[rsanheim]

That was probably closer to the real price if your lunch.

We’ve had a glut of restaurants all up and down the “star level” here in Madison, WI. I think that is true in many cities.

When you account for real wages and costs, many of those places shouldn’t and wont survive over the next few years. We don’t need 6 dollar burritos delivered for 15, and we don’t need five places found farm to table for 30 bucks a plate. If that means service and cooks and dishwashers have to work three jobs in that world, to hell with it.

[lamontcg]

We may finally be adjusting to the fact that it isn't reasonable for the average household to be paying someone else to make their food most days.

[hoseja]

A "community kitchen" model should be vastly more efficient.

[lamontcg]

There's a vast gulf between a soup kitchen somewhere cheap and a sit-down restaurant in the middle of the city with high quality but high rents and high wages.

McDonalds is still going to exist and be cheap enough to eat at a lot.

Hole in the walls, with relatively cheap rents and family owned with takeout and streamlined overhead will also still exist.

[chillacy]

Eating out is strangely expensive in most places in the US, compared to many parts of Asia at least. I'm not sure why. I considered density as a factor but if anything cities cost more in the US.

[ramesh31]

>Eating out is strangely expensive in most places in the US, compared to many parts of Asia at least. I'm not sure why. I considered density as a factor but if anything cities cost more in the US.

The same reason everything is more expensive in the US; overhead and wages. The economics of running a family restaurant in a building you've owned for generations is completely different than that of a corporate fast casual place that pays wages and rent.

[jshen]

I don’t think this is the case at all. Specialization provides tremendous value, and making things in bulk is far more environmentally friendly than everyone making things individually.

[pc86]

Milwaukee area checking in!

Has Madison seen an increase in restaurants compared to a couple years ago? I've only been here a year but in the last place I lived, almost everything seemed to shut down during COVID but as things eased up new places opened up to about 120% of the old capacity - the end result being everything seemed to have reduced hours because they couldn't get enough business to get enough staff. From what I've heard from friends it hasn't gotten any better. Plenty of restaurants but a lot of them are only open 2-3 days a week so you end up with servers et. al. having 2-3 part time jobs.