Poll -- How cheap are your dining out Charlies?

[Jingthing]

This poll topic asks, when dining out, including tax/soft drink/tip what 100 baht gradation represents an "expensive" meal to you PER PERSON.

 

Don't include alcohol in your calculations. 

[luckyluke]

Dining out +/- 1000 Thb, alcohol included. 

Usually drink prices exceed the food price. 

[Jingthing]

Just now, luckyluke said:

Dining out +/- 1000 Thb, alcohol included. 

Usually drink prices exceed the food price. 

Do not include ALCOHOL!

I couldn't have been more clear about that.

[luckyluke]

I don't consider a dining out without alcohol. 

But OK 350-400 food, rest alcohol. 

 

[Jingthing]

6 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

I don't consider a dining out without alcohol. 

But OK 350-400 food, rest alcohol. 

 

I understand but limiting the calculation to just a soft drink makes the results more standardized. Like if someone spends 1000 baht on wine and 300 baht on food, it's much harder to get a clear picture. 

[OneMoreFarang]

Interesting question.

I know that would be another survey but it's obviously also a question how often you do that.

 

I.e. sometime I eat Nea Yang (BBQ beef) with sticky rice on the street for 60+10B per person. It tasted good and I really like it.

But then there are the days when I enjoy the big 5-star buffet lunch or dinner.

I like both and obviously some more options.

 

And recently, with all the prices in the bars going up, I sometime think about the value. 2 lady drinks for a girl and 2 drinks for me is these days is often somewhere between 800-1,000B. I can get a real nice dinner for that money...

[luckyluke]

Sorry, being Belgian I made a mistake in the interpretation of "Dining Out". 

For us "Dining Out" is not really about eating out of one's house. 

Many have a sandwich or similar, everyday at lunch time, out. 

[Crossy]

Does the office canteen count as "dining out"? 

A whole 35 Baht for rice and two sides (and it often lives down to the price).

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

Does the office canteen count as "dining out"? 

A whole 35 Baht for rice and two sides (and it often lives down to the price).

Maybe. But you consider that expensive?

[Crossy]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Maybe. But you consider that expensive?

 

Nah, I'm a 500 Baht eat out man usually, but the canteen gets my business more often.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, Crossy said:

 

Nah, I'm a 500 Baht eat out man usually, but the canteen gets my business more often.

Yeah, well the concept here is at what level people consider the meal expensive (excluding alcohol).

Quote

This poll topic asks, when dining out, including tax/soft drink/tip what 100 baht gradation represents an "expensive" meal to you PER PERSON?

 

[Pattaya46]

I see I am not the only one to no be sure 100% of the definition to give to "dinning out" 

Cambridge Dictionary says: "to go to a restaurant to eat your evening meal"

 

I never cook in my apartment, so I "dine out" nearly every night by eating at one of small restaurants near my condo, and in such case 100 baht is already way too much, in average 

[JAFO]

On average my wife and I spend about 300bht for a nice Thai style dinner for 2. I say average. Now to be clear, we seldom ever eat western foods. that can triple or quadruple a bill. 

 

In fact the other night with customers (9 of us) the bill was 28,238 bht for Thai Western Fusion food in BKK. Personally to me the food was crap. But then again I do not like Foo Foo fusion food. 

[Spidey]

56 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Do not include ALCOHOL!

I couldn't have been more clear about that.

You said to include a drink. What if you only drink alcohol? Some people are allergic to soft drinks.

 

Poll is clearly prejudiced against committed drinkers.

 

You won't get many responses from expats. Suggest that you modify your poll.

[Spidey]

24 minutes ago, Pattaya46 said:

I see I am not the only one to no be sure 100% of the definition to give to "dinning out" 

Cambridge Dictionary says: "to go to a restaurant to eat your evening meal"

 

I never cook in my apartment, so I "dine out" nearly every night by eating at one of small restaurants near my condo, and in such case 100 baht is already way too much, in average 

Even more confusing for those of us from Northern England. We eat dinner at noon, the main meal of the day. Tea is eaten in the evening and is a much lighter meal.

 

Can I have clarification as I may want to change my vote.

[OneMoreFarang]

9 minutes ago, Spidey said:

You said to include a drink. What if you only drink alcohol? Some people are allergic to soft drinks.

 

Poll is clearly prejudiced against committed drinkers.

