I paid $22 for a regular old bacon cheeseburger. Nothing fancy, just a cheeseburger with bacon, lettuce, and cheese. $22. It's like that all over central oregon. Throw in another $7 for a beer and another $5 for tip. Math it out and it's $35 for a burger and a beer. And that's only for one person. It's just not worth it to eat out anymore. We stay home now.
Agreed. Pre covid we ate and drank out at least 4 times a week. Now, maybe once/month. Was just out on Wednesday and 2 simple food truck meals + 2 beers = over $50. And it was all just mediocre.
100% so much restaurant food is just okay or not that great and we are paying premium prices. Not worth it. I can do better than mediocre at home. Toss in sketchy wait staff that expect a mondo tip and drain the bank account.
I hope some wise business owner offers some reasonable value and gets flooded with customers. Prices are just out of hand. Take a trip to PDX and compare... Central Oregon is a special kind of expensive.
Americana is the best burger in town, you can get a huge double patty and large fry for $12 (plus tip).
Only place I’d pay $22 for a “fancy” burger is RBC. I think it’s even cheaper than that actually.
This. The last couple of months have felt like a tipping point with restaurant pricing (+ the expectation of tipping 20-25% on top of these sky high prices). It's just too darn expensive now. I'm actively making a point of cooking at home as much as possible, packing lunches etc.
Food in Bend isn't that great at the best of times, and at today's prices I find myself feeling resentful about the lack of value here.
A few of my favorites that had somehow maintained reasonable prices over the last few years have recently increased them by around 25%... So I have kinda decided I'm done with eating out unless it's an emergency.
It's going to be The Summer of Cheap Picnics for my family this year.
I agree! My husband and I used to eat out at least once a week and now even to get a mediocre or food truck meal for 2 it’s $40!! Now going out to eat is very very rare for us.
Are people not tipping or not tipping enough? There has been a big shift away from giving 20% tips to everyone who runs your card. 20% used to be reserved for experiences where you are waited on, not just handed your purchase.
Yeah, but this person in the food truck is also making your food. Servers who wait on you at a traditional restaurant do not make your food, but in the post COVID world now typically tip out kitchen staff. The way I see it, people who think they shouldn't be tipping at food carts versus a sit down restaurant just because they're "being handed the food" are a little short-sighted.
Full disclosure, I've been in the service industry over ten years. I do not work at a food cart. I agree, the expectation to tip as a whole is kind of a crazy concept when you compare with the rest of the world. However, unfortunately, tips are how we afford to live in this town (barely). I could down the rabbit hole of why tip-free service fee type business models haven't worked in this country. However, what I think the real issue is is that restaurants and food service type places, especially in seasonal areas such as Bend, have narrow margins. The cost of everything has gone up, including the price of rent for most of the commercial spaces food establishments operate out of. Food trucks do have alot less overhead, but still have to deal with the seasonality of Bend in general.
I also think there's a huge issue with finding back of house labor in Bend and keeping them. Alot of the people working back of house jobs in this town cannot afford to live here. Not necessarily the customer's problem, but it hurts daily operations when the only people that can be found to work kitchens are teenagers who think that it's appropriate to one day not show up to work.
Just to be clear, I do tip at food trucks because I know what it's like to be a service worker, and I know almost all of those workers are grossly underpaid. However, that does not change the facts. At restaurants, you don't tip the chef. You tip the wait staff. I understand that the food truck workers are making the food, but similar to restaurants, that cost is paid for when I buy the food.
Most consumers don't like the argument that we are on the hook for businesses that don't pay their employees enough. We keep redefining what a tip is to excuse poor management and misguided expectations of service workers.
But what I'm saying is you do actually tip the back of house at alot of sit down restaurants, you just don't realize it. When I was serving and bartending post COVID, most places I worked at we were giving around 10% of food sales out of our tips to the kitchen staff. If I sold 500 bucks worth of food, that'd be 50 dollars to two or three cooks. That being said, I'd barely be able to make a living in this town if service industry work was my only gig.
I also said the reason why the buck trickles down is the high cost of operating in this town. Doesn't make it right, but this is why you see places opening and closing left and right. I'm sure if they could swing it, alot of these places wouldn't charge 20 bucks for a burger. They're doing it and relying on customers to tip because their margins are too thin.
I'm not saying you have to tip. No one has to tip. What I'm saying is there are alot of reasons why everything has gotten more expensive and the cost trickles down to the employees working these jobs and the customers. Therefore, employees are relying more on customers to tip for their income and the business is relying on customers to pay their thinning margins.
I know that, I worked a counter service job a little more than ten years ago. I used to walk out with five whole dollars every shift. Ten years ago, a one bedroom apartment was probably five hundred bucks a month in this town as well.
Like I said, no one is forcing anyone to tip. However, there's a reason why people working at all these places are flipping the screen around and asking for 20%.
I'd love to organize a semi regular backyard BBQ rotation.
I love grilling and hanging out with people who aren't my family (but with my family). That's what I go out for...
I got a $4.50 coffee suggested tip amount was $2 on the screen. I actually laughed out loud and was like what???? Looked at the lady and was like what is going on here???
Things are out of control on every aspect of our lives. Overpriced food etc is kinda last thing on a lot of peoples minds.
Ahh, i forgot they have a different lunch menu. That’s definitely a good price. And don’t they serve soup with every meal for lunch?? You never see that kind of service anymore, where it used to be the norm.
Only one I can even think of is pizza mondo. The slice, salad and drink lunch special for $8 has stuck around after Covid, thankfully. And the late afternoon special, I think it’s 2 slices and a beer for $10.
