so if your bill is conveniently $100 AFTER tax and you choose to tip 10% you're adding 10$ to your bill because 10 is 10% of 100.

And with food prices affecting everyone we all see it reflected in our restaurant bill as well as our own grocery bill. One restaurant local to me opened 8 or 9 years ago and charged $14.50CAD for a burger, today that same burger is $23CAD and comes with less fries than it used to...

I used to be fairly lenient and non-confrontational when it came to service and food quality at a restaurant, but with the surge in prices in the last couple years I'm much more strict with my expectations.

 

[Zorba]

The card machines at our restaurants have a tip percentage options to choose (18,20,25 for example) or an option to enter a custom amount. the custom amount option is the only way to actually not tip.

Then I don't see a problem. I *always* use the custom tip option, even when I'm tipping something at or near the pre-programmed stuff. Why? I dunno - just "Zorba procedure".

 

[Chris]

This is the root of it!

The root of it (as he points out in the video) is actually that we as consumers tolerate it.

People continue to frequent these places and give them their money. As long as we do that, things won't change. If everyone stopped spending their money at these places it would force change.

We more or less stopped going out to eat about 2-years ago for this very reason. Now when we go out to eat (which is rare) we will only go to places where they make the food in house. Usually this is mom-and-pop Mexican restaurants, Chinese, etc. It's a rare occasion, but I'm done spending absurd amounts of money and crap quality food. I always make a habit of asking where their food comes from before we sit down.

Oh and for those that doubt that their local mom-and-pop restaurant is getting food from Sysco, think again. I've talked to numerous local bar owners here in rural Wyoming asking them where they get their food. Every single one of them answered, "Sysco".

It's nearly ubiquitous at this point. Always ask where they get their food before you give them your hard earned money.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

20 years ago I spent some time as an IT guy for a county jail and sheriff's office. Occasionally I had to deal with the software the jail used to order food. It all came from Sysco. It's jail food. They weren't buying it because it was good.

 

[Apparition]

I’m not sure how to interpret that.

One I’m thinking of opened 94 years ago and another 71, they never evolved to taking credit cards. One will take local checks.

 

[YonderNorthwest]

Can't say that I've noticed the same trend. But then again, I live in the big city with tons of options and competing restaurants. Prices are definitely up a lot over the last 10 years, but the quality has gotten better if anything. Lot's of reasons to hate living in Portland, but the food ain't one of them.

 

[Rubeyu]

The root of it (as he points out in the video) is actually that we as consumers tolerate it.

People continue to frequent these places and give them their money. As long as we do that, things won't change. If everyone stopped spending their money at these places it would force change.

We more or less stopped going out to eat about 2-years ago for this very reason. Now when we go out to eat (which is rare) we will only go to places where they make the food in house. Usually this is mom-and-pop Mexican restaurants, Chinese, etc. It's a rare occasion, but I'm done spending absurd amounts of money and crap quality food. I always make a habit of asking where their food comes from before we sit down.

Oh and for those that doubt that their local mom-and-pop restaurant is getting food from Sysco, think again. I've talked to numerous local bar owners here in rural Wyoming asking them where they get their food. Every single one of them answered, "Sysco".

It's nearly ubiquitous at this point. Always ask where they get their food before you give them your hard earned money.

Spot on. I refuse eat at large chain resturants it's just worth spending the money for mass produced factory food.
I normally will research a place before I go.
I'll look at the menu and the reviews of places I'm interested in. For breakfast if the don't have an interesting menu why go I can have bacon and eggs or pancakes at home. Funny thing most counties have public health departments and will publish food safety inspections. Talk about reading some nasty shit. I avoid those places like the plaque. Lowest one I ever saw was a Score of 25 out of 100. I also tend to notice the cleanliness of an establishment dirty carpets or nasty bathrooms is a no return for me.

 

[Zorba]

Spot on. I refuse eat at large chain resturants it's just worth spending the money for mass produced factory food.
I normally will research a place before I go.
I'll look at the menu and the reviews of places I'm interested in. For breakfast if the don't have an interesting menu why go I can have bacon and eggs or pancakes at home. Funny thing most counties have public health departments and will publish food safety inspections. Talk about reading some nasty shit. I avoid those places like the plaque. Lowest one I ever saw was a Score of 25 out of 100. I also tend to notice the cleanliness of an establishment dirty carpets or nasty bathrooms is a no return for me.

