Bad cooking in restaurants

[357 MAX]

What happened to all the good places to eat. the cooking has gone down hill in every restaurant out there. slow decline over the last 20 years or so. steep decline since COVID. even steeper over the last few years.smaller portions, prices through the roof. I remember the eighty's when buffets were at their peak. even the nineties when you could get a good chicken fried steak on I90 anywhere from Spokane to Fargo. pre made heat and eat now. there are a few good places left. the OLD SPAGHETTY Factory for one. even Los Dos used to be good but the portions have shrunk by half.

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[Nosferatu]

Cook your own.

Tonight was smoked birria taco night. I might have $25 into the whole meal and have a bubblegumload of leftovers.

 

[CountryGent]

Cook your own.

Agreed. Though it was different in the past, I/we very rarely eat out any more. Healthier and a much more cost effective.

 

[Alexx1401]

What happened to all the good places to eat. the cooking has gone down hill in every restaurant out there. slow decline over the last 20 years or so. steep decline since COVID. even steeper over the last few years.smaller portions, prices through the roof. I remember the eighty's when buffets were at their peak. even the nineties when you could get a good chicken fried steak on I90 anywhere from Spokane to Fargo. pre made heat and eat now. there are a few good places left. the OLD SPAGHETTY Factory for one. even Los Dos used to be good but the portions have shrunk by half.

The restaurant business has long been a VERY risky one. Many would come and go. Then the great hoax was a death sentence to many of them. Those that survived that, many folded a year or more later. The ones that still refused to die here come regulation and taxation to take their bite. It to me is actually shocking that was have as many as we do but, you are dead on. Many of them that used to be good are shockingly bad. While back Wife and I noticed there was a Red Robin close to us we did not know was there. So we went to have lunch. NICE place inside. Service was shockingly bad, food was on par with a McD's at 4 times the price. We left never to go back and wondering how the hell they stay open.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

My best meals out...
Have been from smaller "Mom and Pop " owned / operated restaurants...not in any sort of chain type place.

My favorite place to eat...is local...the :La Conner Tavern.
Great food and drinks. , good sized portions , excellent service...nice view and affordable
Andy

 

[357 MAX]

Agreed. Though it was different in the past, I/we very rarely eat out any more. Healthier and a much more cost effective.

cooking my own for most of my life. but my 40+ years in trucking I didnt have much choice most of the time. and my wife says fast food today,,,,,,, yuck

 

[Alexx1401]

Cook your own.

Tonight was smoked birria taco night. I might have $25 into the whole meal and have a bubblegumload of leftovers.

I can't cook my way out a wet paper bag but even I can make a few things that are fantastic. At least to me. This is why when I have something like that at a sit down place it pisses me off when its bad. We like to go out now and then just to get out, have a meal that we can enjoy and just walk away. There is a limit of course to what we are willing to pay for such a meal. We certainly could go to a place where the meal was hundred bucks or better but, we just can't justify spending that kind of money just to have a good meal when as you said, we could just make it at home for pennies on the dollar compared to that. So far they have not yet screwed up the Applbee's here. We can still go in there and get a decent meal that its worth eating and not feel bad about what it costs. Even that is getting to where we don't do it nearly as much.

 

[Certaindeaf]

What's on the Grill Tonight?

Let's see what's on your grill! Today's beer can chicken for me. My chicken rub: Onion and garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, seasoning salt, kosher salt, allspice, oregano, cumin, chilli powder, paprika, and a bit of ginger. All to taste. Half a can of pbr up it's bubblegum and...

www.northwestfirearms.com

 

[Nosferatu]

I can't cook my way out a wet paper bag

Try removing it from the bag first next time!

 

[SHPD_Retired]

Great steak house is Saylers Old Country Kitchen. I have been going there for over fifty years.

 

[Joe13]

For the $20 it costs to get a burger and fries, I can buy a $20 1lb (or larger sometimes) ribeye steak and be more satisfied and satiated.

