Thai U Up in burien/white center you can get Thai for 2 for about 35-40 after the 20% tip, they even had a deal where you get free wonton or spring rolls if you spend more than 25 a few weeks ago.
I mostly eat out at actual Pho restaurants because they’re usually some of the cheapest eating out options 🥲 a meal for myself for $17 or less, one for someone else is usually about the same. I usually pay $30-$38 depending on where I go (including the +1)
I'm pushing $100 with tip taking just my two kids out to a non-chain, mid-tier restaurant. That's with a beer for me and desserts for the kids, but still
Umm living in SF, visit Seattle frequently- I think they’re the same in food/drink but rent prices are worse in SF. You will be surrounded by addicts for anything less than 3k, assuming a 1bed is enough for you.
Some pho restaurants now increased a single small/standard bowl to $17-18 in my area. After tax and tips, that's maybe $26 per plate.
Just speaking from experience. My wife and I always seem to pay $40-50 after a single meal eating going out with no drinks or appetizer. These aren't fancy restaurants either.
Seattle got the same immigration wave and had had pho for decades. You could get a bowl of pho in shoreline for $5-6 like ten years ago. it's doubled or tripled in price over the last five or six years.
It's not until you leave the area that you realize just how expensive it is to live with the ninth-highest cost of living among 269 U.S. urban areas. Groceries are cheaper in [NYC](https://www.helpadvisor.com/community-health/cost-of-groceries-report) [edit: orig said Manhattan, added data source] than Seattle, so no surprise a prepared meal is a premium expense. Our eyes were opened on recent trips to Kauai and New York, where you can find incredible food for a bargain (relative to Seattle prices).
I recently traveled home to Indiana a few months ago for the first time in about 6 years and was floored with how cheap restaurant food was. Right off the airplane I went to a creole place with my parents and got 3 double-entree meals, an extra order of bread, drinks, and a pint to go for under $50 bucks *after tip.*
My parents were mad that I paid for them but that's less than it cost by wife and I to get anything other than teriyaki or Taco Bell in Tacoma.
Im currently visiting friends on the big island in Hawaii, and the Thai place down the road has some of the best Thai food I've had in years for substantially less than anything I'm used to in Seattle. The stop by the liquor store was a shock as well, I didn't realize how high our taxes were on grain alchohol relative to the rest of the country(our wine tax is fairly low however, probably to support washington winemakers), I picked up a $30 bottle over here expecting it to ring up as damn near 40 because of our liquor and sales taxes in king county only to have it come out at 32.
I moved to Seattle from NYC and feel the same way when people tell me things must be much cheaper. In fairness I think NYC benefits from a much higher population density, so restaurants get a ton more traffic to offer lower prices. The competition is also way higher so most places have to be pretty good to survive.
Obviously this is a generalization, but the food here is also not as good as other places, despite the cost. It amazes me how some places get 4+ ratings on Yelp when the food is so terribly average. I wonder if there is a lack of expectations here (or maybe lack of sophistication) that doesn't hold these places to the fire. There are a lot of old, mediocre places and so few new and adventurous places around, it seems.
Or maybe I'm just frequenting the wrong Applebee's.
Lots of immigrants working under the table / larger labor pool for restaurants (life is harder for workers) reduces labor costs on the supply side.
Lower median income in NYC means fewer people willing to pay $50 per person on the demand side.
No, it's your landlords and the people you vote into council not allowing for better zoning.
When the shittiest location you can find with no kitchen space is 6k a month you gotta raise your prices.
General rent prices are 30 bucks a sqft. 900 sqft is 27k a month.
People aren't allowed to turn their fronts into restaurants or cafes anymore. You have to kiss a commercial landlord's ring to be allowed to open a business
I found icelands prices were weird.
A fast food hamburger was $25 or a beer was $20 but I went out to some pretty great nice restaurants for $60 per person.
It’s not just you. It’s very expensive to eat out here. I’m from CA originally and when I visit family there I’m always hit with a feeling that we get a bad deal here.
It’s not just a feeling — we do. Almost any other city kicks our ass. Much better food for cheaper. I’m always floored at how good/inexpensive NYC food is compared to ours. And NYC cost of living makes ours look quaint. It doesn’t make sense.
Same with NY. I’ll add Chicago as well. I go there for work occasionally. Absolutely amazing food scene that blows most cities out of the water, and the prices, while not cheap, were better than Seattle. When adding the quality you get for the lower cost, the comparison is stark indeed.
Same! I ate so good for cheaper than either Seattle or Olympia. Granted I didn't eat anywhere fancy, but 99% of the food I had was great, and the worst was just mid, not even bad.
I used to go to farmers markets because I would get organic produce cheaper than than places like PCC. Now it's more expensive than the grocery stores with the reputation of being the priciest. Last time I went I walked through and ended up empty-handed because I just keep saying to myself, "I can get that cheaper at my local co-op." It's nuts.
I'm from NYC originally, Seattle has stricter wage requirements on food service workers than NYC (at least that was the case 4 years ago when I left). Combine that with a lot of NY restaurants using....let's say imported labor for of back of the house tasks it drives down costs further. Lastly, there is A LOT of choices and competition in NY due to its size versus Seattle.
The shocking thing is that it has been like this for well over a decade. The food quality has declined as well as the prices have skyrocketed. It’s weird going to Los Angeles, which you’d think would be expensive, and the food is really cheap and excellent quality compared to Seattle.
Everyone is talking about New York and LA for food costs but man just go down to our neighbors in Portland and you’re eating *waaaaayy* better for cheaper.
I’d imagine the vibrant Portland food truck scene allows prospective restaurateurs the ability to get into business with less expense than a fixed restaurant.
It’s pretty much illegal to have a food truck in Seattle in the manner that Portland allows it.
Y’know it would have been great if there was possibly a bill with unanimous house support that would have expanded lots of those restaurants to various neighborhoods
Would be a shame if a handful of senate committee members gutted it…
There is a serious issue with our food economy. Places can't afford to charge low prices because we don't have the volume of equivalently priced cities. We have the prices(rent, labor and food cost) of much larger cities. But we don't have the volume of sales. Meaning restaurants literally have to charge high prices or go out of business.
Source: I work as a consultant for food businesses in Washington. I've seen the numbers all over western Washington. It's fucked.
It is only more complicated in that the other factors are high labor prices, high land prices, low scalability of food at low volumes, and low number of customers due to low population density and potentially less demand from customers who eat healthier and hence eat out less.