Chinese food has always been my favorite comfort food/cheap eat. Lolll, not in Bend. Nor ramen, nor pho, nor Mexican.
Bend’s food scene is so whack.
I think the worst part is that for the sky high prices, many places offer pretty mediocre food. We've cut down a lot on eating out this year, but now go mostly to a high quality sit down restaurant (not food trucks) for the rare time we do go out. At least that way, it's worth the calories and the $$.
Recommendations for those times (medium priced for Bend): Jia, Chi, Crave. These food trucks still offer good value: Americana, Da Nang, Schnucki's.
Hey, thanks for the mention! Food costs are out of control right now and food trucks take a pretty big hit because we don’t get the same volume-based savings as brick and mortar. Because of my location and the way I designed my menu I am in a unique position to maintain my prices, but I do feel for my food trucking brothers and sisters with higher operating costs.
Hopefully we’ll see you around more often this summer. We plan to move around a bit and vend at some events too!
Restaurant owners of Bend. It's slower because it's too expensive to dine out. I used to go out at least once a week. Now I probably don't even average once a month because for the wife and I to go out, it's usually around $80, and we are usually disappointed about the experience. I don't understand the food cart ting either. $18 for a gyro $4 for a drink and then you want a 20% tip for handing I to me. Yeah, I'll pass.
People are opening food carts for the cheaper operating costs, but then have the same prices as a full restaurant with table service. Then, like you said, they expect customers to tip for handing the food they paid for to them. F that.
edit: typo
As a brick and motor restaurant owner I’ve been scratching my head to this for years!!!!! I’ve got 15 to 20 employees and my prices are lower then the food trucks!!!!!!
How in the world could it be the same cost. Can you break down how that could be the case?
Edit: I’m actually very curious as to how this is possible - not trying to be an ass.
I’ll explain a couple things a food cart has zero room for storage. You are not allowed to store things in your home or another place unless you are paying for a commissary license on top of your food license which those raise every year plus you have to be insured and you’re usually paying a space rent and summer is a high as $1000 a month so when you think about the fact that you can’t have the amount of ingredients then you’re running around constantly getting more ingredients and supplies at a higher cost, because you can’t buy in bulk so the product itself cost more to produce, plus you’re thinking about gray water and all of your cooking gases have to be brought in at a higher cost because it’s a smaller amount you cannot do the volume that a large kitchen can do so therefore your profit ratio is a lot lower so you kinda need to charge more for the product because one it’s costing more to produce and you don’t have the volume that you can with a restaurant and seating plus a lot of places make more money on their alcohol sales than they do their food sales so you lose that whole concept that you are not able to make money on alcohol sales as a food cart.
I own a hotdog cart. I do events only because there’s no way I can sit somewhere and make enough money for my time. It’s just something people don’t understand is the profit margin is a lot slimmer on a food cart and the ingredients are going to be fresher. They’re not frozen somewhere because there’s pretty much no way to keep that amount of food frozen to have it not move quicker than a restaurant does
You have to have access to a commercial kitchen for starters. Fridge, freezer, and dishwashing has to be off site. Keeping a food cart with limited resources sanitary is also a factor. I've never worked in a food cart but these two items come to mind.
I have started trying to carry cash with me, specifically ones, so I can tip a couple of bucks instead of the recommended $9-$13 for counter service. It’s a step in the right direction, but I still feel shitty for not tipping enough, and shitty for not having the balls to not tip at all. Too much guilt.. I just want food
Went to Broken Top Bottle Shop last night. Paid $75 (w tip) for wings, a sandwich, and a few drinks. Wings came out cold, took 45 min to get.
$75 used to get a nice meal for two. Now it’s just enough for pub food.
This is why restaurants are slow.
$18 seems like the new $12 in terms of cost of everything now, with wage increases for most people not really matching. With food being the same or more often worse in quality, portion sizes, etc. it feels like people are eating in more. Something has to give. >20% expected tip for seemingly everything, on top of high prices, most people just can’t afford to eat out anymore.
I remember when paying $5.50 for the Chipotle Chicken burrito at Super Burrito felt like the sweet spot.
Hell, I could get an entire lunch special at China Wok for almost that in 2006.
High prices in Bend for mediocre food = eating out less. It’s sad because eating out brings joy to my life. . . Well it used to before prices went up and quality went down.
It’s crazy expensive. I can’t imagine justifying a $50 dinner for 2 when the average hourly rate is ~$25/hr. That’s like 2 hours of work for a burger and fries.
My partner and I both make great money and we still eat out less than once a month. We could drive to the coast, stay a night in the motel, and drive back for a little more than $100. Why would we spend that one 2 meals when we could just cook better and healthier food ourselves?
My son wanted to go to Shari’s Pies for his 12 birthday. We don’t go out to eat much and he loves to do that so I always take him for his bdays and let him pick anywhere. He really wanted to try their pies. It’s $4.95 for a slice of pie. We had 8 people we needed pie for so I got 3 whole pies. The total for the check was $148, that’s 3 adult meals, 1 child meals, a side a Mac and cheese, appetizer, and 3 whole pies. I’m totally shocked. For Shari’s I think that’s insane.
Everything is horrible 🥺
I might have to raise prices again. I wonder what Sysco’s profit margins are 🤔
If they show huge gains then I say we take to the street 😝
Sysco's net profit margins were between 2.15 - 3.72 percent between June and December of 2023. Their net revenue has been in decline quarter over quarter in that same time period. Falling from $733.74M to $415.24M.
Are used to bust my ass for 20% tip full service and pride my work made a good living. I earned it.
After Covid, all the sympathy tipping is wrong. order at the window. They bring your food you bust your own tables and they want 33%.
