Is Dining Out Still a Treat?

Or Has It Lost It’s Allure?

 “The toughest part of dining out isn’t watching what you eat.

It’s watching what other people eat.” – Anonymous

Dined out recently. There was a time when it was an event I looked forward to all day. It just seems that it’s not what it used to be. And the fact is, it isn’t. But then, I’m not what I used to be either.

I’ve figured there are various stages you go through in life when it comes to dining out.

There’s the “young family” stage. This stage is when high chairs and limited budgets determine where you eat. Occasionally, you would want something fancier than McDonalds. For us, it was usually a place like Denny’s or maybe IHOP depending on the time of day.

As the family aged into the “middle school/high school” stage, going out for pizza became the routine. It was more special for the kids if there were arcade machines they could play while waiting for the  food to arrive. Places like Chuck E. Cheese became a Friday night favorite

Then, we reached a point where dining out was just the two of us, my wife and I. There was no problem ordering anything on the menu. We were at the “empty-nester” stage where nothing was off the list. Drinks, appetizers, steak, lobster, dessert. Pretty much whatever we desired. The restaurants tended to be upscale. Valet parking. Live music once in a while. They knew us when we showed up. Handshakes. Hugs for my wife. Designating one of the senior servers to take care of us.

But, as the years added up, and the income diminished, we entered the “golden age” stage. Now, changes in dining out started to become obvious. Budgets limited choices. With the price of one glass of wine more than the restaurant spends for an entire bottle, we went to a one-drink limit. That eventually diminished into a diet cola (still a little pricey, but usually free refills). Appetizers? Nah. Appetizer prices were typically 75% to 80% as much as a full meal (with half as much food).

At one time we would each order our own meal, but dinner portions are generous and a lot more than we would eat. We would take two half-meals back home. It wasn’t unusual to throw them out, uneaten, into the garbage three days later. We wised up. We now order one meal and share it. If desired, money saved could go for a dessert. However, for the price of a dessert in a restaurant you can go to the store and buy an entire pie or cake. That will give both of us the enjoyment of a dessert for the next four days.

We’ve also become less tolerant of excess noise. We find it very irritating when ambient noise is so loud you need to shout in order to be heard by the one you’re sitting next to or across the table from. At one time, when smoking was allowed in restaurants, we would choose to sit in that section.

Hardly anyone would smoke. But the unwritten rule however, was that the smoking section was also the  “no high-chair” section.

We never blamed unruly children, only their inconsiderate parents. Maybe they thought they were still at home and gave no mind to the people around them, trying to peacefully enjoy their meals.

With smoking no longer allowed, the bar has inherited the “no high-chair” title. With all that, you still need to watch the time.  When people have been in the bar for a while, alcohol kicks in and the hyenas (you know, the ones whose conversations you can hear from the other side of the room) get louder.

So, these days, we find it most peaceful and satisfying to dine out mid-week in the later afternoon. The food is just as flavorful. With fewer diners, service is more attentive and many restaurants have “happy-hour” specials we can take advantage of.

One observation we have made, most of the other people dining at that hour share our generation. We smile and nod knowingly at each other when we get seated.