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Restaurant Data for the UK

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ctibbits
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Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by ctibbits »

Trying to get some information from those in the FISO community. Recent study came out saying that Americans dine out 4 days per week on average. That is madness to me as I cook almost everyday and like it that way. I think I may dine out 4 days per month at most. How often do you and your family go to restaurants during a normal week.

I was also wondering if there are any Mexican style restauants (other than Taco Bell) or BBQ restaurants in the UK that you are aware of. (Just did some research and there seem to be although the ratings seem poor and the prices seem insanely high. Checking the commodity market prices it doesn't appear that the price of the meat raw is much different from the states and I would assume most of it is grass fed there is it not?)

Thanks
Last edited by ctibbits on 01 Jul 2015, 19:31, edited 1 time in total.

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Backlash
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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Backlash »

ctibbits wrote: Americans dine out 4 days per week on average.
The lazy bustards
2 or 3 times a month for us on average but also have 1 sometimes 2 takeaways a week too.

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ctibbits
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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by ctibbits »

Backlash wrote:
ctibbits wrote: Americans dine out 4 days per week on average.
The lazy bustards
2 or 3 times a month for us on average but also have 1 sometimes 2 takeaways a week too.
Yeah I assume the majority of you aren't running around mega fat either

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Surprised »

Once or twice a month

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by bspittles »

Once or twice a month on a Saturday lunchtime. In the school holidays, every couple of weeks on a weekday lunchtime (Pizza Hut buffet).

Before I had kids, probably once a week.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Ashers »

1-2 times per month max and a take away once per week.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by seysey »

Chiquito is a Mexican food restaurant I believe they are nationwide..

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ctibbits
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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by ctibbits »

seysey wrote:Chiquito is a Mexican food restaurant I believe they are nationwide..
Looks to be a legitimate enterprise although the TexMex part of the menu is somewhat laughable. Ever eaten there...was it good? Do people in the UK generally like Mexican food? I know that Indian food is a big draw in the UK while here it is not. I personally love the stuff, more than Mexican even but I am very much not in the norm when it comes to that.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by hancockjr »

Every Tuesday and probably once a week randomly extra. Maybe more.

Mexican is very chainy like Chiquitos therefore more for big parties I'd say. Not a patch on a curry.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by DrBunker »

Ditto re the Mexican chains, might be some proper ones in the big cities but none that I know of. Are they big all over the us, I always imagined they thin out as you go north.

We eat out more now we have more disposable income but nowhere near that much. Often have brunch/lunch but dinner is less frequent. As above, 4 times a month would more likely than per week.

p.s. If you like Mexican/Latino food check out the film Chef.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by murf »

Chimichanga?

Seen a few around. Even eaten in a couple. Pretty good (for the price. i.e. not posh but not McDonalds) but predictable fare.

Eat out very rarely unless you count coffee shops etc. Regularly have small lunch out but virtually never 'go out for a meal' in evenings etc except when on holiday.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by ctibbits »

DrBunker wrote:Ditto re the Mexican chains, might be some proper ones in the big cities but none that I know of. Are they big all over the us, I always imagined they thin out as you go north.

We eat out more now we have more disposable income but nowhere near that much. Often have brunch/lunch but dinner is less frequent. As above, 4 times a month would more likely than per week.

p.s. If you like Mexican/Latino food check out the film Chef.

They do thin out as you head North for sure but the few I have found that do it right are very successful. Of course the problem is that you start to lose easy and cheap access to the fresh ingredients needed the further north you go. The big chains that extend north still do well because they have such a large buying power they can lock in bulk pricing for produce. Plus they have massive advertising budgets. Authentic TexMex and Mexican food is absolutely fantastic and I think would be a successful endeavor anywhere in the world where other restaurants are successful. It is odd to me that Italian food for instance (which I also love mind you) can be all over the world, people generally like it, yet there is a lack of Mexican Food. Yes I understand that the spread of Italian food was based on immigration and Mexican immigration is mostly limited to the Southern USA but still. When you have a chef like Jamie Oliver attempting BBQ in London it would seem to say that a chef like Bobby Flay or Jose Garces (Ecuadorian) would attempt the same thing with Mexican food.

Good friend of mine is Polish and went back there to get his PHD. All he talked about was how much he missed Mexican food and why isn't there anything like that there? Seems like a viable business opportunity to me and more importantly a way I can finally get to England :) But of course if the dining frequency is as low as you all seem to be saying, I cant imagine the margins being good enough to turn an ample profit. When you do dine out are the restaurants busy?

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Zimmerman »

Very much depends on where.

Cities are busier (and generally people with more disposable cash).

We eat out a fair bit... Not 4 times a week though. Maybe 6 times a month? Pre-baby once or twice a week.

Places we eat always seem to be busy - but that might be more to do with most of our dining being done at weekends nowadays.

There's a Mexican chain in London called Wahaca. Not sure how authentic it is... But we'll frequent that on trips to London. Generally id say I don't like Mexican food though - largely based on a bad experience in San Diego (then again I'm a pretty fussy eater).

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Knulpuk »

Wahaca is a "mexican street food" restuarant set up by an ex winner of materchef (Thomasina Myers). I like them - been a few times. There are quite a few good Mexican restuarants in London - but they become bit rarer once out in 'burbs.

A far as I know no Taco bell in the UK.

Pre kids 2 x a week on average.

Now 3x a month I would say and a different kind of restuarant too.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Surprised »

Knulpuk wrote:Wahaca is a "mexican street food" restuarant set up by an ex winner of materchef (Thomasina Myers). I like them - been a few times. There are quite a few good Mexican restuarants in London - but they become bit rarer once out in 'burbs.

A far as I know no Taco bell in the UK.

Pre kids 2 x a week on average.

Now 3x a month I would say and a different kind of restuarant too.

I'm pretty sure Taco bell is in the UK.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by DrBunker »

If only there was a way to find out... ;)

https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid ... 0bell%20uk

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Moist von Lipwig »

Surprised wrote:
I'm pretty sure Taco bell is in the UK.

looks like there's half a dozen scattered across shopping centres

http://www.tacobelluk.co.uk/contact/


edit - has the 'another post has been made' warning gone now?

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by DrBunker »

I had one recently so I don't think so, must have just been a timing issue.

Re Taco Bell, having eaten there in the US and given the number of negative memes about it I can't see me trying out the UK version any time soon.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by foxinthebox2001 »

There is a London chain of Tex/Mex restaurants called Desperados.
The one in Petts Wood is ok.
However, in the Greenwich branch they have had some problems with banditos.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/t ... 19393.html

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by Surprised »

The Taco bell I remember in Piccadilly Circus from the late 80s/early 90s seems to have gone and a whole new set of Taco Bells opened.

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Re: Restaurant Data for the UK

Post by ctibbits »

DrBunker wrote:I had one recently so I don't think so, must have just been a timing issue.

Re Taco Bell, having eaten there in the US and given the number of negative memes about it I can't see me trying out the UK version any time soon.
Very wise decision :D

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