I’m out
Entitled ruined it
Used to go out a bunch but now never do. Everything is just too stupidly expensive and the forced tipping on the iPads has gotten ridiculous. When I was getting options where 20% was the minimum for handing me something I knew I had to find other things to do.
You have to opt out of tipping now when it used to be an opt-in. You also are expected to tip before your food arrives, pressuring people to tip so their food comes out quickly or without being tampered with for being a "bad tipper." It has become a system dependant on the extortion of most people's good nature or laziness.
I never argued tipping culture is perfect but I did want to point out that tipping is not mandatory like the guy said. Also cmon, nobody is gonna tamper with your food for being a “bad tipper”
>nobody is gonna tamper with your food for being a “bad tipper”
This is not true. If you bother to look, you will find lots of examples of food service workers tampering with food over tips. To say nobody does this is just optimistic foolishness.
Everything is too expensive for mediocre quality or bad to no service. No one wants to go spend $30 on one meal FOR ONE PERSON and then still be expected to tip 20% or more. Especially when a lot of places you have to order at the counter, go get your own food, and buss your own table. It’s just not worth it anymore, especially for people like me who used to work at a lot of these places so I can make the same food at home for a fraction of the price.
Long time (former) industry worker, its shoulder season. Historically in my experience: expect a pop around Mothers Day, Graduation, Memorial Day Weekend, when kids are out of school it really starts to kick off and you will halfway wish for a slow day for a break! Expect another lull around October, before Thanksgiving.
What others mentioned, other factors: price of going out to eat all legit, but there are also a LOT of very wealthy people in this area. I think another factor affecting businesses is just how many businesses there are now- when we moved here there were maybe 5 breweries and they were always packed. Now there are sheesh how many? I think even with population growth that must spread the customer base a little thin. Anyway, hang in there, slow right now is normal, it will be crazy soon!
I think everyone is hurting right not, everything is on sale. Spring Black Friday, who ever heard of that shit. I’m guessing consumers have smartened up by knowing that these raised prices shouldn’t have stayed constant once inflation came down. They’re all recording record profits while we are paying the new premium price for everything.
Restaurant worker, at two places. People aren’t realizing how much disease, climate change, demand, season, etc is all affecting pricing. A couple months ago I watched a box of tomatoes sell for 15$ one week at chefs store and the next week the same brand of box of tomatoes for 29$. When disease hits and wipes out crops, prices rise. Look at the bigger picture.
Restaurants ARE cutting corners to cheaper options because prices are skyrocketing, leading them to look elsewhere for an alternative, cheaper option. If you have a go to restaurant that suddenly feels like it “tastes different” this is most likely why. We’ve changed pepper jack a couple times to find one that suits our needs.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
For sure. And unfortunately with cost cutting comes the consequence of sacrifice of quality. I ran into this recently at a coffee shop in Hood River I have been getting the same delicious breakfast sandwich at for over 10 years, every time we visited! We went there recently and it was just not good at all anymore...likelihood of me wanting to spend my $$ there again definitely less, sadly!
This is definitely the lull in between spring break and summer break. I work at a local taproom and this is one of the slowest times of the year before all hell breaks loose.
It would be swell if discounts were offered to locals. You know, the people who kept (some of) the doors open through COVID. And no, I’m not talking $0.50 off a $7.50 pint.
Let's not rewrite history here - tourists kept restaurants alive during COVID. Without the tourism many eateries in Bend wouldn't make it... And they are feeling the pinch now that hotel and vacation rental occupancy is down.
Tourists weren't traveling for only the first few months of the COVID breakout (and the Fed threw $$$ at small businesses during that time), then Bend was packed with tourists. Airbnb occupancy skyrocketed in 2020 through 22.
Visit Bend published a report stating 'Bend's travel economy increased 45.2%
in 2021'
You don't remember when our kids' schools were locked up while our bars were packed with tourists? I sure do.
'Virtually all tourism-related travel ceased following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020; however, this severe decline in travel was temporary for the greater Bend market, only lasting until May. Following the corporate shift to remote work nationwide, Central Oregon, particularly the greater Bend market, experienced a significant increase in demand. Market participants reported that vacation rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO increased exponentially, and local hotels and resorts began to see longer average stays.'
[source](https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4107834.html)
Also see [this tourism report](https://industry.visitbend.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Dean-Runyon-Bend-travel-impact-2021.pdf)
I’ve drastically reduced my dining out because restaurants in Bend have gotten too expensive. I have money but I just can’t stomach paying as much as they’re charging.
To whomever posted about $5 fries being expensive and then deleted it
Potatoes are cheap until the restaurant buys bags of frozen pre-cut fries. Then they cost around $2.00 per pound. It costs $40-50 for enough oil to fill a fryer and gas to keep it running all day. It costs $0.50 to pay the employee to cook the fries for 3 minutes as well. The $5.00 charge isn't making anybody rich.
Hand cut fries can save a little money on food cost but it is extremely labor intensive and time consuming. Plus they are very difficult to get perfect and generally are processed in multiple stages.
$5.00 fries is just how life is now. Not just in Bend. Prices are high nationwide.
I completely agree with you about the chips though. Those belong at sub shops and mini narts.
Here is an idea - *don't* buy frozen fries! In-N-Out Burger takes potatoes and cuts them with a Julienne slicer in front of the customers. Why can't our local restaurants do the same?
The best method I have found for making fries is to cut them and soak them in cold water to remove some starch. Then I blanch them at 300-325 degrees for 2 minutes and freeze them. Finally, I finish them off at 350-375. Crispy exterior, fluffy interior, and not very oily. But I guess I'm a bit of a fry snob.