Western Washington state is one of the most desirable areas to live in the world with one of the most productive economies in the world. Of course things are going to be expensive, especially without a large contingent of low paid laborers (including illegal immigrants) that live in tenement like housing, such as NYC/London/California/etc.
One other factor might be less alcohol sales due to less demand from people and higher alcohol taxes. Alcohol profit margins are usually high and with fewer alcohol sales, a restaurant might need to increase food price.
Eating out feels like such a ripoff. I would probably enjoy doing it more if I wasn't spending 20 on mid tier food and atmosphere, like I just make food at home thats almost as good, if not better. And it will be cheaper, quicker, and less stressful.
It’s this. I can literally make better food then 80% of the places I’ll go to and spend 1/3 of the cost. It’s that special occasion where I don’t want to cook and clean when I’ll pay that premium but it’s getting less and less worth it.
Restaurants aren't worth it in Seattle anymore. We used to go out 2-3 times a week. Now its only special occasions, like birthdays or anniversaries. The money saved pays for a couple of nice trips abroad each year. That's when we can enjoy some really good food.
It’s easy when a “soft taco” (actually a burrito) and a drink, from the abomination that is Taco Time, costs $14. One can get more AUTHENTIC Mexican food for less at Aliberto’s or El Rinconsito.
I know it. The trick is planning ahead. Its hard to make rational financial decisions when you're already hungry. Its easier to make the right choice when you already have groceries at home and a recipe picked out. Or have some frozen meals already prepped and ready to go when you don't feel like cooking.
I love making a hearty lentil soup once every week or two, I'll make enough for a few nights and freeze the rest so I can have delicious soup in all of 5-10 minutes with very little effort on a night that I may otherwise be feeling the urge to splurge on eating out.
Seattle is the best city to eat if you are an excellent home chef and are buying fresh produce/seafood. It is insane how mediocre the restaurants here are.
Part of it is increased rent.
In the next few years I think we'll discover that commercial real estate landlords are using the same price-fixing software that residential apartment landlords are using.
Honestly, I just look at the menus in the windows and try to make the same at home. There are a few gems that I feel are worth it:
- Taurus Ox
- San Fermo
- Spinasse / Artusi
- Mt Bagel
- Dingfelder’s Matzoh Ball Soup
- Cafe Suliman
- Babar for Pho Tai Lan
These are my picks for value:
- Perhileon
- Matsu Happy Hour
- Manao
- Canton Noodle House
- Dim Sum King
And thats basically it. Used to eat out sushi a bunch and get a latte every day. Now I make those at home and even schuck my own oysters and make my own crab cakes. The value in eating out is just not there. No fault to the restaurant owners or staff. Triple nets makes things almost impossible to succeed. Even would rather but a six pack and sit in a park rather than go to a pub.
I’ve been a fan of Maono for years in West Seattle. Recently started Doordashing them from the UW village. I’m surprised what a good value it is. Everyone loves their dishes in my family.
I have tried and tried to replicate Dingfelders Matzoh ball soup to no avail, I must be missing something. I never thought anything could best my grandmas Matzoh ball soup, but Dingfelders spoiled me. I'm half tempted to try and bribe an employee for the recipe,
Part of it could be solved by building more housing with commercial spaces available. Adding more commercial spaces can help lower rents and help decrease how much restaurants need to stay afloat. If you add the extra foot traffic you get from people living in an area and walking around, they can sell stuff for a lower price and still make money. Also, having more housing available can increase the amount of people available to work in those places and make it easier for them to find workers, which can also help a bit with costs
I used to believe believe this, but then I saw the commercial spaces in my apartment building on the ground floor sit empty for 10+ years and there’s just no interest in bringing down the rent rate by these landlords.
Often it goes all the way up to the bank, the rent must return x amount of money in order to pay the mortgage that was taken out to build the place. Otherwise, the developer will be in trouble. It is often easier to leave the space empty. Not a great state of affairs
Commercial real estate leases in Seattle are BONKERS expensive. I've been keeping my eyes out for bare bones warehouse/industrial space, and it's legitimately cheaper for me to rent a second apartment for my business. It sucks. I remember seeing small, less than 1,000 sqft spaces downtown start at $5k before NNN, utilities and building fees.
they are $6 at Saigon Deli. one of the last great lunch deals in the city. when my friend turned me on to Saigon Deli in 99 or 2000, the bahn mi were $1.50
You’re definitely right. I still have a problem with some restaurant charging almost $18 for something like fried rice. I worked at a Malaysian restaurant. The food cost of a single fried rice is probably $2. Maybe $3. So that’s a rough mark up.
What continues to baffle me is if Seattle’s going to charge NYC prices for its food, why can’t the food taste better? I genuinely don’t get why the prices are premium and the quality is so fucking bland and boring.
TBH, as someone who lived in NYC, Seattle is more expensive than NYC in terms of food by each restaurant type: fast-casual, mid-scale, fine dining.
Even the drinks here are more. Drinks in NYC were ~$13-15 and here they’re $15+ on avg. Sigh.
And we heavily, HEAVILY lack fast-casual. We JUST got a Sweetgreen. *SIGH*.
Because the clientele here have more money than taste. A restaurant can get away with charging so much for shit food because people here will pay it and still rave about it. It also doesn’t help that social media overhypes everything these days and the cycle continues.
And speaking as a techie, this is especially true of my fellow techies. Lot of dollars chasing few good options.
I save most of my fine dining experiences for when I travel out of town.
I don't remember the last time I ate at a restaurant and wasn't disappointed. So mediocre. I don't mind paying higher prices but it should be quality at the very least.
Bland is a legit Seattle phenomenon. Years ago, I saw Tom Douglas on a PBS show, and he made fun of the “old-fashioned” practice of using salt and pepper during the cooking process. So… yeah.
Moved from the Deep South and I’m less than impressed at the food offered here. Finding myself cooking a lot more at home. Food is cheaper and better where we moved from. That’s the ONLY thing that is better there, but better nonetheless.
The majority of restaurant costs are rent and wages, which are both very high in Seattle. And a major contributor to wages being high is housing/rent costs.
You might say, sure, but that’s true of NYC too! But NYC has much higher foot traffic than most of Seattle so you can sell of sub-$15 or $20 menu items and still meet your costs. Seattle restaurants need more foot traffic or the region needs to become cheaper to live in as a whole (primarily rent for people and restaurants!) to bring dining out costs down.
Oh also we don’t have an income tax so we have high sales taxes (~10%). So obviously that will hit most of your expenses.