 

You won't get many responses from expats. Suggest that you modify your poll.

If you don't understand the concept maybe you had too many of those drinks.

[Kwasaki]

When occasionally eating restaurant 50 baht + a 7 bht water from 7-11 same water in restaurant 15 bht.

Eat at 7-11,  a big Thai choc bar 10 bht + a can of coke.

 

My wife cooks me good food at home nearly all of the time I'm not one for eating out really food is not a priority to me.

[Spidey]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If you don't understand the concept maybe you had too many of those drinks.

You must be an American. Zero concept of good old British comic irony. Don't bother watching Faulty Towers.....or is it Fatty Trowels?

[Paul Catton]

15 minutes ago, Spidey said:

You must be an American. Zero concept of good old British comic irony. Don't bother watching Faulty Towers.....or is it Fatty Trowels?

Farty towels, Flay Otters and I believe a misspelling for" Flowery <deleted>',  (WOW, expletive deletion runs on overdrive). 

[OneMoreFarang]

21 minutes ago, Spidey said:

You must be an American. Zero concept of good old British comic irony. Don't bother watching Faulty Towers.....or is it Fatty Trowels?

I enjoy Faulty Towers and it's easy to understand their irony - even for someone who is not from an English (or American) language country.

 

[CharlieH]

For me it depends on the size of the party.

If its just me & wife 400 per hd is average. If there is a party of 8/10 then 250-300 per hd is the average.

 

You have to remember that Thai food is not generally a one plate meal, there are often multiple dishes people dip in to. 

More in the party lowers the average per hd.

 

Oh, a 100 gratuity is something I would never do.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

19 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Oh, a 100 gratuity is something I would never do.

Even with 10 people and a bill of a couple of thousand THB?

[CharlieH]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Even with 10 people and a bill of a couple of thousand THB?

Nope, 25% of someones daily wage for just one meal ? 

 

No and service charge &vat etc is usually included in the prices.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, CharlieH said:

Nope, 25% of someones daily wage for just one meal ? 

 

No and service charge &vat etc is usually included in the prices.

I know that in many places people get paid less than the government minimum because the owners know the staff will get tips.

Obviously it depends on the place and if they just added 300B service charge (which maybe the staff will get and maybe not) then it is not necessary to give them a big tip.

 

But if the staff works to service 10 people and normally they would get 20B from a single person then maybe 100B or 200B tip is ok.

[CharlieH]

1 minute ago, OneMoreFarang said:

I know that in many places people get paid less than the government minimum because the owners know the staff will get tips.

Obviously it depends on the place and if they just added 300B service charge (which maybe the staff will get and maybe not) then it is not necessary to give them a big tip.

 

But if the staff works to service 10 people and normally they would get 20B from a single person then maybe 100B or 200B tip is ok.

In all honesty, I wont add anything to the bill when it comes, but I have often put a note directly in the waitress hand after paying the bill and when leaving to ensure she gets it.

[Jingthing]

I'm one of those that thinks when it reaches 400 baht it's the beginning level of an expensive meal. Interesting to me that the majority of votes so far are also 400 baht. Not so long ago I would have said 300 baht. 

[JAFO]

1 hour ago, Kwasaki said:

My wife cooks me good food at home nearly all of the time I'm not one for eating out really food is not a priority to me.

While not keeping with the content of the thread,  you covered it for me as well. Food is not a big priority for me. I prefer to eat when I am hungry, not on a schedule. For Thai's it is everything to them all the time.

 

My wife cooks very very well and we seldom eat out but we do try and make it out once or twice a week and it roughly lands on a bill of 300 bht to 400 bht for 2. Water is our beverage of choice 

[Spidey]

9 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

In all honesty, I wont add anything to the bill when it comes, but I have often put a note directly in the waitress hand after paying the bill and when leaving to ensure she gets it.

Cheap Charlie. 555.

 

I always leave 20 baht + small change in the tray unless service/food has been particularly bad. I also, sometimes, press an additional 20-40 baht into the hand of the server if she has been particularly attentive or is particularly attractive!

[BritManToo]

I don't tip when dining out, there was no 'vote' option for me to choose.

[OneMoreFarang]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I don't tip when dining out, there was no 'vote' option for me to choose.

Not even with a sexy waitress who asks the hansom man if he has any other wishes?