Friends just got back from Moscow. Nice restaurants costs $475.oo for 2 dinners

[mdmc]

They told us that you can get anything you want in Russia - a BMW, caviar, Grand Theft Auto IV video game, and nice dinners (similar to a Dinner at Sardis or any local upscale American restaurant, where dinner would cost under $100.oo for two, without alcohol).

The thing is - no Russians buy these things. Only the uber wealthy and tourists go out to dinner. Russians buy food, prepare and eat it at home. They do not go out to dinner at restaurants.

So while the uber wealthy drive BMW sedans, and eat out every night, the workers do not.

My question - how many Americans are no longer able to eat at restaurants? I know that we (me and my girl) no longer eat out. Do you?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Yes

but then we have great mom and pop restaurants. Their business is really down, though. We don't eat out as much as we used to, but when we do we go for quality food. All the junk food places could shut their doors and that would be fine by me.

[TlalocW]

2. A five generation home-cookin' place close to my house

Has started charging for its formerly free wi-fi (it amused me that such an old fashioned place offered wi-fi to begin with)
And the prices have gone up slightly, and instead of 3 sides with a meal, you only get two now.

TlalocW

[azmouse]

3. We like to have Sunday lunch at restaurants but

other then that I cook. I can make meals at home for a much lower cost than eating out.

[backscatter712]

4. Russia is where the neocons want us to be in a few years.

The divide between the rich and poor is growing in the U.S. In Russia, it's at an extreme.

A handful of billionaires literally own more than half of Russia's wealth. Everyone else gets crumbs.

The social safety nets, the schools, the hospitals, everything, are decaying. You want anything at all - police protection, education, medical care, you have to pay for it. Don't have the cash? Too bad.

[lumberjack_jeff]

5. Almost never

... but that's not only economic circumstance, but partly a byproduct of having a child with a disability.

[mdmc]

14. God Bless

I work with an autistic person:kick:

[renate]

6. no... but then, I never have

My husband does eat lunch out, just about every day. It's a nice opportunity for him to get out of the office and spend some time with his friends just talking, so I think of the cost of his lunch as an entertainment expense for a hard-working guy, not as lunch at a restaurant per se. Plus it's just sandwich shops etc.

As a family we almost literally never go out to eat. We don't eat much meat (I don't eat any... and I do the shopping and the cooking, so my poor family hardly gets it either!) so it's usually easy for me to feed a family of four on less than $10 a dinner--sometimes much less--and the bill would be at least $45 or $50 for us to eat out. It's my choice to do the extra work... my husband and kids would be happy to eat out more. But I hate spending money on unnecessary things. (The difference between eating at home and eating out is the same cost as a pair of shoes! I'll do a little grocery shopping and cooking for a free pair of shoes, boy howdy!)

[tpsbmam]

Only go out to eat

once in a blue moon. I was amazed though -- went out the other night to a good restaurant in Asheville. I'd say it's moderately priced -- dinner for 3 came to about $135 total (incl. tax and 20% tip) but we really splurged...... appetizers for 2, entrees for 3, a good bottle of wine, and dessert for 2. What amazed me was that, on a Tuesday night, the restaurant was full!!!

But that's the first time I've gone out to a good restaurant in about 3 months. It'll probably be another 3 months before I do that again.

[onehandle]

7. Much less than we did. But it's not just a money thing with us.

We simply didn't have time to cook during the Clinton boom years. We were well employed and our offices are busy.

In the last eight years our work has slowed. Raises and bonuses are rare.

We now have time to grocery shop and cook most of the time. But our income is not growing.

It's looking like the cost of living is going to start choking our standard of living.

Thanks, smirk!

[Avalux]

8. We are fast becoming just like Russia - the haves and have nots.

Unless the bleeding is stopped (by Obama and a Dem Congress I hope), most of America will not be able to enjoy eating out, going on vacation, etc. The middle class, although by no means rich, has been able to enjoy these luxuries until recently.

[JuniorPlankton]

9. Fortunately or not, your friend is incorrect

A lot of Russians in Moscow do make a lot of money.
But the difference is not about how much money they make, but rather, how they spend it.
Russia is a great example of what they call "conspicuous consumption" A lot of people spend a lot of money on crap (in my opinion)
Things like clothes, restaurants, high tech gadgets, etc.
Granted, very few people have expenses such as insurance, college tuition, or any retirement savings. It is a very different life style.

Another point is that Moscow is very different from the rest of the country. One shouldn't form one's opinion of Russia based on one sees in Moscow. It would be similar to looking at the "Upper West Side" and imagine all americans to be the same.

[HuffleClaw]

10. those fools must have ordered the ambiance! n/t

[kwassa]

11. Cafe Pushkin, and Russian mobsters

We were treated to what was allegedly the best restaurant in Moscow.

Maybe $100 a person before drinks.

Mostly westerners, and some very tough-looking middle-aged Russian men in leather jackets with very pretty much younger girlfriends. There are different classes in Russia.

[canucksawbones]

12. don't eat out much

but more for reasons of eating healthily.

However, wrt to this post, try and remeber that Moscow is the most expensive city in the world when it comes restaurants, hotels, entertainment, etc. London, New York and Tokyo are all bargains compared to Moscow.

GK

[Binka]

13. I Am A Cook Baby! People Come To My Pad to EAT!

My sister who couldn't find her oven with both hands tries to drag me out ALL the time but I always get her back to MY kitchen! Eating out is Expensive and I am rarely impressed. Cooking is FUN!