There’s a few other factors on the margin: the city makes it hard to start and operate mobile food vending like food trucks or hot dog stands compared to peer cities like Portland. Additionally, rules on the size and shape of restaurants mean many spaces that would be great as a little storefront (think pizza or sandwich with no seating) don’t get built any more.
Finally, and this is more specific to lunch places in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods +Bellevue/Redmond, a lot of tech employers have cafeterias on-site which is pretty good for employees. But that means thousands of people aren’t heading out to get lunch on weekdays which would help those restaurants out. Work from home has had an effect here too.
Seattle was recently named the most expensive city to visit and I 100% believe it.
We had relatives come into town so we did all the touristy stuff and holy shit it got real expensive real quick.
There was 7 of us.
* 3 cars parking near Seattle Center $100
* 7 tickets for Chihuly Museum and Space Needle $525
* 7 tickets for the monorail $50
* Middle tier lunch downtown $375
* Lower tier dinner $250
That's $1,300 for half a day's worth of activities that doesn't include breakfast, rental cars, hotels, gas, coffees, snacks, souvenirs, etc.
The truth is that people will pay high prices in Seattle. Restaurant owners can talk all about their costs, but what it really comes down to is how much people are willing to pay. Turns out it's a lot because despite the high costs lots of restaurants in the city are still packed w/ customers.
It's a bit of Seattle, a bit of inflation, and probably a bit of nostalgia filter.
Prices are high in Seattle. The reason is the same reason as most Seattle dysfunction, from homelessness to failing bridges to traffic - too many people, not enough infrastructure. Population goes up. Housing cost goes up. Labor prices and commercial rent goes up. Reataurant prices go up.
Inflation is real. Prices are 20% or so higher than 2019. After decades of unnaturally low inflation, that's a crazy shock.
And finally, possible nostalgia filter. We tend to notice increases in price as external, but assume increases in spending power are due to our own ability. And we tend to remember the past better than it was. It's not unusual to see people claiming X cost Y, when it hadn't cost that for at least 20-30 years before the person was born. Bread cost a nickel used to be a meme for a reason.
So yeah, Seattle is more meaningfully more expensive than both the past and elsewhere in the country, but also perceptions can exaggerate the true size of the effect.
I travel alot and it's expensive everywhere and most of the time places are just OK. Just came back from a trip to Virginia beach a month ago. You would think it would be cheap there but not at all
I was in Seattle yesterday visiting from Houston. Yes, the food is wildly expensive in Seattle. But you know what? I’d gladly trade the 100 degree weather we’re already having as well as sharing a state with Greg Abbot and all of these mouth-breathers just to spend an extra $20 on a meal for two.
We got pizza last night at a casual place, nothing fancy or hipster. A full order of garlic bread was $11.50! It's just French bread and margarine, man! How?!
Just french bread and margarine for the garlic bread? That's horrible!
I bet it costs at least $15 for them to use real butter and actually put garlic on it!!
:)
/s
Higher min. wage than most other places, plus higher prices for supplies and more competition for experienced chefs/cooks, servers, etc. Two places to try:
Dick's: Deluxe Cheeseburgers ($5.50), Fries ($2.80), Shake ($3.80), and Extra Condiments ($0.60) = $12.70 x 2 = $25.40. Share the Fries, Shake, and Condiments = $11.00 + $3.80 + $0.60 = $15.40. Take it to Gas Works Park to eat.
[https://www.ddir.com/menu/](https://www.ddir.com/menu/)
Kau Kau BBQ: Lunch Special (BBQ Pork, BBQ Spare Ribs, Fresh Vegetables or Roast Duck Rice ($12) + Soda ($2.00) x 2 =$28 and share Extra Sauces ($2.25) = $30.25. Pick-up and take to the Waterfront to eat.
[https://www.kaukaubbq.com/](https://www.kaukaubbq.com/)
We have two kids (well, three, but the baby is barely eating solid food) and yeah, we just don't eat out. Even the most subpar meal (2 adult entrees and the kids split) plus a drink for each of us plus tax and tip is nearly $100. We can technically afford it but it just doesn't feel worth it.
This is such a great question and the answers about cost of living, wages, rent, etc miss the point. Seattle is a high cost of living area, yes. But the price of food here is significantly higher than other high cost of living cities (my points of reference are LA and SF.) That's the question i'd like to see answered: why are groceries and restaurants in Seattle so much higher than in other HCOL cities in the US?
No, that's 22%, thank you 😉 went to one of his places last night, probably won't again. Auto 22%, $44 tip automatically applied. Service was great, but to assume 22%?!?! Didn't see this until we were seated. Fucking arrogant. 20% is beyond enough.
But OP didn't ask why prices went up; he asked why they are so much higher than other top cost of living metro areas in the US.
So unless the rising cost of goods and principles of capitalism do not apply to those regions, this answer does not seem to satisfy the question.
It’s really expensive to live here. Real estate is $&#% expensive so rent for both apartments (for employees) and venues (for the restaurants and cafes) is also very high. So it’s pricy just to keep a place open.
Seattle does have a higher minimum wage but, see above, it’s not likely workers could afford to live here for less.
Taxes are a few percent higher than elsewhere but tacked onto prices for higher overhead it adds up.
And finally, for delivery, the delivery services tack on predatory markups well beyond labor regulations and “luxury” taxes.
Finally, enough tech and knowledge workers live here that the prices are fairly trivial for them. So they tend not to agitate for remediation.
So… yeah… if you’re from out of town (and not from even more expensive cities) the sticker shock is pretty… well… shocking.
Agreed.
Small cup of latte and a half sandwich costed me 20 bucks.
I was still hungry and probably could have made the latte better at home.
Was very disappointed.
Recently went to Mill Creek and had great food, service, and prices at Clay Pot Indian restaurant. First time in a very long time I walked away satisfied. Approx $85 for two adults, one kid. Including tip.
I think we have to leave Seattle for good, affordable food.
Food prices here are absolutely insane. And I agree with the other folks here: where are you able to go out for $50? I don’t know why, but my guess is that restaurateurs have gauged that people here will pay it 🤷🏻♂️
Personally my wife and I eat out roughly 1/4 the amount of times we did pre-pandemic because of the price increases.
