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The American restaurant culture: lots of choice, steep prices
One of the most enjoyable parts of our trip was without a doubt discovering new places to eat.
Our favorites were Middlegate Café, Duke’s Slickrock Grill in Hanksville, Mr. G’s in Ely, and Rocco’s Bar & Grill in Colusa.
Each and every one of them has its own character, and many locals in the room.
What struck us almost as much as the food itself were the prices.
Those who have not been to the United States for several years will notice that eating out has become considerably more expensive.
What does a meal cost in America today?
For a regular meal with two people, you can easily spend between 60 and 80 dollars these days.
And we’re not talking about luxury restaurants, but about an average place where you order a main course and a drink (but not an alcoholic beverage).
A simple breakfast with toast, 2 scrambled eggs and coffee for two can easily add up to 40 to 45 dollars.
Even a quick bite is not as cheap as it used to be.
Two hamburgers with fries and a drink went effortlessly towards 60 dollars. Taxes and tips included, of course, because these are a part of the final bill that should not be underestimated these days.
We have consciously resisted the temptation of the many fast food chains.
It was one of my resolutions to eat healthy during this trip, and it worked out surprisingly well. In my case, at least.
We usually stuck to evening meals in diners and groceries from the grocery store for midday lunch.
Our Ozark Camping stove came in very handy.
And a decent cooler. Don’t buy a cheap Styrofoam case, because you will struggle. Trust me.
A land of free tap water and expensive pints
Tap water
If you want to reduce costs a bit, it is a good idea to order ordinary tap water. This is almost always served free of charge in American restaurants, usually accompanied by a generous amount of ice cubes.
No one is surprised when you say that you are “good with water”. On the contrary, we noticed that many (most) Americans today do exactly the same.
Soft drinks
The cost of a drink can add up quickly.
You pay around five dollars for a soft drink, although in many places you get unlimited refills.
Beer
Alcohol is a different story. For a regular glass of beer, you can easily pay between eight and twelve dollars, before taxes and tips are added.
So if you drink a few glasses, the bill will go up fast. Buying rounds is an expensive affair here.
Strangely enough, the same beer in the supermarket often costs barely one to two dollars per bottle. The difference between retail price and restaurant price is huge.
But to be fair: the licenses to sell alcohol are super expensive here. Moreover, the catering establishments would also like to earn something from it.
Wine
Wine is also much more expensive than we are used to in Europe.
Even in the supermarket!
For a regular bottle you can easily pay twenty to thirty dollars in the supermarket, while Californian wines are often on the shelves in Europe for a fraction of that price.
A glass of wine at a restaurant usually costs around ten dollars and more (excluding tax and tip).
Food
And who would think to outsmart restaurant prices by cooking yourself, nice try, but no…..
The prices in the supermarket are also high these days, so that the savings are often smaller than you would think.
Shopping has become considerably more expensive. A shopping cart with food and basic products for two or three days easily costs eighty to ninety dollars.
Bread, dairy, vegetables, fruit and especially meat and fish are noticeably more expensive than in Belgium. Healthy food is expensive in America.
All this does not alter the fact that there are plenty of options for healthy eating, the portions are generous, the service is usually friendly and along the way we discovered a lot of places with character.
It is clear that restaurants are focusing more on healthy meals than, say, 40 years ago.
The conclusion is abundantly clear: the image of America as a cheap destination is a thing of the past.
Emma
Those who don’t want to eat out for every meal, will soon come into contact with another American phenomenon: the supermarket. Discover our next story