When I was a kid, it was a seldom-treat to go out for Pizza. In fact, we never did because Dad was deathly allergic to mushrooms. But when I was dating, the local Pizza Hut was someplace we didn't go for every date. Just too expensive. Now it seems though, that every danged hamburger joint costs a helluva lot. It's nothing for it to cost $40 at Sonic or McDonald's! Same for Taco Bell. It seems weird that Pizza Hut is the budget meal. We can get two loaded pizza's at the Hut for under $20 and it will feed the four of us.

Sure because it's mostly bread with a dollars worth of craptasic toppings.

And a hamburger differs from that HOW?

For better or worse, Pizza Hut and like joints are sit-down restaurants and used to cost more than a burger and fries. The point is, the roles have somehow reversed. The Pizza Huts around here are considerably nicer than McDonald's and Sonics generally only have a couple of picnic table type places to sit outdoors. Wendy's, Whataburger, Jackinthebox are the same. Family of four can eat at Pizza Hut anyway, for about half what it costs at a burger joint. Seems strange.

It is more about the old greenback dollar. The more the government cranks out, the less each is worth, higher prices.

It depends on how, and what you order. You can still get the same size burgers at McDonalds and most of those other places that they served when I was a kid for about $1. You just have to look carefully at the menu. They push the much larger specialty burgers that will set you back $7-$8 for a combo meal. I can remember in back in he 70's McDonalds offering their "Quarterback" special. It was a small burger, fry and drink. You'd get a Quarter back from your dollar.



Most of the specialty burgers have anywhere from 1/3 to a full pound of beef on it with about 1/2 lb being typical. That is more meat than is on 2-3 pizza's.

$777 Burger at Paris Las Vegas
If ever there was a destination where crazy expensive burgers are par for the course, it's glittery, indulgent Las Vegas. Le Burger Brasserie inside the Paris Las Vegas Casino doesn't disappoint with the 777 Burger: Kobe beef and Maine lobster, served with imported brie cheese, carmelized onions, crispy pancetta, and a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne on the side. The price, naturally, is $777.

$139 "Bling Burger" at Burger King
The "Bling Burger," as it was nicknamed, was introduced by Burger King in the UK in the summer 2008. Priced at £95 (about $139 today), the creation formally known as simply The Burger was prepared in Cristal champagne, served with white truffles, and was ahead of the curve in terms of beating other restaurants to the gimmicky, glitzy burger market. Alas, though, the timing wasn't altogether great, as it was released on the cusp of the Great Recession.

Local Pho noodle joint is the best cheap meal around.

Costco hot dog and a pop is still a buck and a half.

Dollar menu at Taco Hell or Mickey D's.......

When I was a kid, (born in 1955) we would occasionally go to McDonalds. We got a regular burger, fries to share, and a small drink. If you were to keep it basic, the cost is pretty low. Nobody even OFFERRED the giant - size portions they have now. People didn't gorge on super size everything, 7 days a week.

benchman, I was 18 when I first saw a McDonalds, 24 when I was at a Pizza Hut.

Nowdays, as fast food goes, I like the five buck lunch at Dairy Queen.

use to buy cheese burgers at burger chef for a dime.

I mentioned this to my wife a few months back.
Going to Pizza Hut on a date in 1980 was very expensive. It was a real treat.
I'd dare say you can eat Pizza Hut for the same price today as it was in 1980, while everything else has gone up in price.

the funny thing is 2 folks going to hamburger joint is about $16-20.
Many sit down restaurants can be enjoyed for the same price or slightly more.
And pizza hut is the same $20 bill as it was in 1980

I rarely eat at chain restaurants, local ones have much better food and the prices are the same or only slightly higher. We've got a couple of really good burger joints, I can't imagine how one could eat at McDonalds given the option of Tommy's or the Arctic Roadrunner.

Ordering water instead of soft drinks or tea reduces the price of burger meals by a third.

I landed in Vienna late one night, tired and hungry, and the only thing recognizable was a Burger King so I headed in. While taking my order the young lady asked "Would you like that American sized?"

We don't grab food on the way home very often, it's too much money for crap and I can fix something in the amount of time it takes to drive somewhere. The cafe across the street is $25 for a burger and fries for me and salad for my wife. When we do grab something quick, it's sweet pork burritos from Costa Vita, A&W for burgers and floats (we like the ambiance of A&W) or going cheap at Subway for the $5 bargain.