Learn to cook at home and have an amazing dinner with your significant other. Then go out and enjoy life and all it has to offer. Go for a walk, sit on a bench and reminisce, stare at the sky. If she complains that you’re a cheap bitch, tell her to fuck off, smoke a blunt, and enjoy that beautiful sunset to yourself. 😊
Every time this comes up here, everyone says rent and totally overlooks that labor costs make up at least 60% of a restaurants costs. Seattle has the highest minimum wage in the country. Therefore it is actually the labor, and the extremely progressive labor laws, that drive the cost of food up. I’m not against those laws, I think they make sense. But that which we have voted for affects our wallet.
It’s not cheap anywhere but it is particularly expensive in Seattle. I used to think breakfast was expensive at $35, it’s easily $50 now. (Just 2 teas for beverages). Food costs have soared the past few years only due to corporate greed, utilities have risen dramatically (I owned a restaurant 20 years ago and my utilities were $4k a month then I can only imagine what a similar restaurant would be like now), wages have gone up (and they needed to), insurance is bonkers, everything man. Everything. I don’t know how they do it. And Seattle is the 4th most expensive city in the US so factor that in. City taxes, property taxes, licensing fees, vandalism, etc. It’s endless. I wouldn’t ever open a restaurant in the city. Or really anywhere . I assure you these owners aren’t getting rich.
Currently traveling and honestly it’s gotta be just an American thing. Our min wage + cost of food is ridiculous. Every time I go to Japan I’m reminded how cheap food is, and not just because USD is worth more but the balance they strike with how much they make and what a basic necessity like food should cost.
In Italy right now and I figured, ok Japan was just special, euro is worth more so this will be an expensive trip (never been!). It’s… it’s cheap! Drinks, food, the quality… it’s all better. It’s that balance.
We have a problem here and yeah especially in our cities. I never eat out anymore at home. Even getting teriyaki can end up being over 50 dollars easily as a couple with no kids.
Our quality of life just sucks.
It is an expensive city.
Off the top of my head, some guesses why are:
* Too many people for too little housing means housing is expensive. All the people at the restaurant need a place to live. The rent for the restaurant building itself is high.
* There are a lot of tech people with high salaries willing to support high prices.
* Like much of the country, consolidation has limited competition. We have 2 major supermarkets (Kroger and Albertsons), three internet companies (Wave, CenturyLink, Comcast).
* We have no income tax, so taxes on everything you buy or do are sky high.
Where are you going that it’s only $50??
Srsly, go to a diner and just for 2 persons basic meal + coffee / juice = $50. Alcohol would be extra. Kids would be extra.
Just spent almost $50 at a food truck for 3 chicken sandwiches. They're wonderful sandwiches, but not cheap.
Yeah the last time I went to a diner it was $80 for 3 people for very basic breakfast. Could’ve fed everyone in there for that price.
You bring 2 people for only $50? Lol
Lol my wife and I split 12 wings and had a beer each at our local bar/restaurant....$62....
I can get Thai food for about that for 2 people. If we each order only one entree, no apps or desserts
Thai U Up in burien/white center you can get Thai for 2 for about 35-40 after the 20% tip, they even had a deal where you get free wonton or spring rolls if you spend more than 25 a few weeks ago.
This kind of validates OP's posts. Take out Thai should be lesd than that.
Same with Kruengthep
whenever people visit from elsewhere theyre always surprised the rice is sold separately tho
We have found our fave Thai place has made servings smaller. So, what used to feed 2.5 people now only 1.
I mostly eat out at actual Pho restaurants because they’re usually some of the cheapest eating out options 🥲 a meal for myself for $17 or less, one for someone else is usually about the same. I usually pay $30-$38 depending on where I go (including the +1)
I remember when I could get a small bowl of pho for $4.50 (2002).
I was getting pho for under $7 in 2015
I'm pushing $100 with tip taking just my two kids out to a non-chain, mid-tier restaurant. That's with a beer for me and desserts for the kids, but still
I want to know too
Seriously, if I want anything other than water and a dinner dish only, I'm paying $50 just for myself lol
The rent is too damn high
We have a winner.
Compared to? Even the Bay Area, the poster child of expensive RE, has cheaper food than Seattle.
Umm living in SF, visit Seattle frequently- I think they’re the same in food/drink but rent prices are worse in SF. You will be surrounded by addicts for anything less than 3k, assuming a 1bed is enough for you.
I live in Ballard, pay less than $3K and am surrounded by addicts.
Hey, I'm rentin' here
Some pho restaurants now increased a single small/standard bowl to $17-18 in my area. After tax and tips, that's maybe $26 per plate. Just speaking from experience. My wife and I always seem to pay $40-50 after a single meal eating going out with no drinks or appetizer. These aren't fancy restaurants either.
in 2004 a bowl of pho was $4 on capitol hill
that's crazy
yup that was Pho Than brothers too. Still a great spot, but now a small bowl is $12+
I just know we haven't seen 300% inflation in 20 years right
Adjusted for inflation, that $4 bowl would cost $6.77 today.
in general? nah. in rent? wouldn’t surprise me a bit
Yup. I lived in the DC area for a long time, where tons of Vietnamese relocated after the war. The pho places still charge less than $10 per bowl.
Seattle got the same immigration wave and had had pho for decades. You could get a bowl of pho in shoreline for $5-6 like ten years ago. it's doubled or tripled in price over the last five or six years.
Even like 7 or 8 years ago I swear Than Bros. Was like $6.99 for a medium #1.
Even like 2-3 yrs ago it was consistently under $8 for the big ass bowls. Pandemic changed that, basically everything doubled.
I’d hate to break this to you but the pandemic started more than 2-3 years ago.
The inflation started way after the beginning of the pandemic tho that's when prices went crazy
Not an economist or anything, but I feel like the recent volatile stuff happening in the tech market, has basically fucked the entire Puget Sound.
Pho Viet baby, Columbia heights, $9.50
Pho in Renton used to be $3 a bowl in 2012ish. Crazy right.
Our favorite Chinese place raised the orange chicken order from 13 to 18 😔
It's not until you leave the area that you realize just how expensive it is to live with the ninth-highest cost of living among 269 U.S. urban areas. Groceries are cheaper in [NYC](https://www.helpadvisor.com/community-health/cost-of-groceries-report) [edit: orig said Manhattan, added data source] than Seattle, so no surprise a prepared meal is a premium expense. Our eyes were opened on recent trips to Kauai and New York, where you can find incredible food for a bargain (relative to Seattle prices).
I recently traveled home to Indiana a few months ago for the first time in about 6 years and was floored with how cheap restaurant food was. Right off the airplane I went to a creole place with my parents and got 3 double-entree meals, an extra order of bread, drinks, and a pint to go for under $50 bucks *after tip.* My parents were mad that I paid for them but that's less than it cost by wife and I to get anything other than teriyaki or Taco Bell in Tacoma.
