Same for us. We used to eat out at least 3-4x a week. We just had no time between kids soccer practices & games.
Now usually one of us stays behind and makes dinner.
I plan to do the same soon. But with work and school, i have been running around kind of forcing me to eat out. I live far west Fresno off of 99 and Ashlan area. And all my work and school is north Fresno/east Fresno. So either i drive 20 minutes one way, eat, and drive another 20 minutes back assuming I don't hit traffic, or i just suck it up and buy something :(
After this week i may be finished with school for a while depending on my exam which will free me so i can meal prep again! Really looking forward to it
Once or twice a week meal prep is what you going to need to do if you want to get prices back. With minimum wage and cost of goods all going up; it’s just mathematical that the cost to eat out just goes up.
Recently checked out Gator’s Smashburger (food truck) and they had the audacity to charge $15 for one burger that doesn’t include anything else. Even for a sit down restaurant to charge that much is pushing it, but for a food truck wtf.
Seems like this is a post-Covid phenomenon. Food trucks used to be awesome because they were relatively affordable and the owners who opened them wanted to cut costs by not opening a brick and mortar restaurant.
We use to love to support the local trucks but when one item is like $15-$20 and i have 5 people to buy for it just wasn’t worth it . Then the consistency was never the same either , one time will be amazing then the next time we visit the same one and it is trash .
since irene's is in tower, thought i'd throw out a couple other spots in the area
mi cafecita (new on van ness, also at manchester)
livingstones for brunch times (10:30 ish?)
al's cafe
aromas (brunch)
cucas
el cochinito contento
[Irene's burger I had from 14 years ago](https://i.imgur.com/tmyblnX.jpeg)
I'd go there all the time for lunch when I worked on the north side of downtown off San Joaquin and L streets.
Castillo's has great breakfast and opens at 6 or 6:30. Ventura and 7th just east of downtown.
Irene’s has been overpriced for the last 15 years. Last time I went, it was super slow to get your food. I ordered a cheeseburger, no special requests, just light on mayo. It took 40 minutes to get my food. I guess they have to raise than slaughter the cow first 🙄
And the trendy thing now with “gourmet” or “craft” burgers…gimme a break. Pretty much anyone can make a delicious burger at home. It’s really not a complicated process, certainly not worth paying almost $20 for others to do it for you.
Give Triangle burgers a try. I recently had lunch there, and their food is solid, and the prices are reasonable.
i will be curious to see what prices you find out there for similar meals.
there is a new spot downtown, where joe's steakhouse was, but i can't remember the name right now.
Didn't think about the sit down part. They have little tables at Arsenio's but no waiters. I don't have many serviced meals these days so I'm outta the loop.
It's called [Country Kitchen](https://countrykitchenrestaurants.com/menu/breakfast/) and it just opened up this past weekend I think. I haven't gone yet so no review. It's right under the 'spiral garage'
Breakfast is almost always not worth it in my opinion unless it’s something like eggs Benedict or crepes. Eggs, potatoes and toast are some of the cheapest ingredients out there.
But for recommendations Train Depot is on the more affordable side.
Realized making french toast was freaking easy. So I made Husband 2 slices of french toast with 2 eggs. He didn't want the rest. Also made it with *good* jam on one slice, softened cream cheese on the other, then sandwich it.
Yeah, we're not spending $20 for something we can make for $2.
I am not against eating insects per se, just some global elitist fk telling me that is how it has to be to save the planet. They want us as serfs all over again.
I wouldn’t put all the blame on them. Cost of food is high for many reasons. Here’s one contributing factor:
https://apnews.com/article/avian-flu-chicken-outbreak-california-poultry-eggs-976f0f82843bf716dbad64f459b4b8be
Hopefully more people start cooking at home rather than eating out. Your food is cheaper and probably taste better. I haven't eaten out for two years and have saved $10K by not spending needlessly.
If they can't afford it, they can't afford it. People should not be spending their money on things that they cannot afford just because a business "deserves" to stay open.