Boy, the Pizza Hut in the town to the west of me is sure expensive.

I figure that the places with the high minimum wage has raised prices all across the country. I seldom go to a fast food joint but have noticed that the prices are way higher than they used to be. miles

Soft drinks and tea must be huge profit items given their prison rape screwing price level. How much iced tea would a person need to swill to break even at $2 for the "bottomless" drink?

At home I always drink milk with meals but when eating in restaurants I generally ask for ice water and rather have it anyway than soda pop or most restaurant made tea. Nowadays though you have to be careful when you ask for water as they'll often bring you commercial bottled water which usually costs about the same as the soda and tea.

Same here , we very rarely went to a Mickie D or Burger King growning up. We had no Pizza huts at all because the local pizzerias blew them away in quality

Dairy Queen's five buck lunch (served all day long now) is extra good and a real good deal too in my opinion. Their chicken strips with the white gravy dipping sauce is my favorite. Every restaurant location can be different but the DQ where we usually eat the hot food is cooked when you order it, not precooked and left sitting under heat lamps. .

I had the kid with me the other day and was really hungry. Due to his heart condition he's on a very restricted diet, but he encouraged me to stop and get something, that he'd already eaten. Nearest place Sonic. As we were pulling in I mentioned to him that they've never gotten my order right, not once. Every time I eat there I swear it will be my last, then I cave and think, ah, it was a fluke, they'll get it right this time. They didn't. You'd think sooner or later they'd get an order right just by random chance. What are the odds it would be wrong every single time?

I feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football.

You have never had wild sheep burger?

Now THAT can get expensive!

I always ask for ice water and lemon. Whether you prefer lemon or not, asking for ice water precludes the switcheroo.

McDonald's has gotten crazy with their prices other than their Value Menu items, but I disagree with Taco Bell. We can get three of their $5.00 boxes and feed five of us including drinks and have food left over.

And I agree about Pizza Hut. When I was a kid the only time we got it was a special occasion such as a birthday because it was so expensive, now you can get a [bleep]-ton of food for $20.00 if you watch their specials.

About the only time we stop at McDonald's is after football practice during the busy season. I'll only order from the value menu and refuse to spend more than $15 for all of us. I don't eat fast food but a couple times a year but after practice my son can inhale their burgers and I don't have worry about him getting fat.

Not necessarily always so especially in sit down restaurants where waitstaff take your order at your table - re: "precludes the switcheroo". Unless you specifically ask for tap water you still could wind up with a bottle of 'designer' commercial water and a glass with ice only in it on the side.

Fast food chains that allow free drink refills usually will have DIY drink dispensers with a straight water button option.

I can't believe Taco Bell comes up in a food conversation.

I also recall when you could get a McBurger, small fires and small drink for 88¢ - but I also recall that the standard wage then was $1.55/hour. Compare a basic "value" meal today and it doesn't miss the "half an hour" wage ratio by much.

Taco Bell is the best "Mexican food" in town here.

McDonald's here caters to a demographic we prefer to avoid. Arby's, Krystal, or Burger King if we want fast food. Pizza Hut is our go to pizza and Mellow Mushroom if we feel like splurging.

Years ago.Maybe 20 years ago. I went down the mountain from elk hunting into vail, co. I paid 5.00 for a quarter pounder. No fries. I thought that was outrageous because at the time 1.50 would buy a quarter pounder in the springs where I lived.

Growing up in Chicago during the early '50s through the mid '60s I don't recall ever knowing of any big name national or even regional franchise Pizza chain restaurants as nowadays.

There were some privately owned Pizza parlors with more than one location scattered around and owned by the same people but most were just a single shop individually owned and ran operation.

AAAHHHHH! You're killin' me!

I started eating at The Roadrunner the summer of '68 when we moved down to Anchorage. It was the last place I ate at before heading down the AlCan when I moved to Texas. Lots of memories there. Both locations.

Great food, my favorite fries in Los Anchorage, and great service.

Ed

Got three large pizzas at Pizza Hut last night. $26 mol. These weren't cheese pizzas, they were specialties...2 Super Supremes and a Meatlover's. It would have cost $40-50 to feed the crew at Taco Bell or Sonic!

