Prices in cafes and restaurants

[Silver-Fox]

Jewish penicillin are you sure? I find that extremely offensive. Shame on you.

Out of interest are you Jewish?

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

In Shrewsbury today we went to Costa as we normally do. Generally we'll have a coffee and a millionaires shortbread but because my wife has had a sickness and diarrhoea bug since Friday I had to talk her into having a coffee, then she decided, 'get me a slice of toast?'
She sat looking at toast trying to talk herself into having a bite. She managed to eat it and keep it down.
I had a quick look at the receipt, £0.96 + Tax for one slice of toast.
To rub salt into the wound, we had just bought a whole loaf of bread from Sainsbury's ten minutes earlier for £0.47

 

[Lenny HB]

I’m sure a lot of folk complaining about cost of living could save a fortune by using some of these “old fashioned” tips.

Most of them probably buy ready meals or takeaway rather than fresh food.
We are in the Dordogne at the moment just had pork chops with a mushroom sauce & salad, I made the mushroom sauce myself.

 

[Feltwell]

We've just had lunch at Viggos at Puerto de Mazarron (well known to Mazarron visitors). The price for a four course meal, with drinks has now risen to €14 (£12).

For this I had

Chicken pate
View attachment 677805

Peppers stuffed with tuna, swordfish and vegetables.
View attachment 677806

Swordfish and potatoes
View attachment 677807

Then, I don't eat dessert so I had a coffee, but Martin's dessert was cheesecake.
View attachment 677809

And the included drinks
View attachment 677810

And a basket of bread

Good value for our €€€€'s

That looks lovely, astonishing value.

I've got a family of 5, the 3 kids though have adult appetites these days (actually my 16 year old lad has at least 2 adult appetites!).

If we go out for a bog standard pub meal in the UK in a reasonable pub (not Spoons!), by the time drinks are factored in - all soft drinks, no alcohol - there is never change from £100, hasn't been for a long while. £120-£130 is typical. Funnily enough it's a rare treat!

 

[iandsm]

What do you mean it works? It’s soup not anti-biotics. Times change as what may have been amusing to some 60 years ago is no longer acceptable.

If you care to do your research, which I am not going to do for you, you would find that Jewish penicillin contains healing properties which benefit the digestive system and stimulate the appetite which, when one has a cold or flue is obviously beneficial. A former employer of mine a Jewish gentleman called Maurice and his wife Rachel swore by it and they referred to it as Jewish penicillin. They have passed away now but they were both very dear to me and I wouldn't under any circumstances do or say anything to upset them or insult their memory. For me it was, is, and always will be Jewish penicillin. So I take no lectures or advice from you on what may or may not be acceptable thank you.

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[Southdowners]

What do you mean it works? It’s soup not anti-biotics. Times change as what may have been amusing to some 60 years ago is no longer acceptable.

Just out of interest what do you think it means?

From what you’ve said I think you are misunderstanding the term. It isn’t a joke and never has been…

A brief history of chicken soup, the ‘Jewish penicillin’

***

www.haaretz.com

 

[Garfields]

it now makes even more sense to go out travelling in the moho.

That's ok till you have to put fuel in
You could stay at home sell the van and rap yourself in blankets to save on heating.
Restaurants are having to pay more in costs and wages to keep staff. (I am in favour of hospitality staff are payed better) The downside is we have to pay more for our coffee or whatever.
As long as the quality and service is good that's acceptable.
I will admit that I have had some very substandard stuff though.

 

[Otter Spotter]

Back on thread, just been out to get Fish and chips in Axminster, 2 fish 1 large chips, curry sauce, mushy peas and 5 Chicken Nuggets total £28.00 OMG serve me right for treating daughter and grandson

 

[Silver-Fox]

Back on thread, just been out to get Fish and chips in Axminster, 2 fish 1 large chips, curry sauce, mushy peas and 5 Chicken Nuggets total £28.00 OMG serve me right for treating daughter and grandson

Yep that looks about the correct amount.

Fish has shot up in price.

