Eating out

I took my now 14 year old DD on her first cruise right after her 9th birthday and there was no going back to kids meals after that! She was in awe being able to order an app, entree and dessert for every meal off the adult menu, and tried all kinds of new things. Boy does that make the check go up when you're used to going on out on free kids' meal nights! We eat out once or twice a week, a lot of times it's just for drinks and appetizers though, not a full meal. We might go get wings or pick up a pizza or Chinese for convenience if every one is busy or tired. I too feel like I can cook a great meal, eat and clean up all in less time than it takes to drive to a restaurant, wait to be served, wait for the check, etc. We have an open floor plan so we all talk, watch TV or whatever while dinner is being made. Planning and prep work definitely helps, Sunday I made stuffed peppers (enough for lunch on Monday too) and chopped up extra peppers and onions which I used in my jambalaya last night. Tonight will be cleaning out the fridge, fend for yourself night since tomorrow we leave for Savannah through Sunday and I can't wait to eat some amazing southern food! We are staying at an airbnb though so will probably have breakfasts and snacks there. On vacation a late lunch can easily consist of a bottle of wine, some cheese, crackers and fruit on the patio.

Growing up, I had a sahm and we lived in a very rural area, so going out was not an option other than birthdays and boy was that special! Even on road trips we'd have a cooler full of sandwiches and snacks and might have one meal out. Not only did we eat at home, we grew 90% of all our food as well.
 
We've lived in Atlanta for over 3 years now, and have taken the kids to Chik Fil A twice. I don't get the hype.
My hype about it is that it is literally a block from the elementary school and has something everyone likes, including me, so it's very convenient. I'm picky when it comes to fast food. I absolutely loathe McDonalds, Wendy's, In and Out, disgusted by Taco Bell and KFC. There are very few fast food places I will eat at. Chick fil a is a good place e to grab food when we have a meeting or event.
 
Only one in the entire country and weirdly, it's located inside the Calgary airport. The next time we fly I'm going to build in time to see what all the fuss is about. :rolleyes1

I guess our closest one is Fargo according to PP. We don't go to Fargo often but usually Grand Forks.
Still not sure if I would go to one of their restaurants due to the their LBGT stance.
 
In our house eating out is a treat. We get fast food twice a month and usually on payday Friday. We go to a sit down place if we have the money on special occasions like birthdays, anniversary, etc. We are family of four.
 


I guess our closest one is Fargo according to PP. We don't go to Fargo often but usually Grand Forks.
Still not sure if I would go to one of their restaurants due to the their LBGT stance.
If I avoided every restaurant or business that had opinions or methods I didn't approve of, I would never be able to eat or get any business done
 
I guess our closest one is Fargo according to PP. We don't go to Fargo often but usually Grand Forks.
Still not sure if I would go to one of their restaurants due to the their LBGT stance.

I just want to clarify this a little bit (and I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong or the info is current).

The owner/founder of Chick Fil A is Christian and is fairly public with aligning with Christian values, family time, etc. At one point, the company was donating to groups that, upon further investigation, were found to be working against LGBT civil rights. This is what caused the uproar with them and, I believe, they stopped providing funds/donations to those organizations.

Each Chick Fil A is individually franchised so I suppose each restaurant could factor in to hiring practice, but my son's experience as an employee there was nothing but above board and "equal opportunity." They had no problems hiring anyone from the LGBT community (if they were even aware but some were clearly out with it and they had no issues). And this was at a Chick Fil A that was in a highly evangelical/Christian area. So, prior to my son working there, I sort of took all that at face value, but seeing what a great employer they were (for everyone) I did sort of change my tune. And I do think the company changed their direction on donations.
 
I just want to clarify this a little bit (and I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong or the info is current).

The owner/founder of Chick Fil A is Christian and is fairly public with aligning with Christian values, family time, etc. At one point, the company was donating to groups that, upon further investigation, were found to be working against LGBT civil rights. This is what caused the uproar with them and, I believe, they stopped providing funds/donations to those organizations.

Each Chick Fil A is individually franchised so I suppose each restaurant could factor in to hiring practice, but my son's experience as an employee there was nothing but above board and "equal opportunity." They had no problems hiring anyone from the LGBT community (if they were even aware but some were clearly out with it and they had no issues). And this was at a Chick Fil A that was in a highly evangelical/Christian area. So, prior to my son working there, I sort of took all that at face value, but seeing what a great employer they were (for everyone) I did sort of change my tune. And I do think the company changed their direction on donations.

Thanks for the update. Since we don't have them in Canada my only impression of them is from the LGBT controversy. So now if and when I see them (which I have yet to see one...) that's my first thought.
Maybe next time we are in Fargo, ND we will try them if we see them or I think to look it up.
 


We have 3 kids, two teens, so eating out for all us does get expensive. However, my 15 year old is very icky so usually orders off the kids menu. My DS 14 will also do the kids menu as long as I get something he likes as I never finish more than half an entree & he gets the rest. DH and I often eat out with just one or two of the kids. Sometimes it's a quick place for convenience, like Subway between activities, and sometimes we'll just take one kid out to a sit down restaurant just to get some quality time with them. My DS14 and I did that last night & it was so fun. Yes, it is a big expense for us but we don't do it half as much as we used to as everyone is just too busy. Also, I really hate to cook!
 
If we are treating our oldest (he still lives at home while in college), plus have our youngest with us, the bills rang from $20 (cheap fast food) to $125+ (nicer place, or mediocre and drinks, etc). We don't eat out much at all. We try to save it for vacation and special occasions.

This year it has increased, though, because my youngest is in high school Quiz Bowl and we have Saturday tournaments to attend. This Saturday's is in our hometown (yay!), but most are between 2 and 8+ hours away. So, we sometimes eat three meals out in one day because of those.
 
We eat out way too much, and it does get expensive. A lot of it is due to lack of time and energy. After both of us work all day, we just don't feel like spending a lot of time preparing meals and cleaning up. It is much easier to just go grab something or go out. We would definitely be better off financially and health-wise of we found a way to eat out less. #goals
 
I have no trouble eating out and eating healthy at the same time. It seems many struggle with this but I don't seem to have an issue finding healthy meals.
 
I guess our closest one is Fargo according to PP. We don't go to Fargo often but usually Grand Forks.
Still not sure if I would go to one of their restaurants due to the their LBGT stance.
Up to you...:confused3
 
I'll chime in here again, in defense of going out for supper. At home, it's only DH and me. Sometimes it's hard to buy/make food for just 2 people. Tonight, for example, I made what I call "Ten Treasures Soup." It's Trader Joe's miso ginger broth with TJ's gyoza/pot stickers, chicken breast, shredded carrots, water chestnuts, red pepper, bok choy, scallions, bean sprouts, celery, pea pods, broccoli. (OK, that's 11, but you can really put any number of treasures in it.) I only used 3 quarts of broth but it's made a HUGE pot of soup. Yes, we'll eat some of the leftovers, but I have a fair amount of money invested in a meal for just 2 people. I also have a whole bunch of leftover veggies, enough to make another pot of soup (although I won't). Even if I'd made a smaller pot of soup, the only thing that would have changed would be that I'd have bought less broth; I'd still have to buy the same amount of things; a bag of pot stickers, a pound of carrots, a head of bok choy, etc. YES, I get that it's more cost-effective, but to get our money's worth, we'll have to eat this soup and all the remaining veggies every night for a week. That gets old, fast... I bet it cost me $25 for this pot of soup. Sometimes, I'd rather spend the same or less for a meal out, have enough leftovers for lunch the next day, and call it good instead of have a mountain of leftovers to eat until we can't look at them anymore!
 

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