Some days I am pretty sure I'd go $20 on one of these.

I remember when the 1st McD's opened in Boise. At that time, their big thing was 10 cent hamburgers. Fries and drinks were about all you could get with it. All the other stuff you see on their menu was added later.

preach it,,,,,,,,I enjoy Pho,,,,sometimes have to argue with the proprietor that I actually want the tripe,,,,,,,,,,,,

I love Meatlovers Pan Pizza. Good stuff.

I think I'll get in the truck later and go to In/out burgers. Their hamburgers are for the money as good as fast food gets. They just do hamburgers/cheese burgers and fries or onion rings. And, they do it fast.

The joint 4 miles down the road does a good, greasy spoon burger. $40 for four of us is more than I want to spend every night. Add another $10 if the daughter's boyfriend is around. I don't like eating pizza every night either but...my kid is eating a piece from last night right now.

Surely this thing has jalapenos on it? A must, if not.

Part of MAGA!!

I'd take it either way. And the other one too, from 458 Lott's post above. Not sure if the burger de Jalapeños revolution has hit the great white north yet?

I think Tommy's has taken over the reigns of top burger in Anchorage from Arctic Roadrunner.

I about fell off my chair when I got the bill at Red Robin the other day for lunch with my son. Couple of burgers, couple of beers, $40. What? WHAT!

Ok, someone explain to me how I can buy a 3 pound rotissery chicken at Costco for $5, but getting half that much across the street at Kentucky fried or Popeyes costs about $12.50?

You are in luck these days.
Burger King has 2 whoppers for 6.00 and if you order on line for pick up you can get a large pizza from the hut for less than 9 bucks.

Of course the large pizza of today is not as large as the one from years ago.

Taco bell opened in a town about 20 miles from my home,haven't had the urge to go there for some tacos or other stuff.

The best burger back when i was in school was at A&W with a float.
The burger i get at micky d's these days is the one of the artiest burgers they came out with not long ago.
A place in Biloxi on Lee street had the best cheseburgers and fries for about 3 bucks and a another place called Jiffy-Jacks had some good eats as well.
Jiffy got took out after one of those raid/wind storms that come in from the south.

fast food has went through the roof. $10 is the normal. the key is to use coupons, use the dollar menu and buy your drink elsewhere. as for pizza hut, ever since i did a back kitchen tour with scouts i haven't wanted it. the "dough" comes stacked in a plastic bag like paper plates and everything is prepackaged. you might as well go to the grocery store and buy a freezer pizza.

eating out sucks in general. either you pay big bucks and get a decent meal, or you spend less and get schit for food. i miss the little diners they used to have everywhere. none around here anymore that i know of.

Home made venison burgers are about the most expensive thing going for me. I'm probably 1000 a lb for that. Total cost considered

Fast food wise - KFC's 5 dollar box meals are a good deal. I try not to eat much fast food, VERY rarely eat any chains like Chili's and the like. I prefer little bar/grill places.

One of the places here I used to get 4/5 chicken strips, a mountain of fries and a coke for 7.25 - Not bad considering they taste 1000x better than some warmed up burger at McD.

Fat Boys, Morrison Illinois... An honest lean 1/2 lb burger for $4.50. Fries are $1.50 extra.

When I was young, and dinosaurs roamed the Earth, Saturday night was when the stores were open in town. At 9:00, the flat-bed from the Lane Moore Lumber Yard would pull into the main intersection and folks would gather around. There would be a drawing of names (taken from the phone book) pulled from a rotating drum of wood and hardware cloth (whoinhell ever named that?). One drawing would be for a larger cash prize - I think that it started at $10. If that person was not present, $5 would be added to the prize. This would go on each week until someone was present to claim it. The second drawing was for $5 and names were drawn until someone was present to claim it. Following the drawing, I would wander down to Earl Nelson's furniture store to find Dad in conversation with a group of men. We would then retire to the Southside Cafe, where they would have coffee and I would get a 25-cent hamburger that came in a basket with potato chips. This was a bit long-winded to get to the hamburger, but it made me feel good to go back and relive it. Thank you for your indulgence.