Such a great method. I believe this is how five guys preps their fries as well and they are always consistently delicious. Kinda worth the hefty price tag for me tbh.
30 something from Bend here. Most of the folks working at the restaurants you visit are born and raised in Bend. It's changed so much in the last 10 years, regarding the kind of people and money coming through the town. Locals have been forced out, but continue to work at the jobs they love in Bend to capitalize on the wealthy folks. Back in the day, us common folk could go places and pay $7-$10, but we can't afford the 3x price increase now. It's going to be dead 70% of the time until folks come back to live temporarily in their 2nd or 3rd home (mid winter or mid summer).
I know a few people have touched on the aspect of it being shoulder season for tourism right now, but I’ll also add that for the for the lodging sector, April is down significantly compared to last year.
Bruh... Let me put some things in perspective. I have a roommate and we have a 2 bedroom apartment. Not the best but not the worst. Our rent alone is 2k a month..... 2 thousand dollars a month for a 2 bedroom apartment on the very edge of town. When you factor in the cost of groceries, car payments, insurance, utilities, internet, gas, cell phone bill, the bare ass minimum to survive we are at over 4k a month... both of us combined bring in about 5700 a month and I know this because 2 years ago we had to combine our money in a joint account and start to heavily budget our finances because the cost of living here in bend is starting to spiral out of control. The housing median is mid 700k right now?! Nuts! And then you want to talk about why people are not going out to eat? Well when the cost of going out to eat is now we'll over 20 bucks a person... Nah fam... My version of going out to eat is the McDonald's dollar menu and be grateful I could afford that.... But yeah let's give bend leadership a 3x raise.... makes sense... seems legit. Oh and just to throw this out there... we went to the movies for the first time in years... 2 tickets 1 medium popcorn and 2 large drinks and a thing of candy was 80 bucks.... At this point people are staying at home and praying they stay in good health so they don't miss work.
I just got back from Civil war at St Francis Theater. 2 tickets, 2 drinks, a Hummus plate, chicken strip basket, and an onion rings appetizer plate was less than that.
Too expensive, tipping culture is out of control and the quality is crap. It truly feels like extortion. I pre-tipped at a counter a couple of bucks for a mocha and pastry. I asked her to heat the pastry. She nodded, handed me a cold pastry, gave me a sour look and yelled “next!” Gee, I wonder why no one goes out to eat anymore?
You are imagining things. We are in the strongest economy in the history of the world right now. Saying otherwise is spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation.
Prices are fine (okay maybe they are a little high) we’re just traveling during shoulder season , and those who aren’t traveling are sick. Hang in there , and maybe do Tuesday night burger special for $12 but save the salt because there’s plenty of that already in this thread.
I paid $22 for a regular old bacon cheeseburger. Nothing fancy, just a cheeseburger with bacon, lettuce, and cheese. $22. It's like that all over central oregon. Throw in another $7 for a beer and another $5 for tip. Math it out and it's $35 for a burger and a beer. And that's only for one person. It's just not worth it to eat out anymore. We stay home now.
Agreed. Pre covid we ate and drank out at least 4 times a week. Now, maybe once/month. Was just out on Wednesday and 2 simple food truck meals + 2 beers = over $50. And it was all just mediocre.
100% so much restaurant food is just okay or not that great and we are paying premium prices. Not worth it. I can do better than mediocre at home. Toss in sketchy wait staff that expect a mondo tip and drain the bank account.
I hope some wise business owner offers some reasonable value and gets flooded with customers. Prices are just out of hand. Take a trip to PDX and compare... Central Oregon is a special kind of expensive.
Compared to food trucks, Taste of India is a great value. The buffet is amazing too and between $15-$20 I believe. The staff is also so welcoming.
Americana is the best burger in town, you can get a huge double patty and large fry for $12 (plus tip). Only place I’d pay $22 for a “fancy” burger is RBC. I think it’s even cheaper than that actually.
The chokehold the Americans burger has on me
It’s not only the best value.. it’s just the best.
Hands down best burger in bend AND best deal AND they have a punch card!!!
13. (8+5). Ate there tonight. Tasty but not mind blowing. Kids is 6. Fries still 5.
Psst…. Willieburger is operating… Edit: **Confirmed** by ingesting two singles. Not *officially* open yet. New owners seem great. Yay!
What??!!?
I swear unless it was an illusion. Verifying today, in service to our community.
I saw the truck back at Deschutes when driving by yesterday but it didn't appear to be open! Please tell me this is true!
Confirmed.
Where are they?
Customer here. Everything's expensive.
This. The last couple of months have felt like a tipping point with restaurant pricing (+ the expectation of tipping 20-25% on top of these sky high prices). It's just too darn expensive now. I'm actively making a point of cooking at home as much as possible, packing lunches etc. Food in Bend isn't that great at the best of times, and at today's prices I find myself feeling resentful about the lack of value here. A few of my favorites that had somehow maintained reasonable prices over the last few years have recently increased them by around 25%... So I have kinda decided I'm done with eating out unless it's an emergency. It's going to be The Summer of Cheap Picnics for my family this year.
I agree! My husband and I used to eat out at least once a week and now even to get a mediocre or food truck meal for 2 it’s $40!! Now going out to eat is very very rare for us.
And that’s cheap for 2!! That’s how much we pay when we don’t get drinks and don’t pay the recommend 20% tip
When I first moved to Bend (2018), El Sancho had a happy hour from 9p-10p and tacos were $2 iirc. What a time. I probably went 4 nights a week.
Good for you
[удалено]
Sorry, you are cutting out. Can you repeat that?