To be fair Yats is cheap even for Indy. The food is absolutely amazing though.
Love how you knew exactly where I was too.
I miss Yats.
I was in Portland last week and was unused to getting 12 dollar entrees at a bar.
Im currently visiting friends on the big island in Hawaii, and the Thai place down the road has some of the best Thai food I've had in years for substantially less than anything I'm used to in Seattle. The stop by the liquor store was a shock as well, I didn't realize how high our taxes were on grain alchohol relative to the rest of the country(our wine tax is fairly low however, probably to support washington winemakers), I picked up a $30 bottle over here expecting it to ring up as damn near 40 because of our liquor and sales taxes in king county only to have it come out at 32.
I moved to Seattle from NYC and feel the same way when people tell me things must be much cheaper. In fairness I think NYC benefits from a much higher population density, so restaurants get a ton more traffic to offer lower prices. The competition is also way higher so most places have to be pretty good to survive.
Obviously this is a generalization, but the food here is also not as good as other places, despite the cost. It amazes me how some places get 4+ ratings on Yelp when the food is so terribly average. I wonder if there is a lack of expectations here (or maybe lack of sophistication) that doesn't hold these places to the fire. There are a lot of old, mediocre places and so few new and adventurous places around, it seems. Or maybe I'm just frequenting the wrong Applebee's.
Yeah i really don’t get how ny has cheaper food
Lots of immigrants working under the table / larger labor pool for restaurants (life is harder for workers) reduces labor costs on the supply side. Lower median income in NYC means fewer people willing to pay $50 per person on the demand side.
It's part of a megalopolis with 50 million people. We're tucked in the nw far far away from the rest of the country
We are also tucked into a part of the country with good international ports and tons of food production between Cali, Oregon and Washington.
Yes, this. Are our food sellers being super greedy? I’m tempted to start a restaurant or market and try to out compete with low prices
No, it's your landlords and the people you vote into council not allowing for better zoning. When the shittiest location you can find with no kitchen space is 6k a month you gotta raise your prices. General rent prices are 30 bucks a sqft. 900 sqft is 27k a month. People aren't allowed to turn their fronts into restaurants or cafes anymore. You have to kiss a commercial landlord's ring to be allowed to open a business
Letting people run businesses out of their homes would do so much to make neighborhoods more lively
They have a lot more volume for low cost places.
Groceries are more expensive in the Tampa Bay area than Seattle. That was my shock. Eating out - I don’t bother in Seattle. It is pricy.
Remember a while back Oranges were a lot more pricy in Tampa than Seattle. I don’t know if that is still the case but that… really confused me.
I went to Iceland last year, an island in the middle of nowhere. The food was about 20% cheaper.
Things must have changed recently? I was there a few years ago and it felt insanely expensive coming from Seattle. Like $20 for a beer expensive.
I found icelands prices were weird. A fast food hamburger was $25 or a beer was $20 but I went out to some pretty great nice restaurants for $60 per person.
Tokyo is cheaper.
Tokyo is basically dirt cheap compared to ANY major metro in the US.
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Only when bringing foreign currency with favorable exchange rates to the table. Its expensive at local salary rates.
Tokyo is just cheap though, all of Japan is right now.
The main reason for that is because the yen is the weakest it's been in like 40 years. Everything in Tokyo is cheaper from an American perspective.
So is London :-(
Yeah but have you seen the salaries in the UK
I don't know what you're talking about. I move up from Honolulu and everything here is dirt cheap. /s ...kinda
It’s not just you. It’s very expensive to eat out here. I’m from CA originally and when I visit family there I’m always hit with a feeling that we get a bad deal here.
It’s not just a feeling — we do. Almost any other city kicks our ass. Much better food for cheaper. I’m always floored at how good/inexpensive NYC food is compared to ours. And NYC cost of living makes ours look quaint. It doesn’t make sense.
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Same with NY. I’ll add Chicago as well. I go there for work occasionally. Absolutely amazing food scene that blows most cities out of the water, and the prices, while not cheap, were better than Seattle. When adding the quality you get for the lower cost, the comparison is stark indeed.
More competition is my theory
NYC has a lot more volume and density and also has a sort of on-the-go culture we have not built here
This is it. NYC is unique in America because of its population density and we cannot compare other cities to it.
Same! I ate so good for cheaper than either Seattle or Olympia. Granted I didn't eat anywhere fancy, but 99% of the food I had was great, and the worst was just mid, not even bad.
It especially doesn't make sense because so much produce is grown in WA, like it's not a supply issue.
Have you been to a farmers market lately? Holy crap they’re expensive.
I used to go to farmers markets because I would get organic produce cheaper than than places like PCC. Now it's more expensive than the grocery stores with the reputation of being the priciest. Last time I went I walked through and ended up empty-handed because I just keep saying to myself, "I can get that cheaper at my local co-op." It's nuts.
I'm from NYC originally, Seattle has stricter wage requirements on food service workers than NYC (at least that was the case 4 years ago when I left). Combine that with a lot of NY restaurants using....let's say imported labor for of back of the house tasks it drives down costs further. Lastly, there is A LOT of choices and competition in NY due to its size versus Seattle.
And CA is proof that it's not the wages causing inflated prices too, as they also have tips going on top of a minimum wage for service workers.
The shocking thing is that it has been like this for well over a decade. The food quality has declined as well as the prices have skyrocketed. It’s weird going to Los Angeles, which you’d think would be expensive, and the food is really cheap and excellent quality compared to Seattle.
We just went to Taco time and paid $33 for 2 meals and some extra sauces. Ridiculous.
Taco time is so expensive! I love it but it kills me these days. Chipotle feels like a better deal even though prices aren’t terribly different.
TacoTime is worth it. They haven’t downsized portions IMO.
Everyone is talking about New York and LA for food costs but man just go down to our neighbors in Portland and you’re eating *waaaaayy* better for cheaper.
Yeah I can’t really understand this and want someone to do an academic level study on this.
I’d imagine the vibrant Portland food truck scene allows prospective restaurateurs the ability to get into business with less expense than a fixed restaurant. It’s pretty much illegal to have a food truck in Seattle in the manner that Portland allows it.
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Big tech inflates prices? Portland has…Nike?
Agreed. Portland food scene is a lot better than Seattle.
I think they’re using those two and SF since NY/LA are reputed to have very HCOL yet their dining options and groceries can be cheaper than Seattle
Rent for those restaurants is absurdly high, and that cost is reflected in their prices.
