¿$13.00 for one meal at a Mexican restaurant?

[underpants]

My wife and Josie and I went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant last night. As I sit there looking over the menu I see a chicken dish that looked appealing and I glanced down and saw that it was $12.99

:wow:

AT A MEXICAN RESTAURANT??? Hell mexican food is a staple of good cheap carbs for the biking and running crowd. Even on the road we used to stop in and get filled up for cheap at mexican places.

Oh and this was not a "high end" Mexican place at all. Run of the mill regular place.

I think they are using "gas prices" as an excuse to see how far they can push it. :shrug:

My wife commented how dark it was (compared to normal) for a family type place and then she said "they must not want you to see the prices"

One last thing-we went out to dinner at another mexican place a few weeks ago with friends from daycare-THAT RESTAURANT wanted to charge $2.50 for a refill of tortilla chips.

[Phillycat]

1. Corn prices are through the roof.

Mexican food is a corn-based diet.

[underpants]

3. #@%^ing CORN!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=3495963&mesg_id=3495963

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Their costs have gone up, just like everyone else's.

They have to pay more even for "cheap" ingredients (that aren't so cheap any more, especially corn, which has doubled) because that food costs more to produce and to ship, not to mention that the demand for corn has drastically increased and the floods in Iowa and Illinois have reduced the supply. No business raises prices unless it has to, especially these days. Watch -- more and more restaurants will go out of business because they can't afford to buy the food and people can't afford to eat out. And the people who work there will lose their jobs.

[Chan790]

4. It's true.

I work in food service...we're seeing our profits (and my tips) drop like a stone because our costs have gone up while our business has fallen. We're not making a profit, corporate is on us to get the margins back to where they traditionally were, the cost of milk has exploded and people can't afford $4 for coffee when the price of gas locally is creeping over $4.50/gallon and towards $5.

F%&k me with a spoon...I'm concerned about being let go. I've been out of college 6 years and have spent almost 2 1/2 years of that unemployed and the rest under-employed.

Bush cocksuckers and oil speculators...even OPEC says the price of a barrel of oil shouldn't be over $85 currently. That's all investment bubble...and when it explodes we're going have to bail them out. :nuclear: Let's not bail them out this time. Let's take their stock on margin and privatize the industry.

Also, just saying dude, but $13 for a home-style entree in a great Mexican restaurant isn't that absurd. The local award-winning Mexican place here is charging $18.95 for the Camarones and $12.95 for the Mole Chicken. $2 Coronas. $3 Dos Equis. I won't horrify you with tequila prices. It's all still worth it.

[underpants]

6. It was a Mole Chicken dish

I ended up getting the Mole Ranchero for $9

:shrug:

BTW- sales for Red Lobster and other chain restaurants were up like 30% or so a year and a half ago-apparently a lot of people (we know a few) figured it was cheaper to go out every night as compared to the cost (including time) of shopping preparing and cleaning. We knew several couple (with kids too) who ate out every night. This seems to have changed.

[Carnea]

5. That just doesn't seem all that high for a sit down restaurant. nt

[SoxFan]

7. That's not out of line

Mrs. BlueDog and I went to a local mexican restaurant the other night. I ordered Chile Autentico (poblanos stuffed with cheese and shaved steak, covered in a mild green sauce, served with rice and beans), she had a combo plate. Both were about 10 bucks.

[Midlodemocrat]

8. Which one?

Mexico over this way isn't all that cheap, although El Paso is.

Was it the one on Broad whose name escapes me? Their food is delicious, but yeah, pretty pricey.

[underpants]

9. Mexico restaurant in the Innsbrook area

It usually isn't that pricey.

:shrug:

To me mexican is mexican but there are people who swear by one place over another

El Toro-across Staples Mill from the Crazy Greek is a fave of many

There is a place in the "Golds Gym" plaza (where Pasta Luna and Peking is) that is where the LOCAL mexican crowd goes. Seriously I have had dinner there an we had to point at the menus because no one there spoke english. They have a stage and a permenant band riser set up-I think it is a "go to" place on the weekends.

[JVS]

10. That's too much. The chicken dish should be between $6.99 and $8.99

[underpants]

13. Exactly

as I alluded to in the OP I know mountain bike types whose whole eating out budget for a weekend would be busted by ONE $13 meal-especially since they were probably expecting no more than $8

[LeftyMom]

11. Is it an expensive area, or are they using expensive (organic, etc) ingredients? Great ambiance?

If not, I'd say that's a shade on the high side. An uncomplicated entree at a place that isn't fancy should be under $10.

[underpants]

12. No not really. no. and No

That's what I'm saying!!!