CallMeMattF t1_j4jd8ns wrote
I feel like Restaurant Week started as: “look at what our chefs are capable of when given a limited menu; every restaurant in this city can flex with a little time and a prix fixe” and each year since it’s comprised here and there so, nowadays, it’s more like “let’s see how many people we can get in the doors, through a 3 course meal, and out the door every 45 minutes.”
kuhkoo t1_j4jrv7z wrote
I mean that’s what it’s forced to become - have you ever worked one? Every cheap jamoke with a yelp account comes out of the woodwork and if you can’t accommodate them all then yr screwed - it’s also not at all what you think it is if you think that that’s how restaurant week started. It’s a business boost during slow times of the year for the restaurant industry.
Rahawk02 t1_j4n5dvc wrote
Today I learned 2 people dropping 80 bucks not including drinks or tip on a meal makes you a cheap jamoke. Glad I know how to cook .
Wu-Tang_Killa_Bees t1_j4s5utt wrote
Yeah I love going out to eat but damn it is expensive. It's getting harder and harder to justify the price
Rahawk02 t1_j4sh8nw wrote
I did the foodie thing in my 20s and 30s racked up 40k in credit card debt just smoking drinking eating good and partying. I don’t think I ever had 100 dollar tab with just food and no booze though .Had a kid and had to stop the Yolo life, learned to cook and only go out once or twice a month now. Sometimes I wish I put that money towards the principal of my house instead but I can’t say I didn’t have a good time.
kuhkoo t1_j4n7yrh wrote
where I work generally each person spends about 70-85 a person, so it’s a significantly diminished bill. And that’s the case for most of them. If you don’t care for the economics of the restaurant industry, which have been fairly static for the past ten years adjusting for inflation, do everyone involved a favor and stay home.
Rahawk02 t1_j4n8j08 wrote
I don’t need to stay home just because some obnoxious person on Reddit told me to because I have dozens of places to get a great meal for a quarter of that price.
justanawkwardguy t1_j4qfqw8 wrote
Oh yes, "very static" when you don't account for the "supply chain issues" raising the price on literally everything during the pandemic, and then staying that high.
I know there were actually some issues, but not enough to double the price of chicken or raise menu prices 30% across the board
CallMeMattF t1_j4l9x7x wrote
No, I’ve never worked in food and bev. It makes sense that it’s timed about now, the post-holidays-days-but-before-the-paychecks-have-stacked-up-a-little-nest-egg days. I had the best meal at Osteria during restaurant week a few years ago, but each place I’ve tried since has felt like I’m on a carousel in 5th gear and, if I don’t get off quickly enough, I’m a Bad Customer
skip_tracer t1_j4js99y wrote
you're exactly right. It was commodified, and instead of being an event like experience to spotlight local businesses it became budget shoppers way of getting a night out. Which I'm ok with in one sense, but when you work at one of the best restaurants in the city (which I did) and have to deal with people (Penn students and suburbanites mostly) making ridiculous demands and not understanding the point of the service it's maddening. I can't tell you how many times upon greeting I'd say "have you dined with us before?" and the response would be "yes last restaurant week". It was clear that the intention of building new clientele to bring back and see what we really did just didn't work.
CallMeMattF t1_j4l9jo2 wrote
Yes, your last sentence sums it up perfectly. It was a teaser. “Here’s 4 apps, 4 entrees, and 3 desserts. Once you pick your jaw up off the floor, we’ll see you in a few weeks for the full experience.” But, nope, now it’s just packed and pushy for ten days downtown.
SouthPhilly_215 t1_j4lgkz4 wrote
And THE WORST TIPPERS imaginable come outta the wood work. I worked for 15 years in restaurants and any time its a special early bird menu or a restaurant week menu or a valentines day menu, the people seem to be the worst tippers ever. I have a day job now, but I do a little Uber driving on the side, and again, the people I’m driving around during restaurant week are THEE WORST TIPPERS STILL!!! And in the car they reveal themselves. They talk about their plan when getting driven to the restaurant. They talk about ordering expensive drinks for the taste, saying they don’t like it, and then ordering another. Assholes man.
CallMeMattF t1_j4lhx8s wrote
I never worked food and bev, but tipping has always started at 20% for me. Since the pandemic, 25% as long as I’m sure it’s all going to the driver (for delivery) or server (in-person dining). And, a little bragging, I just finished law school and I’m taking the bar in February. Hopefully that leads to an income that will allow me to dine out and such more often. My plan is to tip more as I make more. I’ve been going to the same barber since I moved into the city in 2014, and I’ve tipped more as I’ve moved jobs even though her prices have stayed the same.
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