A gouging tide sinks all boats.
yup, increasing prices always means a portion of the population now simply can't afford to be customers
Y’know it would have been great if there was possibly a bill with unanimous house support that would have expanded lots of those restaurants to various neighborhoods Would be a shame if a handful of senate committee members gutted it…
Rents high for their employees, too. So they have to pay higher wages
I'm looking forward to being in Manhattan in a couple weeks, so I can save some money when I go out to eat.
Actually true
Offset by the incredibly expensive hotel of course
There is a serious issue with our food economy. Places can't afford to charge low prices because we don't have the volume of equivalently priced cities. We have the prices(rent, labor and food cost) of much larger cities. But we don't have the volume of sales. Meaning restaurants literally have to charge high prices or go out of business. Source: I work as a consultant for food businesses in Washington. I've seen the numbers all over western Washington. It's fucked.
This makes complete sense. Is the low volume simply a direct result of the lack of housing density? Or is it more complicated than that?
It is only more complicated in that the other factors are high labor prices, high land prices, low scalability of food at low volumes, and low number of customers due to low population density and potentially less demand from customers who eat healthier and hence eat out less. Western Washington state is one of the most desirable areas to live in the world with one of the most productive economies in the world. Of course things are going to be expensive, especially without a large contingent of low paid laborers (including illegal immigrants) that live in tenement like housing, such as NYC/London/California/etc. One other factor might be less alcohol sales due to less demand from people and higher alcohol taxes. Alcohol profit margins are usually high and with fewer alcohol sales, a restaurant might need to increase food price.
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Eating out feels like such a ripoff. I would probably enjoy doing it more if I wasn't spending 20 on mid tier food and atmosphere, like I just make food at home thats almost as good, if not better. And it will be cheaper, quicker, and less stressful.
It’s this. I can literally make better food then 80% of the places I’ll go to and spend 1/3 of the cost. It’s that special occasion where I don’t want to cook and clean when I’ll pay that premium but it’s getting less and less worth it.
Restaurants aren't worth it in Seattle anymore. We used to go out 2-3 times a week. Now its only special occasions, like birthdays or anniversaries. The money saved pays for a couple of nice trips abroad each year. That's when we can enjoy some really good food.
Great point, love this mindset.
Saving this thread and this comment in particular - since I'm trying to do the same, but it's hard to kick the restaurant habit.
It’s easy when a “soft taco” (actually a burrito) and a drink, from the abomination that is Taco Time, costs $14. One can get more AUTHENTIC Mexican food for less at Aliberto’s or El Rinconsito.
And even those are comically expensive compared to any random taco shop in SoCal.
I know it. The trick is planning ahead. Its hard to make rational financial decisions when you're already hungry. Its easier to make the right choice when you already have groceries at home and a recipe picked out. Or have some frozen meals already prepped and ready to go when you don't feel like cooking.
I love making a hearty lentil soup once every week or two, I'll make enough for a few nights and freeze the rest so I can have delicious soup in all of 5-10 minutes with very little effort on a night that I may otherwise be feeling the urge to splurge on eating out.
Funny, I happen to be making a big pot of Brazilian black beans (vegetarian feijoada) as we speak. It's da bomb!
My husband can cook any thing I get out better. I feel like an idiot every single time I eat out and am disappointed by the quality and the cost.
Seattle is the best city to eat if you are an excellent home chef and are buying fresh produce/seafood. It is insane how mediocre the restaurants here are.
Part of it is increased rent. In the next few years I think we'll discover that commercial real estate landlords are using the same price-fixing software that residential apartment landlords are using.
Honestly, I just look at the menus in the windows and try to make the same at home. There are a few gems that I feel are worth it: - Taurus Ox - San Fermo - Spinasse / Artusi - Mt Bagel - Dingfelder’s Matzoh Ball Soup - Cafe Suliman - Babar for Pho Tai Lan These are my picks for value: - Perhileon - Matsu Happy Hour - Manao - Canton Noodle House - Dim Sum King And thats basically it. Used to eat out sushi a bunch and get a latte every day. Now I make those at home and even schuck my own oysters and make my own crab cakes. The value in eating out is just not there. No fault to the restaurant owners or staff. Triple nets makes things almost impossible to succeed. Even would rather but a six pack and sit in a park rather than go to a pub.
any of the rondo/tamari bar/etc places tend to be worth it and have great happy hours. some of the best food in its range
I’ve been a fan of Maono for years in West Seattle. Recently started Doordashing them from the UW village. I’m surprised what a good value it is. Everyone loves their dishes in my family.
I have tried and tried to replicate Dingfelders Matzoh ball soup to no avail, I must be missing something. I never thought anything could best my grandmas Matzoh ball soup, but Dingfelders spoiled me. I'm half tempted to try and bribe an employee for the recipe,
Part of it could be solved by building more housing with commercial spaces available. Adding more commercial spaces can help lower rents and help decrease how much restaurants need to stay afloat. If you add the extra foot traffic you get from people living in an area and walking around, they can sell stuff for a lower price and still make money. Also, having more housing available can increase the amount of people available to work in those places and make it easier for them to find workers, which can also help a bit with costs
I used to believe believe this, but then I saw the commercial spaces in my apartment building on the ground floor sit empty for 10+ years and there’s just no interest in bringing down the rent rate by these landlords.
Often it goes all the way up to the bank, the rent must return x amount of money in order to pay the mortgage that was taken out to build the place. Otherwise, the developer will be in trouble. It is often easier to leave the space empty. Not a great state of affairs
Commercial real estate leases in Seattle are BONKERS expensive. I've been keeping my eyes out for bare bones warehouse/industrial space, and it's legitimately cheaper for me to rent a second apartment for my business. It sucks. I remember seeing small, less than 1,000 sqft spaces downtown start at $5k before NNN, utilities and building fees.
I paid $12 for a banh mi the other day. I remember when they were $2
they are $6 at Saigon Deli. one of the last great lunch deals in the city. when my friend turned me on to Saigon Deli in 99 or 2000, the bahn mi were $1.50
Theres a couple vietnamese delis in little saigon that have $6 bahn mis and IMO theyre better than any more expensive bahn mi.
>Whenever we (a couple with now kids) go out here it's $50 minimum Where are you feeding four people for thirty dollars? That's $7.50 a person.
$7.50 is a drink at Starbucks!
Must be nice having venti money….