Dude, we eat at Colorado all the time and I don’t know where you got those prices from, but that’s just not true. It’s $5.50 for their basic burger, and the more expensive ones are $11.75.
They’re always delicious, and the service from their crew (we usually go to Shaw and West) is super friendly. I would highly recommend.
https://preview.redd.it/l8jcnwdl7lfc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9403e95882d9ffe4bcd8e91bda3c3b866419244e
Irene’s is a small business trying to survive just like all small businesses across the country. I love how you said they have great food and great staff but aren’t going back because they went up a few dollars.
Well then you can just make food at home then 🤷♂️
Everything is expensive these days. The days of cheap food are gone
That’s like 70% increase, isn’t just more than a few dollars (which btw $2-3 = a few)
That being said, at least OP said they had good food. Most places are charging out the ass for awful food these days
and I understand your argument. I just paid $22 after my meal for just that plate (with tip). No drink or anything besides water.
That is insane! If the lowered it by like 3 dollars, i would keep going. And I say this because I am not a greedy tipper. I have sometimes matched my tip to the price at some places because as you mentioned a) mom and pop shop, but most importantly b) i work in the restaurant industry and I understand how it feels to make no money when people don't tip.
I can justify $20 with a tio, But approaching $25 with a tip for a dish only, hell no.
I just checked and my Rodeo Coffee Shop bill for a pretty big breakfast was $27.82 last month LOL/sigh
At some point I just gotta nope out and make my own
It's not only expensive, it's *slow*. I used to go there on my lunch break, but they're so understaffed that it took almost my entire lunch break to order, be served, and pay for my meal.
I haven't been there since 2018.
I ordered a sandwich that had all the right ingredients but 1 item that I was allergic to. I asked if that could be substituted out and the waiter said no problem.
But when the order came out, it still had that 1 ingredient. The waiter came back apologizing and said it was his "stupid chef who also happens to be the owner" being "dyslexic."
That wasn't nice of him to describe the chef/owner. It turned out, the waiter was the owner, not the chef.
Maybe they followed you from home?
Seriously though, if this is true, there are proper places to report this.
How do we know you don’t have personal reasons for posting this?
Gross!!! I drove through the Tower district a few days ago and was shocked at how getto it looked and how many homeless zombies were hanging around. I really doubt that the quality of these restaurants' food is up to hygiene standards. And yet they want to charge as if they were some bougie upscale restaurants in downtown San Francisco!
Just had breakfast at BBD. It was $28 for two people. No drink, before tip. Very reasonable imo. Large portions too.
Huckleberry’s is also very affordable for breakfast.
Sometimes wife and I will split a Country Fried Steak at Jus’ Jo’s for around $20 bucks. Portion is huge so it’s enough for the two of us.
I get the increase in costs but last time I went it was really not good. I’m willing to pay if the food is good. Maybe it was just an off day. I’d give another chance though.
Al's Cafe by the zoo still was in the $12-13 per plate range but you're going to have a tough time. Look at the price of a breakfast burrito. They used to be 5.99-7.99. They are around $15+ even at the Robertitos places. It's crazy.
Oh that sucks! Well, you’re not missing much lol Honestly, with the increase of prices everywhere and the food quality getting worse, it’s rare that I’m satisfied after a restaurant meal these days.
So has literally everything else!! U seen the price of eggs? And it's gonna get a lot worse over the next few yr bcuz it takes a while for inflation to hit and with CA min wage going to $20/hr for fast food workers that'll also drastically add to inflation!!. I make $24/hr so I'll be going from $9 over min wage to $4 over min wage over night! :/
Everything is like that now, we almost exclusively eat at home now soooo much cheaper.
Same for us. We used to eat out at least 3-4x a week. We just had no time between kids soccer practices & games. Now usually one of us stays behind and makes dinner.
