March 12, 2010
Join the conversation with Dining Editor Mary Brown Malouf
01/12/10
04:27 PM
On the Table

The true cost of eating out

By Mary Brown Malouf
01/12/10 - 04:27 PM
The true cost of eating out

A reader responded to my post about luxury burgers by saying, “I can make a $16 burger for $2 at home.” As a former caterer, I’ve heard that line of so-called reasoning so often, it’s mind-numbing.

Really? Say, a quarter pound of lean beef costs .75. A bakery bun, the lettuce, tomato and other condiments costs a few cents more per burger. (Never mind that you can’t buy just enough of those things to make just one burger.)

Now, add in your labor at, say, $8/per hour, amortize the cost of your mortgage and kitchen remodel (gotta have 3 sinks to pass health inspection), power bills, time and fuel spent shopping for ingredients, cost of the dishes you serve on and the time and power spent washing them…

Oh, and did you want to make money on the enterprise?

Restaurants are a service industry, people. You’re buying service. Someone else’s time. Of course, you can feed yourself more inexpensively at home.

That’s so not the point.

Reader Comments:
Old to new | New to old
Jan 12, 2010 08:16 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

no one person who is not in my business can say they can replicate a high dollar burger at home.
1) rotating product enables us to use top tier product knowing very well we will continue to move through this product....this helps with with something called FOOD COST...
2) as buyers we recieve a product at a cost that Joe DB does not get. Bottom line, we do it as a business and a career...do not ever think you can do in your little kitchen what we do in ours.....
BTW..DB stand for DB

Jan 12, 2010 08:28 pm
 Posted by  Anonymous

RSchiffman:

Besides all that, these people somehow assume that the 80% ground burger mix at the mega-mart is the same thing as what the restaurant has. I know I hand grind a mix of chuck, brisket and oxtail to get something that's beefy tasting with the correct texture and fat content. To so many, meat is meat, but to those who care it's not. Don't even get me started on the buns you really need to make yourself.

Let the unwashed feel superior with the mega-mart meat on a wonderbread bun. Others realize it's a LOT of work to make a superior burger.

OTOH, we have a lot of places in UT that seem to think they can charge $12 for a burger that's not a good tasting meat blend with a proper bun. They can indeed go out of business.

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About This Blog

A lack of serious ambition, a love of cooking and a degree in Latin naturally led to a career in food writing for Mary Brown Malouf.

Her 25 years of experience has included stints as executive editor of D magazine in Dallas, Texas; executive editor at wine.com in Napa, California; and restaurant critic for The Salt Lake Tribune.

Now, she’s the dining editor for Salt Lake magazine, where she writes about the food scene in Salt Lake City and beyond. Check in regularly for the latest restaurant news, great products from local purveyors, and conversation about all things gustatory.

If you have news, tips or other information about the dining scene you'd like to share, email Mary.

 

 

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