Costco sells a lot of food items at a loss, especially in the food courts. They have not changed the rotisserie chicken price in years. The CEO or one of the other bigwigs has been known to say to the stockholders something like "We could have made more money but we kept the rotisserie chicken at $4.99." The cheap food gets people into the store to buy other items.

Here at RR, for a $40 tab, you'd be lucky to get 2x $10.99 burgers and two $5 micro beers. That'd get you at $35.20 after tax, not exactly sure how drinks are taxed in bars these days- don't drink outside my place much anymore- just too damn expensive.

Late 80's early 90's a medium specialty pizza at the Hut was $12-14. Drinks were a good bit cheaper
than now, about $1.50.

90's, Burger meal in truckstop was $6-7 dollars and Burger King would put Whoppers on sale for $1.

Little Italian joint near us has it goin on to eat cheap. You can get a large carry out spaghetti with a loaf of italian bread for $12. It'll feed 3 easily with leftovers.

Yesterday we had some kids and grandkids here. we went with the family spaghetti. Fed 7 with leftovers for $20 and change. And very good food.

And I'll add that growing up in a small town in NW Illinois (graduated high school in 2003) I could get an extra large, extra sauce, easy on the cheese, sausage with Canadian bacon pizza delivered for $7.61. My co-worker/best friend at the pool we worked at ordered it so often all I had to do was call Joe's Pizza and tell them it was me and to deliver the usual to Read Park Pool at 5pm. For years after I moved away when my sisters and family would call Joe's they'd ask if "the usual" needed to go to the pool @ 5.

FWIW, it's $11.69 delivered for the same order as of January. And it's still just as good, just as big.

All the $15.00 per hour jobs are at Mickey D's.

Private, not a chain, but go to the Farmington Steak House in Farmington, Mn. and you can get a burger basket with fries for $3.50. Get a decent steak dinner iwth a baked spud and salad for less than $9.00.

I hear that. Don't you love small towns?

I'm from Freeport. Every time I fly to see my parents (they pick me up from the O'Hare or in Rockford) I find myself grabbing a pizza coming into town.

Come to think of it, one of my dad's clients owns a bar in Freeport. They have a $5.99 1/2lb burger and fries deal. On Tuesdays it's $1.99 special. And it's a good burger.

There's a bar out here in Bellevue called The Goose where you can still get a 1/3lb burger with fixins and side of your choice (seasoned fries, waffle fries, onion rings, tater tots) for under $8 before tax. You never leave broke or hungry.

My Dad was born in 1925, he used to tell about Grandma giving him a quarter for lunch on his way to High School. Said he would go to town and get 2 cheeseburgers and a milk shake for the quarter. Lots of things change.

25 cents was a lot of money in 1925.

We had one of those joints here when I was a kid. I had forgot about it until you mentioned it Roger.

Also the first ever Taco Beuno was started right here. Every thing on the menu was 19 cents.

Lately, I've been eating a lot of Mexican food from a Taco trailer that's parked in the lot of the BP gas station down the street.

For $7 they'll cook you up a burrito that I can't eat in one sitting. It's not like a fast food or even a sit down restaurant burrito. It's huge,..and they put a lot of meat in it,..either beef, chicken, or both.

Tried the polish dog recently (don't need a card) and it was good - hard to beat for $1.50 with a drink.

Don't know about store bought, but here at the farm, bison or axis burgers from the grill with pepper bacon, fresh sliced peppered garden tomatoes and a big slice of sharp cheddar, along with jalapenos from the garden with a shot of a-1 on a big grilled wheat bun is outta sight delicious, be damned the cost of the hunts.

You have my condolences.

Yep. Taco Bell ain't Mexican food.

DAMN that sounds good Gunner! It just don't get better than a big ole home made burger like that with fresh garden tomatoes.

We have several local joints that have BOGO burger nights and they all include fries with the burgers. If we just stick to iced tea or water the wife and I can get out of there for $10.00 before the tip. WAY better burgers than the fast food joints. The peanut butter bacon cheeseburger at Omaha Tap House is the bomb!

Mike

Dang right Buddy, lay four bottled beers on the ice cubes in the house freezer one hour before you eat, leave a zippo, a hand rolled Dominican and your range finding binos out on the grill rack, after you eat, grab a fresh beer and your favorite varmint rifle and watch for coyotes till the sun goes down.

