A couple of my regular lunch-time co-workers like to avoid the “finer” places for lunch around the downtown area where we work. And frankly, I don’t understand that.
And that brought to mind my question. . .
Do most people like fine restaurants or not? Do you?
I do.
You guys make a lot of money, or what? Thirty bucks for lunch? Or a light salad for $19.50. Kind of a deciding point, isn’t it?
Fine restaurants are fine, but only if the food is more than fine, and the waitstaff is very good. Else, it’s not worth eating there.
I like fine restaurants. I don’t like paying bill when it’s no where near worth it for the experience. I expect to pay too much, just not* way* too much.
I like fine dining, but if you do that every working day, then it loses some of its magic. (IMHO)
Really, I’m not talking about a great disparity in the costs of the restaurants we can choose from. . . Most range between 10-20$ for myself, and I go out 3 or 4 days a week. My co-workers go out more often than I do.
Regardless, if cost were no object: Do you like “fine” restaurants?
Do I have to dress up? Even if cost were not an issue I don’t like that part.
Also is the food quality or quantity better?
What do you consider to be a “fine” restaurant? Can you give us an example?
I think you may be on to something with the dress up question. . . “They just don’t feel as comfortable there (at fine restaurants)”
I think that’s it. The atmosphere/aspect of the restaurant affects how comfortable they feel. And the quality and decor and lighting and seating and presentation can all affect the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Like, some people prefer dive bars. Some people prefer “greasy spoon” diners.
But why?
If cost was no object and I don’t have to dress up and there’s the normal variety of foods that I like… sure.
But, yanno… that doesn’t happen. Sometimes I want a normal pepperoni pizza. Can I get that at a “fine” pizza place? Or do they only have frou-frou options? Can I get a plate of beef tacos at the fine Mexican place, or do they only have various “fusion” options with kimchi or whatever?
The only time I really look for a few steps up on the quality bar is sushi. Cheap sushi can be ok, but there really is a difference in quality at the finer locales, and you don’t lose anything in selection.
Thank you Dr Strangelove. Exactly. And I think sometime you don’t want to worry about “various selections” at lunch. “I just want a decent burger and side salad.” I don’t want to hear the “specials”. That’s a factor too.
I go to ‘nice’ restaurants now and then. Dressing up is often not a requirement like it used to be. Even jeans (clean and intact) are not rare.
I feel like I don’t really get enough to eat at the really fancy joints. Part of me wants to swing by Taco Bell on the way home.
(the ‘part of me’ is my stomach; my head says nuh-uh)
mmm
That’s what it comes down to for me. The cost doesn’t bother me and I like quality food. But I won’t wear a jacket, tie and dress shoes to eat. I don’t wear them to work, so that would require specifically dressing up just for the meal. No sale.
Thankfully I live in the super-casual SF Bay Area where standards have loosened enough to the point that casual clothes are perfectly fine in many quality eateries. Up to a point, of course - there are still a fair number of higher end restaurants I’d feel uncomfortable in with just a pair of khaki slacks and a chambray shirt. It is specifically those that are above that casual threshold that I will avoid, especially since there are a legion of good places at or below that level.
Yes, I like the fancy places. It can go too far. (I’m looking at you place that served pig’s face 4 ways.) Even the really quirky places are fun as an occasional thing though. I don’t eat fancy every day, but I do enjoy it. I also don’t really care about the dress code. I’m paying. They can smile and pull out my chair, jeans or dress. 
That is the way I feel. My ex-wife is a world-renowned gourmet foods expert that took me and lots of others to the finest restaurants around the U.S. and Europe. My parents are gourmet restaurant fiends and will drop huge sums of money on seafood in particular. I used to live in New Orleans which has some the the best restaurants in existence and worked in a fancy one for three years during college.
I like them fine and I am glad that they exist but I will only go to them once every few months. I have had everything they have to offer countless times and I can cook quite well myself. If I want something simple like lobster, I can just drive two minutes, buy some really big ones and have them ready along with sides in less than an hour at a fraction of the price of a fancy seafood restaurant.
The only time I get irritated is when I go on vacation with true foodies and they want every meal to be a fine dining experience from breakfast to bed-time snacks. I am not into that. It takes way too much time, money and effort. Once or twice is fine but I am not a big eater and don’t live my life around the next meal. I have better shit to do.
***My definition of a fine dining restaurant is a sit-down establishment that has been highly rated in a guide like Fodor’s or the Michelin Guide and typically costs more than $75 per person. I love cheaper food trucks and hole-in-the-wall places that are fast, cheap and have great food as well.
I just got home from a fine restaurant. Excellent meal, and I didn’t have to dress up-- I wore shorts and a poly shirt. But usually, fine dining is too much for lunch. I don’t often have the time or the inclination to pay that much for lunch. Once in awhile for a special occasion, yeah. Dinner, I’ll do fine dining several times a month no problem. But, like Tamerlane, I live in CA and I never dress up. Clean jeans and a nice shirt will get you in almost anywhere near where I live.
For me, the only drawback to a fine dining restaurant for lunch is that you seldom have sufficient time to truly enjoy your meal. It seems as though I was always rushing through the meal to get back for a meeting. Although, in fairness, many of the restaurants I used for lunches are aware of the time constraints for business customers and offer dishes that can be made and eaten in a shorter period of time.
I enjoy the experience of eating in a fine restaurant. Even aside from the food, there’s atmosphere and decor and the fact people tend to behave, if not better, then in a more refined fashion.
However, if the food and service aren’t up to the standard, it isn’t worth it. I can get atmosphere and decor for free in at least two museums downtown.
And, yes, I’m willing to put on a monkey suit to eat in one, but that’s academic because Missoula is small a college town and none of the restaurants here could survive having a dress code.
When I was a kid, and Dad got a bonus at work, the whole family would get gussied up and go to some fancy-schmancy places for dinner. In those days, I liked dressing up, and I’d get to eat foods that Mom didn’t ordinarily cook at home. It was truly a treat, with the bonus that we all learned how to behave in nice public venues.
Now, not so much. I hate getting dressed up, and the thought of the two of us spending more than $100 for a meal activates numerous nervous tics. We don’t drink, so that doesn’t even figure into the tab. Also, within a reasonable driving distance, there just aren’t that many fine establishments. I’ve also noticed, thanks to on-line menus for perusal, that the higher-end places like to add ingredients that I just plain don’t like or have far too many adjectives and hyphenated descriptions. And I don’t care that you call it “buttered potato puree” - it’s still mashed potatoes and it’s not a $6 side.
On the other hand, when we go on a cruise, I will try things out of my comfort zone since the portions tend to be reasonably small and if I don’t like it, I can ask for a replacement. I learned that bananas in a crème brûlée make for a rather nasty dessert.
I like 'em, but like Shagnasty, not all the time. Also, not all of them. I’ll get excited about going to a true “fine dining” place that gets great reviews and is really doing cool things, but those are few and far between (at least for me, living in the middle of nowhere).
What really turns me off is “fine dining” that doesn’t make the cut. I find these in mid-size cities. White tablecloths, fancy-plated food, and high prices does not equal fine dining; you have to come through with the food as well. Folks who don’t often splurge on great food will tend to assume that the restaurant is good regardless of the actual quality. For me, it’s more like if I’m paying $50 for an entree, it better be absolutely perfect AND innovative. Otherwise I’ll head to that taco truck across the street.