Depends on the place. There was a Mexican place that was very good, and VERY authentic that was closed down by the health dept. at least once a month - it was *THAT* authentic! Never had a problem eating there. They had been around since 1970, but closed in 2018 when the 2nd generation owner retired. Then there's a fish place that everybody raves about - still in business. I wouldn't feed my dog there...

 

[TNHEADDUCK]

Groceries must be a lot cheaper where you live or you grow your own vegetables and kill your on meat, it is about a wash for us to eat out . We are fortunate to have several local owned restaurants that have good food, decent portions and excellent service (most of these are cash only). We do grow our own vegetables and don't eat out as much when the garden is bearing, we also eat a lot of venison and fish that I harvest when eating at home.

 

[Chris]

Can't say that I've noticed the same trend. But then again, I live in the big city with tons of options and competing restaurants. Prices are definitely up a lot over the last 10 years, but the quality has gotten better if anything. Lot's of reasons to hate living in Portland, but the food ain't one of them.

Having been born and raised in Portland, the only thing I miss about it is the culinary landscape. Some of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at are there, food trucks too.

If you’re not in one of the big cities where all the culinary experts are, then you’re forced to become one yourself like my wife and I have.

Be careful though, as mentioned above, tons of small restaurants (not chains) use Sysco as their food provider.

 

[Rubeyu]

Depends on the place. There was a Mexican place that was very good, and VERY authentic that was closed down by the health dept. at least once a month - it was *THAT* authentic! Never had a problem eating there. They had been around since 1970, but closed in 2018 when the 2nd generation owner retired. Then there's a fish place that everybody raves about - still in business. I wouldn't feed my dog there...

All depends on the violations and the history. Most are ticky tack but some are inexcusable. One of my first jobs I worked for safeway collecting shopping carts
the Chinese place across the parking lot always tool a cart and had it outside their back door defrosting unwrapped chickens.

PHO Anyone?

 

[speeding_infraction]

 

[freedom_in_4low]

The root of it (as he points out in the video) is actually that we as consumers tolerate it.

People continue to frequent these places and give them their money. As long as we do that, things won't change. If everyone stopped spending their money at these places it would force change.

We more or less stopped going out to eat about 2-years ago for this very reason. Now when we go out to eat (which is rare) we will only go to places where they make the food in house. Usually this is mom-and-pop Mexican restaurants, Chinese, etc. It's a rare occasion, but I'm done spending absurd amounts of money and crap quality food. I always make a habit of asking where their food comes from before we sit down.

Oh and for those that doubt that their local mom-and-pop restaurant is getting food from Sysco, think again. I've talked to numerous local bar owners here in rural Wyoming asking them where they get their food. Every single one of them answered, "Sysco".

It's nearly ubiquitous at this point. Always ask where they get their food before you give them your hard earned money.

I eat out fairly regularly due to work travel, unfortunately, but at home we're down to about 3 places that probably get some Sysco ingredients here and there, but are long established local places. The texmex joint makes their own tortillas behind a window and the senoritas toss one out periodically for the kids standing around watching.

We're road tripping it back home from Estes Park, CO and so far I've had one very unique and non-sysco cinnamon roll for breakfast, a very mediocre arbys sandwich in Limon, CO, and chili from Wendy's in Salina, KS that I'm pretty sure included some beans that were only medium-rare.

 

[alittleoff]

Up here in Western Montana, they know beef and they do it very well. But at $30 +/-, and then you want side dishes too.
I've been asked by the locals what I miss about SoCal and the answer is usually the diversity of food and the off-highway trail systems. Mainly the rock crawling trails because MT. ain't got no rocks.
There's a Mom & Pop diner near me that I go to quite often for breakfast and lunch but it's not open for dinner because the town shuts down pretty early at night.
In the larger city near us, it has a good variety of choices but not all items are as good as where we moved from.
Although, Food Truck Nights during the summer is the place to be when I got the munchie's.

I really really miss the little Hole-in-the-wall places that SoCal offered.
When I worked down there, our crew of misfits would hit up the little Mexican markets for the best burritos & tacos as long as we had at least one Spanish speaking dude with us.
I even convinced my crew to try the Sushi place in 29 Palms. We ended up spending almost $250 there and no one got sick, drunk but not sick. I was the designated driver and paid half the bill. The other guys paid the rest and the 2
waitress's very much earned their tip which I found out the next morning, was very substantial.