by Patricia Thorton

Created on: September 03, 2008   Last Updated: November 28, 2011

Despite how much you might love to think that spending $50 on a steak is worth it. The truth is that you can probably find that same exact steak (not cooked of course) in any Costco or Jetro for a fraction of the price. Food is food, and food is not as expensive as fancy restaurants would have you think.

One might respond to this by saying, "When I make steak at home, it doesn't taste like the steak at an expensive restaurant." This could be for a number of reasons. First of all, the difference in taste can merely be a difference in the use of spices. This does not cost the restaurant much, thus, a higher price is not warranted. Secondly, it is possible that the cooks that the restaurant has hired are much more skilled than you are. This is definitely a good reason to raise the price on food; however, it is not a good reason to pay over $50 for a steak. Although it will cost the restaurant much more to pay a skilled chef than a chef that your local fast food restaurant would hire, it would not be reasonable to charge so much merely to meet the demands that a chef has for his salary.

Remember that the restaurant business is in fact a business. No one goes into business merely to give the consumer the best price possible. Businesses will often improve their facilities, purchase nice uniforms for the staff, or provide a relaxing atmosphere for their consumers. To make up for this cost, they must increase the price of their food. This does not mean that the food is worth anymore than what you could cook at your own house, you're mostly paying for the environment in which you are eating.

Most expensive restaurants are just a waste of money. A family of four could end up paying up to $250 (Not including tax and tip) on just one meal at one of these restaurants. If a family were to eat out every weekend this could add up to over $1000 every month! Spending time with your family is very important, however, you could do that at a much less expensive restaurant and save yourself a lot of money.

In conclusion, I do not believe that expensive restaurants are worth their price tags. From my personal experience, the food is not even that much better than what you could purchase at a restaurant with reasonable prices. Save your money, and spend it on things that can really improve your quality of life such as improvements to your house, or even save up to invest in stocks or real estate.

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