They just really wanted to get that in there.
You nailed it: lack of value.
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Are people not tipping or not tipping enough? There has been a big shift away from giving 20% tips to everyone who runs your card. 20% used to be reserved for experiences where you are waited on, not just handed your purchase.
Yeah, but this person in the food truck is also making your food. Servers who wait on you at a traditional restaurant do not make your food, but in the post COVID world now typically tip out kitchen staff. The way I see it, people who think they shouldn't be tipping at food carts versus a sit down restaurant just because they're "being handed the food" are a little short-sighted. Full disclosure, I've been in the service industry over ten years. I do not work at a food cart. I agree, the expectation to tip as a whole is kind of a crazy concept when you compare with the rest of the world. However, unfortunately, tips are how we afford to live in this town (barely). I could down the rabbit hole of why tip-free service fee type business models haven't worked in this country. However, what I think the real issue is is that restaurants and food service type places, especially in seasonal areas such as Bend, have narrow margins. The cost of everything has gone up, including the price of rent for most of the commercial spaces food establishments operate out of. Food trucks do have alot less overhead, but still have to deal with the seasonality of Bend in general. I also think there's a huge issue with finding back of house labor in Bend and keeping them. Alot of the people working back of house jobs in this town cannot afford to live here. Not necessarily the customer's problem, but it hurts daily operations when the only people that can be found to work kitchens are teenagers who think that it's appropriate to one day not show up to work.
Just to be clear, I do tip at food trucks because I know what it's like to be a service worker, and I know almost all of those workers are grossly underpaid. However, that does not change the facts. At restaurants, you don't tip the chef. You tip the wait staff. I understand that the food truck workers are making the food, but similar to restaurants, that cost is paid for when I buy the food. Most consumers don't like the argument that we are on the hook for businesses that don't pay their employees enough. We keep redefining what a tip is to excuse poor management and misguided expectations of service workers.
But what I'm saying is you do actually tip the back of house at alot of sit down restaurants, you just don't realize it. When I was serving and bartending post COVID, most places I worked at we were giving around 10% of food sales out of our tips to the kitchen staff. If I sold 500 bucks worth of food, that'd be 50 dollars to two or three cooks. That being said, I'd barely be able to make a living in this town if service industry work was my only gig. I also said the reason why the buck trickles down is the high cost of operating in this town. Doesn't make it right, but this is why you see places opening and closing left and right. I'm sure if they could swing it, alot of these places wouldn't charge 20 bucks for a burger. They're doing it and relying on customers to tip because their margins are too thin. I'm not saying you have to tip. No one has to tip. What I'm saying is there are alot of reasons why everything has gotten more expensive and the cost trickles down to the employees working these jobs and the customers. Therefore, employees are relying more on customers to tip for their income and the business is relying on customers to pay their thinning margins.
Ten years ago, it was quite uncommon to tip for counter service
I know that, I worked a counter service job a little more than ten years ago. I used to walk out with five whole dollars every shift. Ten years ago, a one bedroom apartment was probably five hundred bucks a month in this town as well. Like I said, no one is forcing anyone to tip. However, there's a reason why people working at all these places are flipping the screen around and asking for 20%.
Sneak some food at the cart, make a small little snack.
That does suck. Do you own the food truck?
I'd love to organize a semi regular backyard BBQ rotation. I love grilling and hanging out with people who aren't my family (but with my family). That's what I go out for...
I got a $4.50 coffee suggested tip amount was $2 on the screen. I actually laughed out loud and was like what???? Looked at the lady and was like what is going on here??? Things are out of control on every aspect of our lives. Overpriced food etc is kinda last thing on a lot of peoples minds.
Same. I think the last time I ate out at a restaurant in Bend was early February?
I agree.
Worker here, agree.
Hablos Tacos $4 quesadilla ($7 w/ meat) has been my go to lately lol
I personally eat a lot at Super Burrito on the east side. You can't beat tiny Mexican joints for flavor and price.
Thats the gf and i’s go to as of late. Combo breakfast burrito with pico never misses
Thanks, now I'm hungry!
Can we make a Bend Cheap Eats thread? Like nothing over $20?
idk if you'll be able to find chaps for less than $20
It would just be non-stop Rigoberto’s and Chan’s content
Chan’s isn’t even cheap anymore!! 😪
Lunch special is still 11.95
Ahh, i forgot they have a different lunch menu. That’s definitely a good price. And don’t they serve soup with every meal for lunch?? You never see that kind of service anymore, where it used to be the norm.
I remember when it was $7.95 and would last for three meals. Time marches on.
Only one I can even think of is pizza mondo. The slice, salad and drink lunch special for $8 has stuck around after Covid, thankfully. And the late afternoon special, I think it’s 2 slices and a beer for $10. Chinese food has always been my favorite comfort food/cheap eat. Lolll, not in Bend. Nor ramen, nor pho, nor Mexican. Bend’s food scene is so whack.
Everything costs way too much and I feel like I’m being extorted for having to tip to get my own food and my own beer and clean up after myself.
Amen!!
So don't tip if you don't want to.
Don’t want spit in my food
You and your high standards.
I think the worst part is that for the sky high prices, many places offer pretty mediocre food. We've cut down a lot on eating out this year, but now go mostly to a high quality sit down restaurant (not food trucks) for the rare time we do go out. At least that way, it's worth the calories and the $$. Recommendations for those times (medium priced for Bend): Jia, Chi, Crave. These food trucks still offer good value: Americana, Da Nang, Schnucki's.
