Typical eating out costs

[Lee]

Hi,
Just putting some sort of vacation budget together and I was wondering how much a 2 adult/2 kid family would spend on food per day? I know that you tend to eat less with the hotter weather but it'd be nice to get some info based on experience.

Thanks all

[blott]

An adult evening meal, including drinks and a desert, at a 'family' type restaurant (Denny's, Perkins, Friendlys, etc) will be around $8 - $10 each, depending on what you choose from the menu. After that, the sky's the limit really. If you eat somewhere more 'up market' then the prices rise accordingly. Kids normally have their own meal menu and are slighly cheaper at around $6 - 8, again depending on what you choose from the menu and whether they want a desert, etc. You can often find coupons in books outside restaurants which give you a discount on various places. Lunch is usually cheaper than dinner.

Of course, there are the usual McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, etc and their prices in GB£s are normally the same in US$s (so that makes them cheaper!), ie if a McDonalds burger costs 99p in the UK, then it's probably 99 cents in US.

Be aware that you normally get gigantic portions in the US (try asking for a small fizzy drink - called a soda in the US - and see what size turns up!) so you may feel you don't want a desert which will make the final bill a bit cheaper. However, do try some deserts as they are usually scrumptious!

[mikewj]

There are also countless "all you can eat" buffet style restaurants (Golden Corral, Ponderosa etc) that charge a fixed price (usually around $10 for adults) and allow you to eat as much as you can manage. Just dont plan anything afterwards !!

On the subject of large portions, the first time we went to the US we made the mistake of ordering starters before the main course.

Fortunately, its common practise to give you a doggy bag when you cant actually eat your main course.

The other mistake we made was when my wife asked for chips (which were on the menu) in Pizza Planet in Disney/MGM. She ended up with a packet of ready salted crips !

[Carla]

Several years ago when our children were younger, we used to budget on around US$100 for the 4 of us, per day, for food and drink. Some days we spent less because we'd eat at places like Ponderosa etc. but other days we'd spend more, so all in all it averaged at about US$100. This didn't include any alcohol though, which really does make the bill mount up quickly.

It is in the Parks that you can get rid of food and drink money like a person with 10 arms, and often you don't get much for it!!
We always used to have a really good breakfast before we went "Parking", then would have an ice cream for lunch and maybe a cookie or something in the afternoon, and have Dinner, probably quite late, in a restaurant away from the Parks. This helped our money to go much further.

[chrizzy100]

quote:Originally posted by Carla

Several years ago when our children were younger, we used to budget on around US$100 for the 4 of us, per day, for food and drink. Some days we spent less because we'd eat at places like Ponderosa etc. but other days we'd spend more, so all in all it averaged at about US$100. This didn't include any alcohol though, which really does make the bill mount up quickly.

It is in the Parks that you can get rid of food and drink money like a person with 10 arms, and often you don't get much for it!!
We always used to have a really good breakfast before we went "Parking", then would have an ice cream for lunch and maybe a cookie or something in the afternoon, and have Dinner, probably quite late, in a restaurant away from the Parks. This helped our money to go much further.

I'm the same as you....around a $100 a day....less if you get a breakfast free at a hotel...or cook it at the villa before going....if you eat well then....you can get away with a snack till tea time when its cooler..drinks that costs and eats into food money big time with young kids..if its hot you get through lots....I'd used to buy my kids a drink to share each time...so you throw nothing away......any money saved out your $100 a day could go toward a meal at the Hard Rock cafe near the end of your holiday....or Planet Hollywood...they cost an arm and a leg...and I don't think the foods that great for how much it costs....but kids love it....if you go to PlanetHollywood in Disney Marketplace.....and you have young kids..ask if you can have a table thats not at the top of the Planet.....its very very hot up there in the evenings....and my husband felt ill because of the heat....

[nelly]

well i found it to be quite expensive really, drinks especially.

A breakfast (ALL YOU CAN EAT) says its $3.99 per person, but by time you get a couple of brews with it and a 2 dollar tip it ends up at $13 for 2 people.

Beer is strange they all tend to be $5 dollars ish, but some places give you more than a pint and some much less than a pint for the same price.

$2.50 for a bottle of water (half litre).

What ever you do , check out them huuuuuge turkey legs in the parks there ace

[sammibabe]

If we are going to a park we would go to Ponderosa's for breakfast and fill up. That would usually take us throught to mid afternoon and we would all have the fruit bowls that the parks sell (my kids loved those) and then eat late after we left the park (unless we were leaving late and then we would eat in the park)

[mikewj]

Dont think I could manage Ponderosa before a park....too much to eat and you cant do anything...especially turn upside down and spin around a few times [xx(] !!!

As for the all you can eat breakfast being expensive.....do you realise how much you'd get for £8ish in the UK ??

And as for the bottled water, you're obviously shopping in the wrong places (or the parks) in Walmart, Publix etc. its a LOT cheaper.

Cant argue with the price of beer tho'.

[chrisj]

We took water bottles into the parks, had no problems at all, We used to eat on they way
or at the villa which was cheap. Or sometimes come home mid day when the parks were too
packed and too hot and have something back at the villa, then go back later on when we
were refreshed.