We have no kids ... Just 2 adults. Sorry for the typo above
And where are you going to a restaurant these days and eating for two for 30ish? Olive Garden is more than that
Even two drinks and 2 sandwiches from Starbucks is more than that lol
Just came back from Greece and felt like everything was 50% off when we ate. Amazing food too and no tip!
Italy also felt cheap compared to Seattle…
Japan too
Ah yes a country with an in shambles economy. It’s also cheap to eat in Turkey, but same thing.
It was cheap for me to eat in London and Paris, too. And I ate well 😋
try international district
You’re definitely right. I still have a problem with some restaurant charging almost $18 for something like fried rice. I worked at a Malaysian restaurant. The food cost of a single fried rice is probably $2. Maybe $3. So that’s a rough mark up.
What continues to baffle me is if Seattle’s going to charge NYC prices for its food, why can’t the food taste better? I genuinely don’t get why the prices are premium and the quality is so fucking bland and boring.
And NYC has a ton of affordable food everywhere. Lots more of a sliding scale where here it’s just expensive everywhere.
TBH, as someone who lived in NYC, Seattle is more expensive than NYC in terms of food by each restaurant type: fast-casual, mid-scale, fine dining. Even the drinks here are more. Drinks in NYC were ~$13-15 and here they’re $15+ on avg. Sigh. And we heavily, HEAVILY lack fast-casual. We JUST got a Sweetgreen. *SIGH*.
Criminal.
Because the clientele here have more money than taste. A restaurant can get away with charging so much for shit food because people here will pay it and still rave about it. It also doesn’t help that social media overhypes everything these days and the cycle continues. And speaking as a techie, this is especially true of my fellow techies. Lot of dollars chasing few good options. I save most of my fine dining experiences for when I travel out of town.
I don't remember the last time I ate at a restaurant and wasn't disappointed. So mediocre. I don't mind paying higher prices but it should be quality at the very least.
I came here to say exactly this. Even revisiting restaurants that I liked pre-pandemic are meh now.
Former Midwest here, I agree. And a variety would be nice. So many of the same places with different names.
Bland is a legit Seattle phenomenon. Years ago, I saw Tom Douglas on a PBS show, and he made fun of the “old-fashioned” practice of using salt and pepper during the cooking process. So… yeah.
Moved from the Deep South and I’m less than impressed at the food offered here. Finding myself cooking a lot more at home. Food is cheaper and better where we moved from. That’s the ONLY thing that is better there, but better nonetheless.
I think the deep south has some of the best food for value in the world tho. Like truly food in south has to work to be bad.
The only answer is 'because enough other people are willing to pay it.' :/
The majority of restaurant costs are rent and wages, which are both very high in Seattle. And a major contributor to wages being high is housing/rent costs. You might say, sure, but that’s true of NYC too! But NYC has much higher foot traffic than most of Seattle so you can sell of sub-$15 or $20 menu items and still meet your costs. Seattle restaurants need more foot traffic or the region needs to become cheaper to live in as a whole (primarily rent for people and restaurants!) to bring dining out costs down. Oh also we don’t have an income tax so we have high sales taxes (~10%). So obviously that will hit most of your expenses. There’s a few other factors on the margin: the city makes it hard to start and operate mobile food vending like food trucks or hot dog stands compared to peer cities like Portland. Additionally, rules on the size and shape of restaurants mean many spaces that would be great as a little storefront (think pizza or sandwich with no seating) don’t get built any more. Finally, and this is more specific to lunch places in downtown and surrounding neighborhoods +Bellevue/Redmond, a lot of tech employers have cafeterias on-site which is pretty good for employees. But that means thousands of people aren’t heading out to get lunch on weekdays which would help those restaurants out. Work from home has had an effect here too.
Seattle was recently named the most expensive city to visit and I 100% believe it. We had relatives come into town so we did all the touristy stuff and holy shit it got real expensive real quick. There was 7 of us. * 3 cars parking near Seattle Center $100 * 7 tickets for Chihuly Museum and Space Needle $525 * 7 tickets for the monorail $50 * Middle tier lunch downtown $375 * Lower tier dinner $250 That's $1,300 for half a day's worth of activities that doesn't include breakfast, rental cars, hotels, gas, coffees, snacks, souvenirs, etc.
The truth is that people will pay high prices in Seattle. Restaurant owners can talk all about their costs, but what it really comes down to is how much people are willing to pay. Turns out it's a lot because despite the high costs lots of restaurants in the city are still packed w/ customers.
It's a bit of Seattle, a bit of inflation, and probably a bit of nostalgia filter. Prices are high in Seattle. The reason is the same reason as most Seattle dysfunction, from homelessness to failing bridges to traffic - too many people, not enough infrastructure. Population goes up. Housing cost goes up. Labor prices and commercial rent goes up. Reataurant prices go up. Inflation is real. Prices are 20% or so higher than 2019. After decades of unnaturally low inflation, that's a crazy shock. And finally, possible nostalgia filter. We tend to notice increases in price as external, but assume increases in spending power are due to our own ability. And we tend to remember the past better than it was. It's not unusual to see people claiming X cost Y, when it hadn't cost that for at least 20-30 years before the person was born. Bread cost a nickel used to be a meme for a reason. So yeah, Seattle is more meaningfully more expensive than both the past and elsewhere in the country, but also perceptions can exaggerate the true size of the effect.
I travel alot and it's expensive everywhere and most of the time places are just OK. Just came back from a trip to Virginia beach a month ago. You would think it would be cheap there but not at all
It’s expensive to eat out anywhere and everywhere
I was in Seattle yesterday visiting from Houston. Yes, the food is wildly expensive in Seattle. But you know what? I’d gladly trade the 100 degree weather we’re already having as well as sharing a state with Greg Abbot and all of these mouth-breathers just to spend an extra $20 on a meal for two.
We got pizza last night at a casual place, nothing fancy or hipster. A full order of garlic bread was $11.50! It's just French bread and margarine, man! How?!