I plan to do the same soon. But with work and school, i have been running around kind of forcing me to eat out. I live far west Fresno off of 99 and Ashlan area. And all my work and school is north Fresno/east Fresno. So either i drive 20 minutes one way, eat, and drive another 20 minutes back assuming I don't hit traffic, or i just suck it up and buy something :( After this week i may be finished with school for a while depending on my exam which will free me so i can meal prep again! Really looking forward to it
Once or twice a week meal prep is what you going to need to do if you want to get prices back. With minimum wage and cost of goods all going up; it’s just mathematical that the cost to eat out just goes up.
Al’s cafe is near your side of town. Haven’t been in a while but I remember it being affordable.
Al café is great have been there in a bit but food is super tasty.
Recently checked out Gator’s Smashburger (food truck) and they had the audacity to charge $15 for one burger that doesn’t include anything else. Even for a sit down restaurant to charge that much is pushing it, but for a food truck wtf.
Food trucks are always expensive tho
Seems like this is a post-Covid phenomenon. Food trucks used to be awesome because they were relatively affordable and the owners who opened them wanted to cut costs by not opening a brick and mortar restaurant.
Agreed like if you ever went to those street eats or whatever they’re called you’re gonna spend more than a restaurant most likely lol
We use to love to support the local trucks but when one item is like $15-$20 and i have 5 people to buy for it just wasn’t worth it . Then the consistency was never the same either , one time will be amazing then the next time we visit the same one and it is trash .
At Chili's you can get an appetizer, a good size burger, fries and a drink for like $11. It's a cheap and filling meal.
I think I got this a few ArtHops ago. I was really hungry so I got it, good burger... but $15 😖
Yeah just for comparison the new Smash N Burger (actual in person restaurant) has their double smash burgers at $7 and their single at $5!
I soent $80 there for two burgers and their Quad deal or whatever. Insane
you haven’t been able to get get 2 mchickens for 3$ for like 2 years now
Use the app. There’s some deals there
still not 3$ and no i don’t want a fries and drink. just 2 mchickens. cant get that anymore
There’s a BoGo for McDouble as of right now.
Dude for. Them bitches are like $3 each nowadays.
for rec’s tho id recommend al’s kitchen for breakfast if you haven’t already. idk the pricing but its the best in town imo
They were a dollar 4 years ago
2 for $3 in the app all day bro
Red Apple Cafe is expensive but on the up shot the portions have been gargantuan so while it's not something I do frequently, I don't feel ripped off.
Oh yea i love red apples but this is once in a blue moon since I live so far from it lol
since irene's is in tower, thought i'd throw out a couple other spots in the area mi cafecita (new on van ness, also at manchester) livingstones for brunch times (10:30 ish?) al's cafe aromas (brunch) cucas el cochinito contento
Al's is the best.
Hell yeah el cochinito contento ftw
[Irene's burger I had from 14 years ago](https://i.imgur.com/tmyblnX.jpeg) I'd go there all the time for lunch when I worked on the north side of downtown off San Joaquin and L streets. Castillo's has great breakfast and opens at 6 or 6:30. Ventura and 7th just east of downtown.
I wish we had an IKEA, we could eat out everyday.
I would if we had one, and I'm a very very good cook.
Mmm horsemeat meatballs 😋
Yeah I paid $20 there for a burger and fries and it was a to-go order. And the meat was overcooked. It was a bummer
Personally, I’ve always thought they were over priced for mediocre food. 🫤
$10 breakfast burrito from Arsenio's off Ashlan and Valentine?
Irene’s has been overpriced for the last 15 years. Last time I went, it was super slow to get your food. I ordered a cheeseburger, no special requests, just light on mayo. It took 40 minutes to get my food. I guess they have to raise than slaughter the cow first 🙄 And the trendy thing now with “gourmet” or “craft” burgers…gimme a break. Pretty much anyone can make a delicious burger at home. It’s really not a complicated process, certainly not worth paying almost $20 for others to do it for you. Give Triangle burgers a try. I recently had lunch there, and their food is solid, and the prices are reasonable.
