You’re Ripping Yourself Off Ordering These 5 Common Restaurant Dishes
Written by
Stacy Sare Cohen
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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We all like to relax and let someone else do the cooking now and then. While dining out is often a treat, it doesn’t always offer great value. Many popular menu items that are surprisingly simple and inexpensive to make at home come with a steep price at many restaurants.
If you’re going to spend the money, it’s worth knowing which dishes are actually worth the splurge. These are the biggest everyday ripoff dishes in the restaurant industry.
Caesar Salads
Caesar salads typically come with a few leaves of romaine lettuce, Caesar dressing, parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper. Add a few pieces of grilled chicken, and the price jumps to $15 or higher. Instead, pick up a pre-made chicken Caesar salad at Walmart for around $3 and spend your restaurant dollars on something more challenging to prepare at home, like char-crusted ahi tuna or beef wellington.
Grilled Cheese
It’s hard to justify paying $15 for a grilled cheese sandwich at a restaurant when all it takes is two pieces of bread, a couple of slices of American or Swiss cheese and a pat of butter. Even with a couple of tomato slices, that price is highway robbery. Consider ordering something a bit more substantial, such as a Reuben.
Avocado Toast and Extra Guac
No doubt, guacamole is delicious. But the charge for avocado toast is a ripoff, and people are paying for it everywhere. According to Time, Americans spend $900,000 every month on avocado toast.
Even worse is the charge for extra guacamole. When you’re paying several dollars for a small dollop of guacamole for every person in your party, it’s a ripoff. Even with Trump’s tariffs, a whole Hass avocado at Trader Joe’s costs around $1.50 — or around $7 for a bag of six.
Mac and Cheese
Boxed mac and cheese costs just $0.58 at Walmart, making this comfort food one of the biggest restaurant markups around. Consider opting for lobster mac and cheese for a couple of dollars more because it’s more expensive to make at home.
Spaghetti and Marinara Sauce
A plate of spaghetti and marinara starts at $10.99 at Olive Garden, and even more at expensive dining establishments. A poster on Fodor’s website said they’re fed up with paying $20 for a bowl of pasta at a “run-of- the-mill restaurant,” explaining the price is astronomical when high-quality pasta costs only $2.00 a pound.
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