I guess this one kind of has a different answer for everyone. This conversation started as I was dining out with a group of people for lunch and it just happens that everyone had a different cultural background. The place we went to was definitely more of a place where you pay for the service type of restaurant as oppose to a place you go for a quick meal, so obviously the price was a little higher than normal.
The interesting comment was that since the price was fairly higher, about $15 per person, than what you would normally be used to, one person commented how the menu had like “dinner pricesâ€. Some other people thought it was a normal amount to spend on “lunch†considering they were dining out. I thought that this was one of those things that everyone has in terms of expectations as to how much you should spend on a meal on average per time of the day.
I think for myself, in terms of dining I have been accustomed to breakfast and lunch costing no more than $5 each before tax and dinner should be less than $10. You can spend more, but that would be my mindset figure in terms of if I am “splurging†when it comes to the price of the meal when dining out. I guess you can say dining out in general is kind of splurging anyways. I suppose a big reason for that price range is that I am used to seeing how big of a portion you can get for those prices at Asian restaurants which kind of sets the bar. Of course, if you are trying to save money you should try not to dine out at all.