"My house used to have Thai Tuesday. We'd order takeout from our favorite local spot, happily trading time at the stove and a sink full of dishes for curries and noodles that arrived hot and delicious. At a little more than $10 a plate, it felt like a splurge - but a manageable one. An easy-to-rationalize indulgence on a random weeknight when everyone was tired and hungry, and no one wanted to talk about quinoa."
"Ordering takeout used to feel like opting out of effort. Lately, it feels like opting into credit card debt. I do the quiet mental math while waiting in drive-thru lines: $13 meals times four people adds up to nearly $60 for my family's beloved Good Times burgers and fries. And that's just for fast food. Somewhere along the way, the dinner middle ground disappeared."
Household takeout traditions that once provided affordable convenience have become a source of financial anxiety as meal prices rise. Meals that used to cost roughly $10 per plate now exceed $13, and for a family of four fast-food runs can approach $60. The former mid-priced takeout middle ground between home cooking and dining out has largely disappeared. Consumers feel dinner choices have become stratified between cheap but labor-intensive home cooking and pricier restaurant or takeout options. Personal anecdotes and local examples illustrate how routine orders and casual nights out increasingly strain household budgets.
Read at The Mercury News
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