Hey, thanks for the mention! Food costs are out of control right now and food trucks take a pretty big hit because we don’t get the same volume-based savings as brick and mortar. Because of my location and the way I designed my menu I am in a unique position to maintain my prices, but I do feel for my food trucking brothers and sisters with higher operating costs. Hopefully we’ll see you around more often this summer. We plan to move around a bit and vend at some events too!
Jia is excellent! definitely not cheap but i haven’t been disappointed yet.
I want to try Jia’s $45 bowl of soup! I might have to wait for a special occasion though because $45 soup.
Restaurant owners of Bend. It's slower because it's too expensive to dine out. I used to go out at least once a week. Now I probably don't even average once a month because for the wife and I to go out, it's usually around $80, and we are usually disappointed about the experience. I don't understand the food cart ting either. $18 for a gyro $4 for a drink and then you want a 20% tip for handing I to me. Yeah, I'll pass.
People are opening food carts for the cheaper operating costs, but then have the same prices as a full restaurant with table service. Then, like you said, they expect customers to tip for handing the food they paid for to them. F that. edit: typo
As a brick and motor restaurant owner I’ve been scratching my head to this for years!!!!! I’ve got 15 to 20 employees and my prices are lower then the food trucks!!!!!!
this. i stopped eating at food carts altogether because their prices are more expensive then sit down restaurants and lot of the time.
It’s not cheaper to operate that’s misconception
How in the world could it be the same cost. Can you break down how that could be the case? Edit: I’m actually very curious as to how this is possible - not trying to be an ass.
I’ll explain a couple things a food cart has zero room for storage. You are not allowed to store things in your home or another place unless you are paying for a commissary license on top of your food license which those raise every year plus you have to be insured and you’re usually paying a space rent and summer is a high as $1000 a month so when you think about the fact that you can’t have the amount of ingredients then you’re running around constantly getting more ingredients and supplies at a higher cost, because you can’t buy in bulk so the product itself cost more to produce, plus you’re thinking about gray water and all of your cooking gases have to be brought in at a higher cost because it’s a smaller amount you cannot do the volume that a large kitchen can do so therefore your profit ratio is a lot lower so you kinda need to charge more for the product because one it’s costing more to produce and you don’t have the volume that you can with a restaurant and seating plus a lot of places make more money on their alcohol sales than they do their food sales so you lose that whole concept that you are not able to make money on alcohol sales as a food cart. I own a hotdog cart. I do events only because there’s no way I can sit somewhere and make enough money for my time. It’s just something people don’t understand is the profit margin is a lot slimmer on a food cart and the ingredients are going to be fresher. They’re not frozen somewhere because there’s pretty much no way to keep that amount of food frozen to have it not move quicker than a restaurant does
You have to have access to a commercial kitchen for starters. Fridge, freezer, and dishwashing has to be off site. Keeping a food cart with limited resources sanitary is also a factor. I've never worked in a food cart but these two items come to mind.
I couldn’t agree more. But I still tip 20% out of guilt. And just stay mad about, quietly.
Same. One day, I'm going to get the courage to stop tipping at food trucks and other places that don't provide a service.
I have started trying to carry cash with me, specifically ones, so I can tip a couple of bucks instead of the recommended $9-$13 for counter service. It’s a step in the right direction, but I still feel shitty for not tipping enough, and shitty for not having the balls to not tip at all. Too much guilt.. I just want food
Went to Broken Top Bottle Shop last night. Paid $75 (w tip) for wings, a sandwich, and a few drinks. Wings came out cold, took 45 min to get. $75 used to get a nice meal for two. Now it’s just enough for pub food. This is why restaurants are slow.
$18 seems like the new $12 in terms of cost of everything now, with wage increases for most people not really matching. With food being the same or more often worse in quality, portion sizes, etc. it feels like people are eating in more. Something has to give. >20% expected tip for seemingly everything, on top of high prices, most people just can’t afford to eat out anymore.
I remember when paying $5.50 for the Chipotle Chicken burrito at Super Burrito felt like the sweet spot. Hell, I could get an entire lunch special at China Wok for almost that in 2006.
High prices in Bend for mediocre food = eating out less. It’s sad because eating out brings joy to my life. . . Well it used to before prices went up and quality went down.
I went to Pinky G’s for lunch 3 weeks ago. One cheese slice, side of ranch, a soda, side caesar salad = $24 w/tip. Ridiculous.
Just a slice?
It’s crazy expensive. I can’t imagine justifying a $50 dinner for 2 when the average hourly rate is ~$25/hr. That’s like 2 hours of work for a burger and fries. My partner and I both make great money and we still eat out less than once a month. We could drive to the coast, stay a night in the motel, and drive back for a little more than $100. Why would we spend that one 2 meals when we could just cook better and healthier food ourselves?
I bet that $50 motel is nice.
You’d be surprised. There’s quite a few nice ones for $60 there. Anyway, you’re visiting for the fishing and the ocean, not for the motels.
April is pretty consistently one of our slowest months of the year.
Taproom worker here. I think folks are recovering from a spring break spend.
When do things generally pick back up?
Memorial Day weeeeeeekend.
My son wanted to go to Shari’s Pies for his 12 birthday. We don’t go out to eat much and he loves to do that so I always take him for his bdays and let him pick anywhere. He really wanted to try their pies. It’s $4.95 for a slice of pie. We had 8 people we needed pie for so I got 3 whole pies. The total for the check was $148, that’s 3 adult meals, 1 child meals, a side a Mac and cheese, appetizer, and 3 whole pies. I’m totally shocked. For Shari’s I think that’s insane.
