Though most people enjoy eating out at fancy restaurants from time to time, not everyone loves them. A netizen recently shared an unpopular opinion, saying, “Eating out at a restaurant is not an enjoyable experience.”
Here’s What OP Thinks In Detail
The Original Poster (OP) says, “People always think I’m weird when I tell them what I think about restaurants; they think it’s the best way imaginable to spend your time. I understand the reason why people eat at restaurants, it is for the convenience of not having to cook and clean, to hang out with friends, experience new foods and such, but overall, it’s just awful.”
Why OP Thinks So?
“Firstly, it’s too time-consuming – you need to find a place that makes what you want to eat. If you live in a big city, it’s usually not a problem, but in smaller towns, the selection can be limited.
If you have dietary preferences or allergies, it’s harder, if not impossible, to find a place that suits your needs. Then you need to get dressed, drive there, maybe wait to be seated, read the menu, wait for your order.
By now, an hour has passed since you left your house, and you still haven’t started eating.
What Happens When Food Is Served?
After all the wait, your food finally makes its way to your table. Great. Now most people would say restaurant food tastes amazing, but that’s usually because it’s loaded with sugar, salt, butter, oil, MSG, etc. You could prepare your food this way at home, but most people don’t because it’s not very healthy.
You’re not even guaranteed to get what you ordered – last week I ordered sesame balls filled with red bean paste, but they were filled with peanut butter.
For the atmosphere? Can be good, but usually you’ll have a hard time hearing over 30 other people talking, kids screaming, or music playing from the speakers.”, says OP
The Last Reason
OP further says, “Lastly, the cost. You have to tip in an industry that offloads its wage responsibilities to the customer, and for the same amount you spent + the time it took you to go there and back, you could have driven to a grocery store, bought some ingredients and cooked 3 lunches.
You have total control over what goes into your food and how it is prepared. Also by cooking, you learn a useful skill.
Personally, I only go to a restaurant if it’s a special occasion/celebration, or I really want to eat something which would be hard for me to make at home. That adds up to around 4 times/year.”
Let’s see what others think about this.
It’s Not Supposed To Be Fast
“Eating out (outside of fast food) is not supposed to be fast. I was in another city with a friend recently and eating out was just another part of a great day.
The weather was nice, the street was quiet (no cars, only pedestrians), and the food was delicious. We talked about a lot of fun things while having other people make great food for us.
On such a day the only downside of a restaurant is that it’s more expensive, but everything else is great.”
Your Issue Seems To Be With Bad Restaurants
“Every complaint you listed is just representative of BAD restaurants. Your issue seems to be with bad restaurants, not restaurants as a whole. Getting the wrong food, bad food, poor environment, etc are only true at bad restaurants.”
Don’t Love It Anymore
“Used to love it. Had a head injury and now years later I still find eating in them way too loud, chaotic and overstimulating.
Sometimes I still do it for the food but I basically have to plan to do nothing else the rest of the day and take a nap after because it’s exhausting.”
Choose Utility Restaurants Over Experience Restaurants
“I break restaurants down into 2 broad categories, ‘experience’ restaurants and ‘utility’ restaurants. The difference is that you can eat frequently at a utility restaurant without getting broke or fat.
Utility restaurants are much more common in large cities but small towns have them, too. Sometimes it comes down to knowing how/what to order. A greasy burger place or bbq pit can be just as much of an ‘experience’ as $40 per entry ‘fine dining’.
You can’t do that nonsense every day because you’ll be either be broke or fat. But the restaurants that serve fresh ingredients at reasonable prices are my jam.”
It Gets Worse When You Have Kids
“Agree with mostly everything you have to say and I’m going to go out on a limb and assume you don’t have kids? If you do you’ll understand that it is 10x worse eating out with kids.
Also, the quality of food and the quality/consistency of what is cooked is overall pretty bad and I would much rather just grill/smoke my own foods!”
Sounds Like Somebody With Anxiety Issues
“This sounds like somebody with major anxiety/OCD. Like my guy, if you’re overly concerned with time, and MSG every time you go out to eat, spare those around you and exclude yourself.”
Three Things You Should Know
“Firstly, restaurants provide many meals that are impossible to make at home. I’m not even talking about the chef’s skill or ingredients, but for example, nobody has a tandoor or wood-fired oven in their house.
Second, eating out is much faster. No preparation, cooking or dishes. Many people can walk to their favorite neighborhood restaurants, not everyone lives in a ‘drive everywhere’ place.
The third reason, not every restaurant loads their food with tons of oil and/or sugar to make it taste good, and the ones that do, are usually actually cheaper in the long run than grocery shopping.”
100% Agreed
“I agree with you. Especially for an introverted person. Eating out, especially at a fancy restaurant, is taxing. I’d rather eat at home in front of the TV while binge-watching something on Netflix.”
It’s Not Always About The Food
“Eating out isn’t about the food, it’s about spending time with the people you are out with. Don’t get me wrong the food should be good and if you’re going out just for food then I understand OP’s position but more often than not you’re going out to eat to spend time with the people you are going with not specifically for the food.”
Don’t Go To Chain Restaurants If Possible
“You’re describing an Olive Garden or Cheesecake Factory. Don’t go to chain restaurants if possible. Go with no more than 4 people so that you can still have nice conversations, and order things Tapas style to share so you can try a little of everything.
I don’t drink alcohol anymore but drinks definitely help. If you go on Friday/Saturday night at 9:00 there will not be children there. I have legit never heard a single crying baby while I am out to dinner because again, it’s not a Cheesecake Factory or Olive Garden.”
The Expenses Keep Soaring Higher
“The expected tip percentage just keeps getting higher and higher. Prices of menu items are up 35% over the past 2 years with a 25% minimum tip expected, even for poor service? Yeah no thanks, I’ll just eat at home.”
It’s Not Worth It Anymore
“I completely agree, and I’m almost surprised so many people disagree.
I got much better at cooking over the pandemic, and I also moved out of the US, between getting used to non-US tipping culture (and drink prices) and now being able to cook most things just as well myself, it’s just not usually worth it to me anymore.”
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