 

[Just smiffy]

I regularly buy chicken wings for the freezer and when I’ve got some veg left over I make a big pot of chicken soup…

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[Slopey]

In Shrewsbury today we went to Costa as we normally do. Generally we'll have a coffee and a millionaires shortbread but because my wife has had a sickness and diarrhoea bug since Friday I had to talk her into having a coffee, then she decided, 'get me a slice of toast?'
She sat looking at toast trying to talk herself into having a bite. She managed to eat it and keep it down.
I had a quick look at the receipt, £0.96 + Tax for one slice of toast.
To rub salt into the wound, we had just bought a whole loaf of bread from Sainsbury's ten minutes earlier for £0.47

Well, although you bought a loaf for 47p earlier, you didn't need to pay rent, rates, light, heating, staff costs, insurances, NI, employers NI, pensions, waste, drainage, water, electricty, VAT, gas or corporation tax... to toast it.

I'm not in the hospitality business, but my corporate electricity rate has gone from 18p to 84p in the space of 6 months - I can't imagine how anyone who runs gas appliances all day or toasters/microwaves/cookers can in any way sustain it!

 

[TinaLes]

We cook start to finish at home or away in the van, from fresh ingredients, not even many bought sauces in jars, just spices, herbs, maybe a stock cube, mainly as I like cooking and have built up the skills/knowledge to want to do it that way.
We don't even buy take aways, as again I like to cook from fresh and the take away costs these days are so prohibitive for the sake of convenience. I always consider how much seafood, good quality meat I can buy to produce something with much less sugar or Ghee added for the cost of a take away for two (cant beat home made flat breads)

Our only treat in recent times was to have a night off, nip up the F&C (high quality) shop once a month at most, last visit the prices had gone up again, it cost me £14.20 for two medium Haddock & one large chips, made fresh whilst I waited, along with others. The same meal would have been £10 last year, but I fully understand they are doing the best prices they can at that quality, with their overheads etc, Two pieces of fresh Haddock would be the same cost in our local wet fish shop i.e £5/5.50 a piece so we will continue to use them as a treat night away from the stove.
After todays Energy announcement from the "Latest Chancellor" , in reducing the financial support given from 2 years down to 6 months, I really don't see how many pubs, restaurants, and Take Aways can survive. The Alcohol tax is also rumoured to be increasing, next budget, so that's the beer sales in pubs hit again.

Prices will have to increase still further, and most people will have higher spending priorities to deal with like mortgages, therefore taking the eat out option, even Deliveroo to home away for many families.

Having watched a few farming programs, not all food cost rises have reached the consumers yet, many will rise again in the late autumn like Dairy, Eggs, and meat with the continued rises in animal soy based imported feed.

I feel we are all going to feel the pinch, big time, and with current world affairs, there's not a lot can be done about it for now.
Sorry to be so gloomy, but we are in the proverbial S..T for the foreseeable, and it isn't even our fault!
LES

 

[martin2603]

Wild Bean Cafe at BP Station; large Latte and bacon or sausage bap or any other “ in the deal item” £4.00. Very good value.

 

[The Old Man]

Ovwenight I remembered;

“It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money - that's all.

When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.

The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot - it can't be done.

If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”

John Ruskin

 

[BusyBuilder]

When I worked for ICI Engineering as a Civil Superintendent, I was managing a job costing around £3m. I was looking at time sheets from civil contractor and having to sign them off for the costings. I regularly refused to pay some timesheets as I thought they were too much for the job carried out.
My senior engineer called me in and after a conversation he said to me, 'These companies have to make a reasonable profit or they wont be around to do any of the work we need them to do.'

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[The Old Man]

When I worked for ICI Engineering as a Civil Superintendent, I was managing a job costing around £3m. I was looking at time sheets from civil contractor and having to sign them off for the costings. I regularly refused to pay some timesheets as I thought they were too much for the job carried out.
My senior engineer called me in and after a conversation he said to me, 'These companies have to make a reasonable profit or they wont be around to do any of the work we need them to do.'

British Industry?

 

[busby]

whats it like at the moment? are there any free pitches or rammed ,,would love to get down there again last time got cut short with covid ,,,?

Never seen it so busy on the site,,Unless booked it's difficult to get on,,Nice and quiet on the beach and cycle paths though,,BUSBY.

