Lunch for four

[tloonya]

Use to be great value to pay when having lunch at Hard Rock Caffee!
Last week we went for 4 burgers and 40 20oz beers ad one plater of nachos.
$138.88 plus tip $160 or so and we had lunch for $40 per person!!!
WTF???
Is this because it was in Atlantic City or prices went way up?

I am so glad we did this before we went to a 'nice' restaurant.
I think a heart attack would be the result of this go...

So we had ordered pizza for dinner to even up the blow!

P.S. $40 for burger and beer??? You gottobe kidding me!
P.S.S. To be fair we were offered 4 glasses from a Hard Rock gift shop. That made pain...unbearable! Like if I had a warm beer...
P.P.S.S. WHat do I do next time? Read the menu and look at the price??? And btw imported beer cost the same as US beer...

[Abby Normal]

Jun 12, 2012 17:13:30 GMT -5 tloonya said:

4 burgers and 40 20oz beers ad one plater of nachos.

I'm guessing the 40 beers had something to do with it.

[Deleted]

What about avoiding an obvious "tourist trap" like the Hard Rock Cafe, and going to a diner or something, if you want a good burger? Or a reputable, local "hamburger joint"?

When you go to a place like that, you're not paying for the burger (or the beer), you're paying for the franchise fees, and the cost of the stuff on the walls.

We avoid places like that like the plague.

[Sum Dum Gai]

WHat do I do next time? Read the menu and look at the price???

That is how us normals do it.

Except when I'm going somewhere really hoity toity. Then I don't want to see the price because thinking about the amount of money I'm spending to buy something that will literally be shit a few hours later kind of ruins the experience. Shadowbrook I'm looking at you, even though your food is all kinds of delicious! You had me at black truffle gnocchi, but the steak was an amazing touch.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Dude.. are you sure you're straight?

Don't knock it until you've tasted it!

Weird... that's almost the exact same line the guy used the first time I ever slept with a dude.

[Deleted]

I'll admit, Looney, that I feel your pain when I take the grandkids out. I spent $12 on three containers of yogurt the other day. Fast food is easily $20 for the three of us. When I take their parents and the kids to a place like Johnny Rocket's (a nice hamburger place), it's easily over $75 for the five of us not including tip. There are milkshakes and stuff.

The alcohol probably added a lot to your bill although I don't actually think you guys had 40 beers. If you did, you wouldn't be complaining about the bill. You'd be throwing up.

[Deleted]

You had me at black truffle gnocchi

Dark, I had black truffle brie the other day at a friend's house when we were invited for dinner. I thought it was AWFUL. It tasted just like dirt. I prefer my brie without the taste of dirt.

I guess after 30 years here I still haven't developed a fine enough "palate" lol.

I prefer hamburgers.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Dark, I had black truffle brie the other day at a friend's house when we were invited for dinner. I thought it was AWFUL. It tasted just like dirt. I prefer my brie without the taste of dirt.

That's a bummer. It sounds like it would be pretty good.

I guess after 30 years here I still haven't developed a fine enough "palate" lol.

Don't worry about it. If we all had my impeccable taste the world would be pretty boring. And dress forms would cost a fortune, but that's like a whole other thread.

I prefer hamburgers.

Nothing wrong with enjoying a good burger. When they're made with decent meat, and cooked right (pink in the middle damit! If I wanted it burned I'd order it that way!!!), they're freaking delicious. Extra jalapenos and a generous amount of mustard doesn't hurt either.

[Abby Normal]

Jun 12, 2012 17:37:42 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

Dude.. are you sure you're straight?

Don't knock it until you've tasted it!

Weird... that's almost the exact same line the guy used the first time I ever slept with a dude.

Jun 12, 2012 17:51:57 GMT -5 @debthaven2 said:

I prefer hamburgers.

Why is the slogan "Where's the beef" running through my head.

[midjd]

You and me both, Debt

I've only been to one Hard Rock Cafe, and I was not impressed. Granted, it was in Times Square, but $25 for a mediocre burger and fries in an Applebees atmosphere? DH's cousins were in to visit and just HAD to go there...