Not working right now has me eating simpler (IE cheaper meals) but when everyone started getting $17/hour for minimum wage, plus other factors, there was no way to keep reasonable costs at restaurants without cutting costs on every level.



Remember when ice cream actually came in half gallon containers…?

 

[Nosferatu]

For the $20 it costs to get a burger and fries, I can buy a $20 1lb (or larger sometimes) ribeye steak and be more satisfied and satiated.

Not working right now has me eating simpler (IE cheaper meals) but when everyone started getting $17/hour for minimum wage, plus other factors, there was no way to keep reasonable costs at restaurants without cutting costs on every level.



Remember when ice cream actually came in half gallon containers…?

I've been griding my own burger lately for ~$4/lb with scraps from a local butcher shop.

 

[Koda]

steep decline since COVID. even steeper over the last few years.smaller portions, prices through the roof.

We will be feeling the effects of the govt shutting down the economy over covid for many years, if we recover at all. People were sent home, learned to live on govt assistance simply learned to live by working less.
Today good employers virtually cannot find good employees.

Employers say many Gen Z workers aren’t prepared for the workplace: survey

A stunning six in 10 said they had fired college grads they hired in 2024.

www.newsnationnow.com

 

[Nosferatu]

Today good employers virtually cannot find good employees.

Bullbubblegum. They need to stop looking over good employees.

I've been getting more calls after removing 15 years of experience from my resume. bubbleguming pathetic.

 

[P7M13]

@357 MAX , it seems you're talking portions, and I have seen that in the few times I head out any more. However the slide in quality has been remarkable for many years now. There's a place in Beaverton that I go to that's still good, Pepitas, and the servings are still generous, but the prices have all gone up several dollars for the different entrees.
There's a newer Thai place in Beaverton called Khamdee that's excellent, but dinner for two is $45 - $55.
If you make it to Corvegas, Evergreen Indian restaurant is excellent. Four people will cost you ~$115. But that's a LOT of food and plenty of take home boxes.
And yes, I have noticed that the 1/2 gallon ice creams are more like 1/3 gallon now. Even the taco stand at work has gone from 6" soft tacos down to 5".

 

[Alexx1401]

I've been griding my own burger lately for ~$4/lb with scraps from a local butcher shop.

Many years ago Wife got one of the high end mixers. Bought an attachment grind meat. Often buy Top Sirloin at the bulk buy place. Grind that and it makes great hamburger.

 

[TTSX]

I haven't noticed the quality declining as much as the price rising. Except with burger/sandwich buns. It's like they make em pre stale at the factory.

Love me a good, stale $25 burger with 7 fries and a dollop of sauce

 

[Joe13]

Bullbubblegum. They need to stop looking over good employees.

I've been getting more calls after removing 15 years of experience from my resume. bubbleguming pathetic.

I got a response from a recruiter that I've been working with that said a company she sent my info to that literally told her they were looking for someone straight out of college….


I could teach college level classes on multiple things I've done for work in 30 years - and I guess that's the rub…. They want teenagers that regurgitated the curriculum, have excuses for being late or not following what used to be common curiosity and they expect they will be there for 1-2 years tops vs some of us in our older-younger years that always show up early and have enough life experience to handle most problems that weren't in the text books.

Maybe I should dump 15 years off my resume…

 

[Nosferatu]

I got a response from a recruiter that I've been working with that said a company she sent my info to that literally told her they were looking for someone straight out of college….


I could teach college level classes on multiple things I've done for work in 30 years - and I guess that's the rub…. They want teenagers that regurgitated the curriculum, have excuses for being late or not following what used to be common curiosity and they expect they will be there for 1-2 years tops vs some of us in our older-younger years that always show up early and have enough life experience to handle most problems that weren't in the text books.

Maybe I should dump 15 years off my resume…

They want people that will work 80+ hours/week for next to nothing.

 

[Joe13]

They want people that will work 80+ hours/week for next to nothing.

Bingo