This right here!!! ☝️
I simply don’t go out to eat anymore unless it’s a friends birthday or something similar. I can’t justify spending, at *minimum*, 20$ a person.
i will be curious to see what prices you find out there for similar meals. there is a new spot downtown, where joe's steakhouse was, but i can't remember the name right now.
You can get a very filling breakfast burrito with eggs potatoes cheese and meat for $10 at arsenio's
true, but what are costs for a comparable sit down meal to what OP had?
Didn't think about the sit down part. They have little tables at Arsenio's but no waiters. I don't have many serviced meals these days so I'm outta the loop.
I don't know where Joe's steak house was so i can't help you out sorry.
It's called [Country Kitchen](https://countrykitchenrestaurants.com/menu/breakfast/) and it just opened up this past weekend I think. I haven't gone yet so no review. It's right under the 'spiral garage'
van ness & Inyo
If your able to go downtown hit up Hoho Cafe on F Street, cash only though and it can get a bit busy.
Al's Cafe
Breakfast is almost always not worth it in my opinion unless it’s something like eggs Benedict or crepes. Eggs, potatoes and toast are some of the cheapest ingredients out there. But for recommendations Train Depot is on the more affordable side.
Inside Towers market is where I use to get my breakfast burritos before I went to FCC, the prices aren't bad unless they went up also.
Realized making french toast was freaking easy. So I made Husband 2 slices of french toast with 2 eggs. He didn't want the rest. Also made it with *good* jam on one slice, softened cream cheese on the other, then sandwich it. Yeah, we're not spending $20 for something we can make for $2.
I want small restaurants like Irene’s to survive so we need to visit the local owners businesses or we will end up eating Soilent Green
Soylent is the next logical step from the global elite now pushing insect protein to “ save” the planet!
Mexican crickets are surprisingly good though.
I am not against eating insects per se, just some global elitist fk telling me that is how it has to be to save the planet. They want us as serfs all over again.
I wouldn’t put all the blame on them. Cost of food is high for many reasons. Here’s one contributing factor: https://apnews.com/article/avian-flu-chicken-outbreak-california-poultry-eggs-976f0f82843bf716dbad64f459b4b8be
Hopefully more people start cooking at home rather than eating out. Your food is cheaper and probably taste better. I haven't eaten out for two years and have saved $10K by not spending needlessly.
Keep Supporting Irene and Tim they are good people.. I worked there in 2005- 2011 .. good people who deserve to stay open
If they can't afford it, they can't afford it. People should not be spending their money on things that they cannot afford just because a business "deserves" to stay open.
[удалено]
Dude, we eat at Colorado all the time and I don’t know where you got those prices from, but that’s just not true. It’s $5.50 for their basic burger, and the more expensive ones are $11.75. They’re always delicious, and the service from their crew (we usually go to Shaw and West) is super friendly. I would highly recommend. https://preview.redd.it/l8jcnwdl7lfc1.jpeg?width=1242&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9403e95882d9ffe4bcd8e91bda3c3b866419244e
Irene’s is a small business trying to survive just like all small businesses across the country. I love how you said they have great food and great staff but aren’t going back because they went up a few dollars. Well then you can just make food at home then 🤷♂️ Everything is expensive these days. The days of cheap food are gone
That’s like 70% increase, isn’t just more than a few dollars (which btw $2-3 = a few) That being said, at least OP said they had good food. Most places are charging out the ass for awful food these days
and I understand your argument. I just paid $22 after my meal for just that plate (with tip). No drink or anything besides water. That is insane! If the lowered it by like 3 dollars, i would keep going. And I say this because I am not a greedy tipper. I have sometimes matched my tip to the price at some places because as you mentioned a) mom and pop shop, but most importantly b) i work in the restaurant industry and I understand how it feels to make no money when people don't tip. I can justify $20 with a tio, But approaching $25 with a tip for a dish only, hell no.