DH and I haven't noticed much increase in menu prices at restaurants, but fast food has gotten a lot more expensive. After his knee surgery, MIL took us through the drive-thru at Steak & Shake - an average-sized meal for 3 people and drinks was $24.

I do most of my outside eating at lunch - about the same amount of food, half the price.

[kittensaver]

Jun 12, 2012 18:07:21 GMT -5 midjd said:

I've only been to one Hard Rock Cafe, and I was not impressed.

This. It was good, but for the price it should have been MUCH better.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

It would take people a long time to drink 40 beers, wouldn't it?

[justme]

Mmmmm....I had truffles for the first time this weekend, in mashed potatoes. It was weird but oh so good! Though I need to stop trying expensive things or my food budget will get beyond insane.

[Apple]

I've been to a hard rock cafe once, knowing it would likely be the only time. I always look at the proofed on a menu, many times just to tell my soon the max his meal can cost. He's had expensive taste since he was a toddler and he always send to find the best food, even when it's foreign.

[NancysSummerSip]

It would take people a long time to drink 40 beers, wouldn't it?

But not long to get rid of them, I'm thinking.



I write about food and restaurants, but I avoid anything even resembling a chain, unless it's locally owned. Too easy for mediocre food to pass muster in order to feed the tourist hordes. I stick with the mom-and-pops and those places with one cook in the kitchen. I don't care about looks or decor. My goal is to support the local owners who don't have the budget to advertise like the big guys do.

Oh, and who says real men can't do black truffle gnocchi? Even real men in lingerie?

[quotequeen]

Jun 12, 2012 17:13:30 GMT -5 tloonya said:

Use to be great value to pay when having lunch at Hard Rock Caffee!

Uh...... really?

[Deleted]

Jun 12, 2012 19:13:58 GMT -5 ❤ mollymouser ❤ said:

It would take people a long time to drink 40 beers, wouldn't it?

Indeed... in which case you really have to tip more than 15% to make up for holding the table so long.

[steph08]

I've spent a lot of time in Hard Rock Cafes around the world (I collect the guitar pins); they pull tourists in and make you spend lots of money.

Your first mistake was not reading prices. Don't be upset at the bill if you don't read what things cost.

Your second mistake was ordering the beers that come in the collectible glasses, which you obviously did if they offered you 4 glasses from the gift shop. Those probably cost $15/$18 a piece compared to a beer in a regular glass that costs $8/$10.

Can you tell I spend a lot of time in Hard Rocks? On my trip to Europe in March, visiting the Hard Rock and getting a pin and/or shirt was a stop in every city (7 of them).

[tloonya]

Jun 12, 2012 17:31:01 GMT -5 Sum Dum Gai said:

WHat do I do next time? Read the menu and look at the price???

That is how us normals do it.

.

Normals? Who are you calling normals???

And NO that was tyPO! 4 beers!

Beer was $12!!! Burgers like $17...
and
NO!!!
It is not because franchise or anything...
It use to be TWICE cheaper. And we love the athmosphere there especislly when YMCA is playing and all waiters are dancing on the bar tables!!!

[Deleted]

I second whoever said "why are you going to Hard Rock Cafe for a burger?" 90% of what you pay is for the name. IMO nothing they serve is that great. Go to a good diner or even a good chain (Five Guys or Cheeburger Cheeburger) for a decent burger.

[NancysSummerSip]

Go to a good diner or even a good chain (Five Guys or Cheeburger Cheeburger) for a decent burger.

We have both of those in my town - in fact, they are across the street from one another. I wish I could live on the highway median between them.

[TheOtherMe]

Hard Rock Cafes are a tourist trap. I used to collect the pins, but no more. I have been in so many Hard Rocks in the US and Europe, but rarely ate in one.

Did eat in one in Nashville in 2010 because it didn't have a waiting list like most other restaurants that night. They used to have a really good veggie burger, but it wasn't on the menu there. Had to make do with side dishes.