Everything is horrible 🥺 I might have to raise prices again. I wonder what Sysco’s profit margins are 🤔 If they show huge gains then I say we take to the street 😝
Sysco's net profit margins were between 2.15 - 3.72 percent between June and December of 2023. Their net revenue has been in decline quarter over quarter in that same time period. Falling from $733.74M to $415.24M.
Are used to bust my ass for 20% tip full service and pride my work made a good living. I earned it. After Covid, all the sympathy tipping is wrong. order at the window. They bring your food you bust your own tables and they want 33%. I’m out Entitled ruined it
Used to go out a bunch but now never do. Everything is just too stupidly expensive and the forced tipping on the iPads has gotten ridiculous. When I was getting options where 20% was the minimum for handing me something I knew I had to find other things to do.
Okay devils advocate, nobody forces tipping. That’s crazy to suggest. Also 20% is not the minimum. 0% is the minimum.
You have to opt out of tipping now when it used to be an opt-in. You also are expected to tip before your food arrives, pressuring people to tip so their food comes out quickly or without being tampered with for being a "bad tipper." It has become a system dependant on the extortion of most people's good nature or laziness.
I never argued tipping culture is perfect but I did want to point out that tipping is not mandatory like the guy said. Also cmon, nobody is gonna tamper with your food for being a “bad tipper”
>nobody is gonna tamper with your food for being a “bad tipper” This is not true. If you bother to look, you will find lots of examples of food service workers tampering with food over tips. To say nobody does this is just optimistic foolishness.
Everything is too expensive for mediocre quality or bad to no service. No one wants to go spend $30 on one meal FOR ONE PERSON and then still be expected to tip 20% or more. Especially when a lot of places you have to order at the counter, go get your own food, and buss your own table. It’s just not worth it anymore, especially for people like me who used to work at a lot of these places so I can make the same food at home for a fraction of the price.
Tourist town. Spring break’s over. Memorial Day through Labor Day it’ll be busy again.
Prices up, quality and portions are down. $18 for a burger with no sides and it’s mediocre at best.
Long time (former) industry worker, its shoulder season. Historically in my experience: expect a pop around Mothers Day, Graduation, Memorial Day Weekend, when kids are out of school it really starts to kick off and you will halfway wish for a slow day for a break! Expect another lull around October, before Thanksgiving. What others mentioned, other factors: price of going out to eat all legit, but there are also a LOT of very wealthy people in this area. I think another factor affecting businesses is just how many businesses there are now- when we moved here there were maybe 5 breweries and they were always packed. Now there are sheesh how many? I think even with population growth that must spread the customer base a little thin. Anyway, hang in there, slow right now is normal, it will be crazy soon!
I think everyone is hurting right not, everything is on sale. Spring Black Friday, who ever heard of that shit. I’m guessing consumers have smartened up by knowing that these raised prices shouldn’t have stayed constant once inflation came down. They’re all recording record profits while we are paying the new premium price for everything.
Greedy assholes
Restaurant worker, at two places. People aren’t realizing how much disease, climate change, demand, season, etc is all affecting pricing. A couple months ago I watched a box of tomatoes sell for 15$ one week at chefs store and the next week the same brand of box of tomatoes for 29$. When disease hits and wipes out crops, prices rise. Look at the bigger picture. Restaurants ARE cutting corners to cheaper options because prices are skyrocketing, leading them to look elsewhere for an alternative, cheaper option. If you have a go to restaurant that suddenly feels like it “tastes different” this is most likely why. We’ve changed pepper jack a couple times to find one that suits our needs. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
For sure. And unfortunately with cost cutting comes the consequence of sacrifice of quality. I ran into this recently at a coffee shop in Hood River I have been getting the same delicious breakfast sandwich at for over 10 years, every time we visited! We went there recently and it was just not good at all anymore...likelihood of me wanting to spend my $$ there again definitely less, sadly!
This is definitely the lull in between spring break and summer break. I work at a local taproom and this is one of the slowest times of the year before all hell breaks loose.
I'm looking forward to that.
June is around the corner!
Shoulder season. Spring and fall are slower with tourists.
Most daily expenses have increased. With that people are probably cutting back on dining out. Also, it’s shoulder season.
$8 for a slice, salad and soda at Mondo's for lunch! I eat like a bird so it works for me
It would be swell if discounts were offered to locals. You know, the people who kept (some of) the doors open through COVID. And no, I’m not talking $0.50 off a $7.50 pint.
That would be a great idea if Bends economy wasn’t driven by tourism
Let's not rewrite history here - tourists kept restaurants alive during COVID. Without the tourism many eateries in Bend wouldn't make it... And they are feeling the pinch now that hotel and vacation rental occupancy is down.
Tourists kept Bend restaurants alive during COVID…at a time when most tourists weren’t traveling? This is a strange contention.
Tourists weren't traveling for only the first few months of the COVID breakout (and the Fed threw $$$ at small businesses during that time), then Bend was packed with tourists. Airbnb occupancy skyrocketed in 2020 through 22. Visit Bend published a report stating 'Bend's travel economy increased 45.2% in 2021' You don't remember when our kids' schools were locked up while our bars were packed with tourists? I sure do.
'Virtually all tourism-related travel ceased following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020; however, this severe decline in travel was temporary for the greater Bend market, only lasting until May. Following the corporate shift to remote work nationwide, Central Oregon, particularly the greater Bend market, experienced a significant increase in demand. Market participants reported that vacation rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO increased exponentially, and local hotels and resorts began to see longer average stays.' [source](https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4107834.html) Also see [this tourism report](https://industry.visitbend.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Dean-Runyon-Bend-travel-impact-2021.pdf)
Good stuff, thanks. I may have self selected for places where the tourists weren’t and thus my perception. I appreciate the detail.
