5 ms·

I would argue that for one person it is cheaper to eat out in NYC if you know where to look. The numbers change once you start cooking in advance (meal plannin

by mlrtime 11y ago

I would argue that for one person it is cheaper to eat out in NYC if you know where to look. The numbers change once you start cooking in advance (meal planning) or cooking for more than one person.

jstanley 11y ago
> I would argue that for one person it is cheaper to eat out in NYC if you know where to look I find this hard to believe. Is there seriously a place you can eat out (and eat reasonaly well) for $1 a time? Or, how expensive is your home-cooked food?
- jacalata 11y ago
  Home cooked food is a lot more expensive than normal if you are only in the home for a couple days and don't want to spend the first one preparing food.
- philrapo 11y ago
  What do you eat at home for $1 a meal?
ffumarola 11y ago
Having also lived in NYC, that is true if you're OK with the health effects of eating $1 slices every day. Otherwise, I'm not sure how that math could work out.
nadezhda18 11y ago
can you share the info about these places where it is so cheap to eat?
goldbrick 11y ago
You are absolutely correct. Not only are groceries disproportionately expensive in NY, economies of scale kick in, as well as intense competition in an already low-margin industry drive the price down for restaurants. A high-quality and tasty meal that I might enjoy at a neighborhood pub for ~$11 would definitely cost me over $20 if I was to recreate it at home, plus I would have the opportunity cost of the time spent making it and cleaning up. You may not notice this effect if you are only in town for a few days and eat mostly at tourist-friendly spots in midtown. Not to mention several math-impaired people seem to believe they only spend $1 a meal. Where do they live, India?
- paulddraper 11y ago
  Ramen and a can of tuna can be less than a dollar. Rice and beans is too. Not very nice meals, but possible.
- nadezhda18 11y ago
  >> intense competition in an already low-margin industry drive the price down for restaurants. Isn't the same thing true for the grocery stores? They are located in the same areas as restaurants and have to pay pretty much the same expensive rent, no? meanwhile, their expenses may be lower than the ones of a restaurant. anyway, could you tell more info about what your neighborhood pub - for example, what neighborhood is it? what meal did you eat? I can share my numbers - and sorry I did not tell in advance I went with my BF, so there were two of us eating cooked food. So, I ate at Cafe Aroma in Manhatten and I paid about $17 for a plate with rice + fish + some salad. the same day I went to a grocery store on Myrtle Ave in Brooklyn to buy supper for 2. I paid about $27 for tortellini, some chicken ham, a small watermelon, and some beer. It was enough for us for supper + some leftovers for breakfast (beer haha ;). The day after I found an even cheaper store where I bought supper for the other two days at once. $17 for a cafe meal seemed too expensive for me, so the next days I tried to eat cheaper cafe lunches. So I ate sandwiches for ~ $10-12; however, they contained a much smaller amount of proteins so I felt hungry much faster after.
  - goldbrick 11y ago
    > Isn't the same thing true for the grocery stores? Not nearly. Groceries stores have higher margins and vastly less competition. I'm most familiar with North Brooklyn (Williamsburg/Bed-Stuy) where most bars and unfancy restaurants have dishes that will make a full meal for $10-16. My experience is that LES and East Village are a touch pricier, but not much. My question to you is how much do you think a restaurant would have charged for your tortellini/processed chicken/watermelon meal? I mean no slight to your culinary abilities, but I suspect it wouldn't have passed muster at most restaurants.
    - nadezhda18 11y ago

by mlrtime 11y ago

I would argue that for one person it is cheaper to eat out in NYC if you know where to look. The numbers change once you start cooking in advance (meal planning) or cooking for more than one person.

jstanley 11y ago

> I would argue that for one person it is cheaper to eat out in NYC if you know where to look I find this hard to believe. Is there seriously a place you can eat out (and eat reasonaly well) for $1 a time? Or, how expensive is your home-cooked food?

jacalata 11y ago
Home cooked food is a lot more expensive than normal if you are only in the home for a couple days and don't want to spend the first one preparing food.
philrapo 11y ago
What do you eat at home for $1 a meal?

ffumarola 11y ago

Having also lived in NYC, that is true if you're OK with the health effects of eating $1 slices every day. Otherwise, I'm not sure how that math could work out.

nadezhda18 11y ago

can you share the info about these places where it is so cheap to eat?

goldbrick 11y ago

You are absolutely correct. Not only are groceries disproportionately expensive in NY, economies of scale kick in, as well as intense competition in an already low-margin industry drive the price down for restaurants. A high-quality and tasty meal that I might enjoy at a neighborhood pub for ~$11 would definitely cost me over $20 if I was to recreate it at home, plus I would have the opportunity cost of the time spent making it and cleaning up. You may not notice this effect if you are only in town for a few days and eat mostly at tourist-friendly spots in midtown. Not to mention several math-impaired people seem to believe they only spend $1 a meal. Where do they live, India?

paulddraper 11y ago
Ramen and a can of tuna can be less than a dollar. Rice and beans is too. Not very nice meals, but possible.
nadezhda18 11y ago
>> intense competition in an already low-margin industry drive the price down for restaurants. Isn't the same thing true for the grocery stores? They are located in the same areas as restaurants and have to pay pretty much the same expensive rent, no? meanwhile, their expenses may be lower than the ones of a restaurant. anyway, could you tell more info about what your neighborhood pub - for example, what neighborhood is it? what meal did you eat? I can share my numbers - and sorry I did not tell in advance I went with my BF, so there were two of us eating cooked food. So, I ate at Cafe Aroma in Manhatten and I paid about $17 for a plate with rice + fish + some salad. the same day I went to a grocery store on Myrtle Ave in Brooklyn to buy supper for 2. I paid about $27 for tortellini, some chicken ham, a small watermelon, and some beer. It was enough for us for supper + some leftovers for breakfast (beer haha ;). The day after I found an even cheaper store where I bought supper for the other two days at once. $17 for a cafe meal seemed too expensive for me, so the next days I tried to eat cheaper cafe lunches. So I ate sandwiches for ~ $10-12; however, they contained a much smaller amount of proteins so I felt hungry much faster after.
- goldbrick 11y ago
  > Isn't the same thing true for the grocery stores? Not nearly. Groceries stores have higher margins and vastly less competition. I'm most familiar with North Brooklyn (Williamsburg/Bed-Stuy) where most bars and unfancy restaurants have dishes that will make a full meal for $10-16. My experience is that LES and East Village are a touch pricier, but not much. My question to you is how much do you think a restaurant would have charged for your tortellini/processed chicken/watermelon meal? I mean no slight to your culinary abilities, but I suspect it wouldn't have passed muster at most restaurants.
  - nadezhda18 11y ago