 

[Spriddler]

it cost me £14.20 for two medium Haddock & one large chips,

Cuh, you're lucky.
That would be £17.40 in my village chippy.

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

Well, although you bought a loaf for 47p earlier, you didn't need to pay rent, rates, light, heating, staff costs, insurances, NI, employers NI, pensions, waste, drainage, water, electricty, VAT, gas or corporation tax... to toast it.

I'm well aware of all that, but so has the bakery which produced my 47p loaf, then sell it to the supermarket who then sold it to me. I spent almost 20 years as a baker and I'm well aware of what's involved in baking bread and having it delivered to the supermarkets warehouse then in turn delivered to the supermarket. If the supermarket, transport and baker can make a reasonable profit on a 47p loaf having all those overheads, it makes the 96p + tax slice of toast look all the more ridiculous. I'm only glad she didn't want two As a matter of interest, if I bought two would I have got the second one cheaper since it ain't using any more electric
How much profit from a loaf of bread?

 

[TinaLes]

Many, like me will notice that menu price boards, especially Fish & chip shops are mostly written with chalk these days, as in the picture above, I wonder why? Poor shop owners must see the price of everything rise almost weekly.
LES

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[Minxy]

And given the huge rise in costs etc etc blah blah... what's your evidence they're "ripping tourists off "

Attitudes like that explain why places are closing.

Attitude like those by some of the cafes where they charge extortionate amounts for a coffee etc, rather than a fair price for all, is the issue. If they don't try to rip me off I'll buy stuff, but paying some of the prices they ask is absolutely bonkers. Ever since they started to call themselves 'coffee baristers' prices have gone up even though they're making the same stuff they did before they got a 'with-it' name!

 

[Wh05apk]

Attitude like those by some of the cafes where they charge extortionate amounts for a coffee etc, rather than a fair price for all, is the issue. If they don't try to rip me off I'll buy stuff, but paying some of the prices they ask is absolutely bonkers. Ever since they started to call themselves 'coffee baristers' prices have gone up even though they're making the same stuff they did before they got a 'with-it' name!

Agree with your comments, the other thing that winds me up is the term "artisan" it seems to imply a hobby producer, who seems to think that working 2-3 days a week for a "farmers market" entitles them to a good living.

 

[Minxy]

Even on the Archers.... one coffee £3.65!!!!!

I blame the ruddy funeral plan and life insurance adverts saying their monthly premiums is the price of a cup of coffee so they coffee sellers have raised the price to match the claim!

 

[Coolcats]

Agree with your comments, the other thing that winds me up is the term "artisan" it seems to imply a hobby producer, who seems to think that working 2-3 days a week for a "farmers market" entitles them to a good living.

Probably does and good for them why work 5/6/7 days a week for a pittance

 

[Minxy]

They are not ripping off anyone.

It depends on what they are charging, if a nearby place can charge less likely with the same overheads then why can't they?

You have a choice whether you use the place or not.

Exactly ... MY choice.

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[TinaLes]

Ummm Coffee & Coffins?
Got me thinking...don't pour your left over coffee in a graveyard....they might wake up!
Sorry, that one just jumped out at me!
LES

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

I wonder if they have the "we need more income, lets put the prices up" mindset when instead they need to reduce the prices and get more people willing to go in. Give me a flask and my own grub any day.

They won't necessarily get more people in though, even if they did it's tough running a small business.
Obviously energy prices have gone through the roof, minimum wage is going up every year (good so people can make a decent living), but all that impacts on the bill customers have to pay.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

But not I assume the staff wages, as I see many businesses like pubs and caffs with a notice looking for staff. One local pub (there may be others) has stopped doing lunches due to not having the staff.
My neighbour has worked in the caff of a local garden centre for 6 years and says that they just haven't managed to get a full complement of staff since Covid began.
I realise the shortage isn't entirely due to the pay but also to the unsocial hours and shift patterns.

It's a balance though. There is a staff shortage throughout the country in lots of industries. If somebody can earn £15-20ph labouring on a building site, they'll take that. That may make it uneconomical for the cafe / pub. You have to sell a lot of coffees to recoup that, even before all the other costs.
The B word has lowered staff availability too. Obviously that's another matter, best kept away from....