# Who has the lowest, highest price meal purchased? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [July 19, 2023, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255 "2023-07-19T13:31:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/101 "2023-07-21T16:51:54Z")
I’m hanging in there as one of only two people in the “less then $30” category. Despite many posts to the contrary it’s quite easy to have a nice meal well under $30 here in the greater Cleveland area. My preferred steak is a choice top sirloin and they are less then $20 at Outback, Longhorn, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel and Girves Brown Derby. The chef at my local Cracker Barrel has never disappointed with flawless medium rare steaks. And the offering at Brown Derby is a T-bone for $19.99 on Monday and Tuesday. One time last year we both got T-bones with a huge filet section, they were really Porterhouse cuts. I now recall my highest priced meal. It was several months ago at Outback when they had a filet and lobster tail for $27.99. I was taking a bunch of the grand-kids out and most of us had that meal. It was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/102 "2023-07-21T17:27:24Z")
Surely after including the drinks, taxes and the tip, the overall cost was higher? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/103 "2023-07-21T17:29:52Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I now recall my highest priced meal. It was several months ago at Outback when they had a filet and lobster tail for $27.99. I was taking a bunch of the grand-kids out and most of us had that meal. It was excellent. No drinks? No apps? No tax? No tip? I mean, I can think of countless meals where the entree was $15 or even less, but all things added in, I still probably walked out spending more than $30. Maybe $25 if I was skipping apps and drinking non-alcoholic. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/104 "2023-07-21T18:28:20Z")
I was just listing the main price. But I drink water and we generally don’t buy appetizers. Tax and tip would put the cost over $30 but I didn’t think we were counting them. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/105 "2023-07-21T19:08:39Z")
I rarely buy a drink, and often forego appetizers. And i wouldn’t have counted the tip for categorizing the price of the meal, either. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/106 "2023-07-21T21:11:55Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I rarely buy a drink, and often forego appetizers. And i wouldn’t have counted the tip for categorizing the price of the meal, either It’s right in the first paragraph of the OP - probably the only comprehensible part of the OP. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > (For purposes of this discussion, I’ll include meals that others bought for you, and include main course, appetizers, dessert, drinks, and tip.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/107 "2023-07-21T21:21:30Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > I’m hanging in there as one of only two people in the “less then $30” category. Despite many posts to the contrary it’s quite easy to have a nice meal well under $30 here in the greater Cleveland area. My preferred steak is a choice top sirloin and they are less then $20 at Outback, Longhorn, Texas Roadhouse, Cracker Barrel and Girves Brown Derby. The chef at my local Cracker Barrel has never disappointed with flawless medium rare steaks. And the offering at Brown Derby is a T-bone for $19.99 on Monday and Tuesday. One time last year we both got T-bones with a huge filet section, they were really Porterhouse cuts. > > I now recall my highest priced meal. It was several months ago at Outback when they had a filet and lobster tail for $27.99. I was taking a bunch of the grand-kids out and most of us had that meal. It was excellent. I don’t know why you have never had a more expensive meal. Your reasons are yours and they will be perfectly valid for you. If you went to a truly great steakhouse it might change your life. I enjoy a trip to Longhorn or Outback. The meals are fine. They just simply don’t have to same quality of meat that a high end steakhouse does and that’s before a highly trained chef gets ahold of it. I can’t even get a good aged prime steak to cook myself for under $20. It does make a huge difference. And then add to that the experience of being served by a professional staff and it’s very worth it. I recommend doing it at least once. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/108 "2023-07-21T22:08:12Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > It’s right in the first paragraph of the OP - probably the only comprehensible part of the OP. > > > [@Dinsdale](#): > > > > (For purposes of this discussion, I’ll include meals that others bought for you, and include main course, appetizers, dessert, drinks, and tip.) Oops. Mea culpa ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/109 "2023-07-22T01:19:52Z")
mid 90ies … I studied as exchange student at a U. in Illinois (Urb/Cham)… A single Whopper was $1 regular … but every Wednesday they had a “Get 2 Whoppers for $0.99” …this got me good lunch for 0.99 and good dinner with 1.5 Whoppers for wed and a decent breakfast for thu w/ the remaining 1/2 one … for the grand total of $1.98 for 4 burgers Then on Thu McD had the BigMac meal for one $ … and off to the races I was, again … after a couple of weeks I had completely optimized my food-spend, based on promotios … and even at sit-down bars there were slow nights (tue?) where you would get a ridiculously large bucket of Buffalo chicken wings for like 2.99 … that doggybag was at least another day´’s worth of food … I swear there were weeks where I could live on $10.00 for a whole week, getting really good caloric food … (health is not so much on your radar when you are 22 😉 ) this was before the omnipresence of ramen noodles … reminds me of a sale for Levi’s 501 jeans for $9.99 … I bought probably 10-15 pairs … and wore out the last one of those about 5 years ago (25 years later)… I guess we all have those crazy “poor student” stories somewhere … ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/110 "2023-07-22T02:06:17Z")
A fellow college dormie was a very skilled hacker, not such a common thing back then when most people did not even know what e-mail was. He skipped all his classes except for music (they took attendance and it involved playing his saxophone; he knew everything there was to know about jazz) but otherwise spent most of the semester in his room. However, he would emerge every Tuesday to buy a couple dozen Big Macs when they were on special. Something like two for two bucks, but I don’t really remember the exact price. It didn’t seem like a very nutritious diet, but it probably tasted better than Soylent Green, at least in the parts of the week close to Tuesday… ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/111 "2023-07-22T02:49:38Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I enjoy a trip to Longhorn or Outback. The meals are fine. Oddly enough, I’ve never had a bad steak at an Outback. I don’t eat there that often (maybe half a dozen times over ten years) and I don’t mean to say that the best steaks I’ve had were at Outback, but I do view them as my go to for a casual low cost steak. > [@Al128](#): > > I guess we all have those crazy “poor student” stories somewhere … Once I graduated and started earning real money, it took a few years to train myself away from starving student mode (best meal = the most food for the least cost). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2023, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/112 "2023-07-22T03:49:44Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > I enjoy a trip to Longhorn or Outback. The meals are fine. > > Oddly enough, I’ve never had a bad steak at an Outback. I don’t eat there that often (maybe half a dozen times over ten years) and I don’t mean to say that the best steaks I’ve had were at Outback, but I do view them as my go to for a casual low cost steak. > > > [@Al128](#): > > > > I guess we all have those crazy “poor student” stories somewhere … > > Once I graduated and started earning real money, it took a few years to train myself away from starving student mode (best meal = the most food for the least cost). There currently isn’t an Outback anywhere near me otherwise I would go more often. There is a Longhorn nearby. Although I usually enjoy their steak, I can’t say I’ve never had a bad steak there. I had a couple of bad experiences that put me off of it for awhile. I’ve since gone back and it’s been good again. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255/113 "2023-07-23T19:40:33Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Oddly enough, I’ve never had a bad steak at an Outback. I don’t eat there that often (maybe half a dozen times over ten years) and I don’t mean to say that the best steaks I’ve had were at Outback, but I do view them as my go to for a casual low cost steak. Texas Roadhouse is our go-to for that. Outback is available too but their staff is a little too Stepford for me – or maybe I’m more used to the Texas _Howdy, y’all_ vibe. They’re not the best but are certainly adequate at less then 40% of a top-shelf steakhouse, and head and shoulders above Sizzler. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-lowest-highest-price-meal-purchased/987255.md?page=5)