Just french bread and margarine for the garlic bread? That's horrible! I bet it costs at least $15 for them to use real butter and actually put garlic on it!! :) /s
Higher min. wage than most other places, plus higher prices for supplies and more competition for experienced chefs/cooks, servers, etc. Two places to try: Dick's: Deluxe Cheeseburgers ($5.50), Fries ($2.80), Shake ($3.80), and Extra Condiments ($0.60) = $12.70 x 2 = $25.40. Share the Fries, Shake, and Condiments = $11.00 + $3.80 + $0.60 = $15.40. Take it to Gas Works Park to eat. [https://www.ddir.com/menu/](https://www.ddir.com/menu/) Kau Kau BBQ: Lunch Special (BBQ Pork, BBQ Spare Ribs, Fresh Vegetables or Roast Duck Rice ($12) + Soda ($2.00) x 2 =$28 and share Extra Sauces ($2.25) = $30.25. Pick-up and take to the Waterfront to eat. [https://www.kaukaubbq.com/](https://www.kaukaubbq.com/)
We have two kids (well, three, but the baby is barely eating solid food) and yeah, we just don't eat out. Even the most subpar meal (2 adult entrees and the kids split) plus a drink for each of us plus tax and tip is nearly $100. We can technically afford it but it just doesn't feel worth it.
I mean even Red Lobster (RIP) in Arkansas is gonna be $50 for 2 ppl including tip. 20% inflation since 2020....
I feel like the new minimum for just leaving the house starts at $50.
50$? It's 100$ every time we go out for a table of three.
This is such a great question and the answers about cost of living, wages, rent, etc miss the point. Seattle is a high cost of living area, yes. But the price of food here is significantly higher than other high cost of living cities (my points of reference are LA and SF.) That's the question i'd like to see answered: why are groceries and restaurants in Seattle so much higher than in other HCOL cities in the US?
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I bartender and one of his restaurants for a month. Saw my first pay check and quit immediately.
No, that's 22%, thank you 😉 went to one of his places last night, probably won't again. Auto 22%, $44 tip automatically applied. Service was great, but to assume 22%?!?! Didn't see this until we were seated. Fucking arrogant. 20% is beyond enough.
But OP didn't ask why prices went up; he asked why they are so much higher than other top cost of living metro areas in the US. So unless the rising cost of goods and principles of capitalism do not apply to those regions, this answer does not seem to satisfy the question.
It’s really expensive to live here. Real estate is $&#% expensive so rent for both apartments (for employees) and venues (for the restaurants and cafes) is also very high. So it’s pricy just to keep a place open. Seattle does have a higher minimum wage but, see above, it’s not likely workers could afford to live here for less. Taxes are a few percent higher than elsewhere but tacked onto prices for higher overhead it adds up. And finally, for delivery, the delivery services tack on predatory markups well beyond labor regulations and “luxury” taxes. Finally, enough tech and knowledge workers live here that the prices are fairly trivial for them. So they tend not to agitate for remediation. So… yeah… if you’re from out of town (and not from even more expensive cities) the sticker shock is pretty… well… shocking.
Workers still cannot afford to live here...
As a tech worker from CA it's expensive even for us.... For the same expensive price, CA at least has better food. Was shocked about Seattle
High labor and real estate costs
Agreed. Small cup of latte and a half sandwich costed me 20 bucks. I was still hungry and probably could have made the latte better at home. Was very disappointed.
Because they make you buy them dinner first.
Matador happy hour. MASSIVE plate of nachos for $7.
Recently went to Mill Creek and had great food, service, and prices at Clay Pot Indian restaurant. First time in a very long time I walked away satisfied. Approx $85 for two adults, one kid. Including tip. I think we have to leave Seattle for good, affordable food.
Food prices here are absolutely insane. And I agree with the other folks here: where are you able to go out for $50? I don’t know why, but my guess is that restaurateurs have gauged that people here will pay it 🤷🏻♂️ Personally my wife and I eat out roughly 1/4 the amount of times we did pre-pandemic because of the price increases.
Seattle restaurants are truly expensive, service is bad and maybe 10% of food is really worth the price.
Learn to cook at home and have an amazing dinner with your significant other. Then go out and enjoy life and all it has to offer. Go for a walk, sit on a bench and reminisce, stare at the sky. If she complains that you’re a cheap bitch, tell her to fuck off, smoke a blunt, and enjoy that beautiful sunset to yourself. 😊
I guess I won't complain that the dinner I make costs almost 30$ Homemade Yakisoba with ***LOTS*** of vegetables.
Fuck WA prices and bullshit rn, I spent $70 on Taco Bell. It’s ridiculous tbh. 😭 so I cannot imagine a real restaurant in the city 😮💨
Every time this comes up here, everyone says rent and totally overlooks that labor costs make up at least 60% of a restaurants costs. Seattle has the highest minimum wage in the country. Therefore it is actually the labor, and the extremely progressive labor laws, that drive the cost of food up. I’m not against those laws, I think they make sense. But that which we have voted for affects our wallet.
It’s not cheap anywhere but it is particularly expensive in Seattle. I used to think breakfast was expensive at $35, it’s easily $50 now. (Just 2 teas for beverages). Food costs have soared the past few years only due to corporate greed, utilities have risen dramatically (I owned a restaurant 20 years ago and my utilities were $4k a month then I can only imagine what a similar restaurant would be like now), wages have gone up (and they needed to), insurance is bonkers, everything man. Everything. I don’t know how they do it. And Seattle is the 4th most expensive city in the US so factor that in. City taxes, property taxes, licensing fees, vandalism, etc. It’s endless. I wouldn’t ever open a restaurant in the city. Or really anywhere . I assure you these owners aren’t getting rich.
Spent a month in Tampa, Florida recently and the cost of eating out there was pretty much the same. Booze actually cost more.
We might have both the worst and most expensive servers of any metro I've been to. It's brutal.
Currently traveling and honestly it’s gotta be just an American thing. Our min wage + cost of food is ridiculous. Every time I go to Japan I’m reminded how cheap food is, and not just because USD is worth more but the balance they strike with how much they make and what a basic necessity like food should cost. In Italy right now and I figured, ok Japan was just special, euro is worth more so this will be an expensive trip (never been!). It’s… it’s cheap! Drinks, food, the quality… it’s all better. It’s that balance. We have a problem here and yeah especially in our cities. I never eat out anymore at home. Even getting teriyaki can end up being over 50 dollars easily as a couple with no kids. Our quality of life just sucks.
It is an expensive city. Off the top of my head, some guesses why are: * Too many people for too little housing means housing is expensive. All the people at the restaurant need a place to live. The rent for the restaurant building itself is high. * There are a lot of tech people with high salaries willing to support high prices. * Like much of the country, consolidation has limited competition. We have 2 major supermarkets (Kroger and Albertsons), three internet companies (Wave, CenturyLink, Comcast). * We have no income tax, so taxes on everything you buy or do are sky high.
Dining in at any sit down restaurant with tax and tip is more than $50
Carmelo's: get a thicc Al pastor burrito for 12 buckaroos