If you headed up the road a little further, you could eat at the Hungry Onion in Meridian. Bag o burgers, bucket o fries and bucket o rootbeer. I remember the food well, not so much the price.

I'm moving in next week............Be sure to Mrs Gunner know so I don't get beat up on the front porch.

LOL, got plenty of room Mag, come on down!

Now THAT'S what I call the Good Life!

We got that by hard work, eh buddy?

Yessir!

That's what I'm talkin' about........

Ain't it the truth? Nice work gunner.....sounds like utopia to me too.

Thanks Buddy, we all have that JG, my question is what's wrong with the rest of the world?

Hard honest work and following the law pays huge dividends.

[quote=458 Lott]I rarely eat at chain restaurants, local ones have much better food and the prices are the same or only slightly higher. We've got a couple of really good burger joints, I can't imagine how one could eat at McDonalds given the option of Tommy's or the Arctic Roadrunner.




You really punished me that I didn't get over there last month when I was in Anchorage. I will add, I think Hamburger Haven's burger also is extremely good. I didn't get one of those. I may need to make another trip this year. I've only been earing at Arctic Road Runner since 1981, Good stuff there.

I, or my wife make the best expensive burgers.

If you calculate the MONUMENTAL amount of debt incurred to get started in the beef business............thems some expensive burgers! Pretty tasty too.

I was also 18 when I saw my first McDonald's. Thing is it was the ONLY McDonald's at the time.
North E street, San Bernardino, Ca. Food was actually pretty good.

The cafe at the local cattle auction house cooks burgers for the guys on my crew every Wednesday. We get a 1/2lb or so burger, fries, and a coke or tea for $5, an extra dollar and John will let you grab a Reese cup or Snicker bar out of the freezer. It's a darn good burger for sure. But that picture sure makes me miss our little shack of a house on Spenard a couple blocks down from Tommy's. I'll have the Stella, add bacon, hold the mayo, and don't forget the onion rings with siracha.

Only fast food burgers I eat are Whataburger. We've got a bunch of great Mom & Pop type burger joints around here.

I wish we had the Whataburger's here. Every time I'm in Texas I pig out on them. Used to get them in Phoenix when I got a chance to work there. If I could get decent Burgers and now and then a good wet Burrito with green Chili and rice i wouldn't need anything else

No kidding. You see a Mexican restaurant everywhere here. It's cheaper than Taco Bell too and at least ten times better.

Tried to talk Talus into visiting Tommy's last week but the lack of beer made it a no-go...

Even after I suggested walking across the parking lot and getting a brown paper sack...

As many jalapenos as desired available at the condiment bar...

People get stupid when they walk into a fast food place. The only reason to go to them in my opinion is to eat cheap, which you can just about always do if you're careful and order off the dollar menu. You can usually put together your own combo for $4 or so including drink. For some reason though, and it's usually the soccer moms I see doing it, they don't want to order off the dollar menu and will buy the $10 combos for themselves and their four rugrats. Presto, you've got a $50 bill for eating fast food with a bunch of kids. It never ceases to amaze me that no matter where you are soccer moms will try to one up each other using their kids. "My kid's not eating off the dollar menu! Precious is too good for that!". It's frikkin McDonald's lady, get over yourself!

Unfortunately true. McDonald's has become an institution for keeping poor people poor.

Your not getting this at your local Pizza Puke

Don't really look better than our local Pizza Hut.

Isn't cataract surgery covered by Medicare?

As time has passed I've concluded that there is such a thing as too much stuff on top of a pizza.

Olives on a pizza? No bueno.

Thats for dang sure.

The same holds for certain types of po-boy sandwiches too. One that's overstuffed with cold, wet turkey, ham and roast beef is just gross.

Except for bacon.

The more bacon the better.

I did say "certain", not all. Bacon is on the more is better list. If it's too much for the sandwich or whatever then pull it off and it's great on the side.

Well if we're going to throw pizza in the mix, Moose's Tooth Pizza is rated 3rd best in the country.



Not cheap as large pizzas run $25-30, but they are kick azz pizzas that you won't find anywhere else. They brew there own beer which are also amazing.

In my opinion black olives have no flavor on pizza (or sandwiches). They just taste like chunks of nothing to me. Green olives on the other hand do taste great on pizza. Tried them on pizza for the first time last year.