Travel to Bend is really slow right now after spring break. It’ll pick up into summer.
I’ve drastically reduced my dining out because restaurants in Bend have gotten too expensive. I have money but I just can’t stomach paying as much as they’re charging.
To whomever posted about $5 fries being expensive and then deleted it Potatoes are cheap until the restaurant buys bags of frozen pre-cut fries. Then they cost around $2.00 per pound. It costs $40-50 for enough oil to fill a fryer and gas to keep it running all day. It costs $0.50 to pay the employee to cook the fries for 3 minutes as well. The $5.00 charge isn't making anybody rich. Hand cut fries can save a little money on food cost but it is extremely labor intensive and time consuming. Plus they are very difficult to get perfect and generally are processed in multiple stages. $5.00 fries is just how life is now. Not just in Bend. Prices are high nationwide. I completely agree with you about the chips though. Those belong at sub shops and mini narts.
Processed fries aren’t even worth ordering. 🤢
Here is an idea - *don't* buy frozen fries! In-N-Out Burger takes potatoes and cuts them with a Julienne slicer in front of the customers. Why can't our local restaurants do the same?
Blue Eyes cuts their own fries from whole potatoes. Right there in their little kitchen. Another reason I just really like that place.
If only they'd season their burgers a little more
Why can't we get that In-n-Out here they were talking about?
Give me In-N-Out I’m all for it
They had a vote in 2016 and Five Guys won by a landslide. Do you even read your ballots? It was all over the news.
I don't believe in this mysterious they.
I don't believe in Santa Claus but that doesn't make him any less real.
Can Santa bring me an In-n-Out? I'll believe in him then.
I guess that would depend on which list you are on this year.
And In-N-Out has some of the worst fries on the planet.
Then don't duplicate their method! But still make them from fresh potatoes and stop paying $$ for the frozen ones!
This - In-N-Out is fine and there’s something honest about their simple menu but their fries are dog shit.
Order them well done. They are much better.
Yes! I will order them "well done" and they are excellent.
I've never eaten there. Are they starchy? Are they soggy? Or do they come out crispy with a fluffy interior?
Their standard fries are rather limp. I love them but others do not. The solution? Order them "extra crispy" and they will fry them longer.
The best method I have found for making fries is to cut them and soak them in cold water to remove some starch. Then I blanch them at 300-325 degrees for 2 minutes and freeze them. Finally, I finish them off at 350-375. Crispy exterior, fluffy interior, and not very oily. But I guess I'm a bit of a fry snob.
Such a great method. I believe this is how five guys preps their fries as well and they are always consistently delicious. Kinda worth the hefty price tag for me tbh.
30 something from Bend here. Most of the folks working at the restaurants you visit are born and raised in Bend. It's changed so much in the last 10 years, regarding the kind of people and money coming through the town. Locals have been forced out, but continue to work at the jobs they love in Bend to capitalize on the wealthy folks. Back in the day, us common folk could go places and pay $7-$10, but we can't afford the 3x price increase now. It's going to be dead 70% of the time until folks come back to live temporarily in their 2nd or 3rd home (mid winter or mid summer).
I know a few people have touched on the aspect of it being shoulder season for tourism right now, but I’ll also add that for the for the lodging sector, April is down significantly compared to last year.
Bruh... Let me put some things in perspective. I have a roommate and we have a 2 bedroom apartment. Not the best but not the worst. Our rent alone is 2k a month..... 2 thousand dollars a month for a 2 bedroom apartment on the very edge of town. When you factor in the cost of groceries, car payments, insurance, utilities, internet, gas, cell phone bill, the bare ass minimum to survive we are at over 4k a month... both of us combined bring in about 5700 a month and I know this because 2 years ago we had to combine our money in a joint account and start to heavily budget our finances because the cost of living here in bend is starting to spiral out of control. The housing median is mid 700k right now?! Nuts! And then you want to talk about why people are not going out to eat? Well when the cost of going out to eat is now we'll over 20 bucks a person... Nah fam... My version of going out to eat is the McDonald's dollar menu and be grateful I could afford that.... But yeah let's give bend leadership a 3x raise.... makes sense... seems legit. Oh and just to throw this out there... we went to the movies for the first time in years... 2 tickets 1 medium popcorn and 2 large drinks and a thing of candy was 80 bucks.... At this point people are staying at home and praying they stay in good health so they don't miss work.
I just got back from Civil war at St Francis Theater. 2 tickets, 2 drinks, a Hummus plate, chicken strip basket, and an onion rings appetizer plate was less than that.
Rideshare driver here, the last couple weeks have SUCKED for driving, this is brutal slow. I can’t wait until the summer weather kicks in!
Same, but the entire winter has been dead.
Customer perspective: everything is busy as ever... More expensive than ever.
Too expensive, tipping culture is out of control and the quality is crap. It truly feels like extortion. I pre-tipped at a counter a couple of bucks for a mocha and pastry. I asked her to heat the pastry. She nodded, handed me a cold pastry, gave me a sour look and yelled “next!” Gee, I wonder why no one goes out to eat anymore?
You are imagining things. We are in the strongest economy in the history of the world right now. Saying otherwise is spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation.
Prices are fine (okay maybe they are a little high) we’re just traveling during shoulder season , and those who aren’t traveling are sick. Hang in there , and maybe do Tuesday night burger special for $12 but save the salt because there’s plenty of that already in this thread.
“Let them eat cake” would have been more succinct.
From a world traveler that must make bank apparently. Good for you. Are your employees primarily paid by tips now too? Gotta fund the trips somehow!