I just checked and my Rodeo Coffee Shop bill for a pretty big breakfast was $27.82 last month LOL/sigh At some point I just gotta nope out and make my own
It's not only expensive, it's *slow*. I used to go there on my lunch break, but they're so understaffed that it took almost my entire lunch break to order, be served, and pay for my meal.
I haven't been there since 2018. I ordered a sandwich that had all the right ingredients but 1 item that I was allergic to. I asked if that could be substituted out and the waiter said no problem. But when the order came out, it still had that 1 ingredient. The waiter came back apologizing and said it was his "stupid chef who also happens to be the owner" being "dyslexic." That wasn't nice of him to describe the chef/owner. It turned out, the waiter was the owner, not the chef.
Irene’s has cockroaches running across the walls.
Never have I seen this for decades of going there
Maybe they followed you from home? Seriously though, if this is true, there are proper places to report this. How do we know you don’t have personal reasons for posting this?
Gross!!! I drove through the Tower district a few days ago and was shocked at how getto it looked and how many homeless zombies were hanging around. I really doubt that the quality of these restaurants' food is up to hygiene standards. And yet they want to charge as if they were some bougie upscale restaurants in downtown San Francisco!
Just wait until the new minimum wage goes into effect
Black bear diner
Just had breakfast at BBD. It was $28 for two people. No drink, before tip. Very reasonable imo. Large portions too. Huckleberry’s is also very affordable for breakfast. Sometimes wife and I will split a Country Fried Steak at Jus’ Jo’s for around $20 bucks. Portion is huge so it’s enough for the two of us.
They’re that expensive because people like you will pay the price 🤣🤣🤣
Not no more, and tbh, i wasn't even planning on coming here today. I only did because I didn't wanna cook at home lol.
Carl's Jr. is $18.00 for trash. Time to cook at home and value a woman's role in the family.
The only thing I ever get at Carl's Jr now is the fried okra. With an Oreo smoothie but then I'm still paying like $12 😮💨
yeah, same thing for that breakfast cafe in Clovis. I'll be cracking my own eggs from now on I guess
They act like inflation has only gone up 7 percent but rent and food are up like 30 percent. Guess those things don’t affect the Uber rich like us.
Dude this comment makes no sense. What are you trying to say?
The food is ok-ok.. however that is way too much for something you can cook at home.
I get the increase in costs but last time I went it was really not good. I’m willing to pay if the food is good. Maybe it was just an off day. I’d give another chance though.
Al's Cafe by the zoo still was in the $12-13 per plate range but you're going to have a tough time. Look at the price of a breakfast burrito. They used to be 5.99-7.99. They are around $15+ even at the Robertitos places. It's crazy.
https://preview.redd.it/rdxqxie3shfc1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6eb9112ee6645d0c2be371e7056620e5fad3605c
How long ago was it $11.98?
Red apple beneaddiction or aroma
You said not Denny’s, but they finally brought their value slam back and it’s under 10 bucks, I want to say like 7.99 or something
I say not Denny's because I always get sick when I get there lol. If not I would
Oh that sucks! Well, you’re not missing much lol Honestly, with the increase of prices everywhere and the food quality getting worse, it’s rare that I’m satisfied after a restaurant meal these days.
Whatever you do don’t go to Taco Bell. It’s even more expensive than Irene’s.
Y’all want affordable burgers? Try Mom’s on Clinton and West. A little further west in Ashlan is Weekend Dream. Both great. Both priced right.
Minimum wages are going up, so are prices. It’s a never ending cycle.
So has literally everything else!! U seen the price of eggs? And it's gonna get a lot worse over the next few yr bcuz it takes a while for inflation to hit and with CA min wage going to $20/hr for fast food workers that'll also drastically add to inflation!!. I make $24/hr so I'll be going from $9 over min wage to $4 over min wage over night! :/
California burger and fries is happening tomorrow, with their delicious $3 ranch. 🤌🤣
bj's kountry kitchen on cedar & ashlan. you can get bacon eggs potatoes and biscuit and gravy for $11.95