Most places are pricey these days. At least out here. $20 for a burger and beer is pretty standard. $10-12 for a burger and $5-6 for a beer. Add in tax and tip, $20 give or take.

Love going to see the folks in TN. Little diner the farmers frequent, you can eat yourself into diabetes in about an hour for $6.

Bread is often the worst part of a sandwich. Good bread can make or break it, and far to often it's broke.

BUNCHA Philistines

Do you put ice in sipping whiskey?

Do you put ketchup on a hot dog?

Do you like a steak cooked past medium rare?

Do you like beans in chili?

There are lots of ways to be a Philistine.

Moose,s Tooth is good but spend,y, took the boys and there girlfriends there last week $140 2 pizzas, 4 beers, and 2 large salads.

I hate the place to trendy, and noisy, but food is good.

That's horrific, as is the Moose pizza posted (seriously, a lime on a pizza)

My money says that those that load their pizza with stuff also put cream/sugar in coffee.

Do you put ice in sipping whiskey? nonsensical

Do you put ketchup on a hot dog? outrageous

Do you like a steak cooked past medium rare?preposterous

Do you like beans in chili? abhorrent

Debasing more cured meats and quality toppings on a hand made pizza dough? Definitely Boorish.😜

Another dilettante

Beer good, I'll draw the line though at whatever that splooge is on half that pie and lime is for street tacos not pizza.☠️

Boise was the first place I ever saw a Hawaiian pizza, ham and pineapple. What the...? Around here they also like to put olives on all kinds of pizza as well.

Upstate New York (Utica) wasn't my favorite place to live but I have to admit they had some of the best pizza I've ever eaten - served by rude Italian guys for authenticity.

Best pizza I've had out here:

http://cornerstonepie.com/

I love good olives. The little black things in a can are pretty gross though. About as bad as jalapenos from a jar.

About the only place I can recall our broke ass went as a young kid was that Burger Chef on Ayers in Corpus.

I can't remember the name of the of the Pizza place we went to to once in a blue moon. It was off SPID out by the mall kind of but predated the mall. Shakey's maybe?

I assume the reason the Pizza Hut hasn't kept pace with the Burger Joints in pricing is yesterday's Pizza has more expensive ingredients and more lean protein. I'm sure the implementation of Fillers and Soy Beans has made all of it much more "smart and profitable" while making people more unhealthy..

Don't knock the chipotle steak until you've tried it.

I've found the better way to do it is get take out and pick up a six pack of Alaskan amber and enjoy it at home. Half the price, no wait, no dreadlocks or man buns.

You just nailed the description!

Though an esthemed member did/does have two kids working there.

Funny thing is going into a pizza place with a Yankee... they do not consider our pies pies...

Horseschidt. Best pie out here is East 20 Pizza in Winthrop.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-20-pizza-winthrop

Jesus.


I should've been a cardiologist....

I took my family to the Five Guys Burgers and Fries at the Coronado Mall area in Albuquerque yesterday, having heard good reviews from folks around the country.

In short,, we were extremely disappointed. The burgers were big but way overpriced and overcooked, The windows were covered with posters raving about its quality but we did not buy the story, based on our experience.

We were there to visit the traveling trailer, in the parking lot, of the KUIU world tour, that had a great selection of outdoor products, particularly (for me) the fantastic rain gear.

Next trip on its travels is Grand Junction, CO followed by Salt Lake City.

You're welcome.

As long as I can get my Steak n Shake burger for $4.00 I am happy.

I like beans in chili, ketchup on a hot dog, sometimes ice in whiskey and if the wife puts MW on my sandwich I still eat it.

Philistine...

The Hound in Auburn... rare 1/3# with pork belly, no cheese, no condiments side or fresh hot fried pork skins with pepper and salt.

Mooses tooth is awesome and we do tske out evdry trip to anch. But there are awesome pizza around the country pizza rock , joes pizza and lombardis to nsme a few....

LOL, beans in chili is SOP around here, nothing wrong with the added fiber and protein they provide, 'bout fell outta my chair over at Mom's last Friday when she made me a couple ham sandwiches with sharp cheddar and black peppered fresh garden tomato slices with Dukes mayo, good stuff buddy.