Thanks for the tip. We should try Illegal Pete’s when we are near one.
I work in NYC one day a week and had 2 tacos for lunch from a new place in the Rockefeller Center concourse for $4.95 each. It was not a lot of food but that was ok with me. It can be done but you’re right that eating out is more expensive these days. I feel like the big trick is forcing giant portions of cheap food on people and making them pay more. So I appreciated just being able to buy the 2 tacos a la carte and being forced to buy a platter that included rice and beans or fries. That I won’t be able to finish anyway!
In my suburban NJ town you can get a sandwich at a cute sit down cafe for $9-12. But then the iced tea will be $3…
Dinner is just really expensive. I used to love eating out but not so much anymore.
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A pizza place nearby with outlets in town as well as Denver and few other places has a generous and creative slice, vegan or say buffalo chicken for $5.50. Add a side Caesar salad with a hard boiled egg for $4, and it makes a balanced meal.
At my local Thai restaurant, Pad Thai with chicken or tofu is $11.50. But that’s the only option.
When Ds were here this summer, we vacationed by the shore of northern Lake Michigan, but south of Door County. Food, and restaurants were notability cheaper in than my fancier University town. We had a few $7 Reubens and Mexican food that was reasonably priced.
Back in the day, traveling with my mom who eschewed anything fried or made of white flour, as a vegetarian i’d have a dinner salad and baked potato as a cheap and filling restaurant meal. Baked potatoes have gone by the wayside in many places, and I miss them.
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I grew up with Schreiners in Phoenix, same logo and they had a very high quality product, no preservatives. Looking up the Phoenix place, it was bought out by an employee. Perhaps your place is still owned by the Schreiner family?
Well, went to Farmer’s market for 4pm lunch/dinner. Had 3 skewers of pork with sauce and 1 bowl of sticky rice with pumpkin & chicken curry for $30. Luckily I packed a water bottle, so that was our beverage. We finished everything but 1 skewer. It was tasty but more expensive than it was recently. We ate in my car!
For those of you with kids headed to DU, there is one right next to campus. Also Chipolte #1.
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Sign me up for a good Indian buffet for $15 + drink, tax, tip.
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At work every other month we do a group lunch - we each pay individually (poor academic dept that isn’t allowed to cover food costs for staff!) and try to keep the per person cost at $10/person. We use catering menus so a spread, not individual meals. It’s TOUGH to find places to meet a $10/person cost.
We did BipBiBop once (catering menu) and a local Italian place once (lasagna, breadsticks, salad) and are on the hunt now for a Mexican place that can do a nacho bar for our price range.
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Our Menu | La Jolla Tacos + Burritos — SPITFIRE TACOS
I have been to this place a couple of times since you can walk from my office. Two tacos are good for lunch and I just have water to drink so my total in less than the $12.
Yesterday I worked in the office and a coworker and I went to a great little sandwich place. I had two blt sliders and a side salad for $12. Again the sandwiches were small which is fine for me at lunch.
Okay I’m cheating by a dollar. I just ordered this $13. Liver and onions, 3 pieces of bacon on top. Baked potato, broccoli, salad and bread. Enough for 2 more lunches. @Mashinations, this is in Boston. Beer not included.
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For us the answer would be Mod Pizza, where you can “build your own” 11”pizza for around $11.
When they say “build your own” they really mean it. You walk up the the line where all the ingredients are located and tell them exactly what you want, starting with the type of sauce and add-ons to the base such as garlic or spices, then choose your cheeses, meats, and vegetables.
You can tell them to keep adding ingredients seemingly without limit; I’ve asked them to keep piling on until the pizza was literally two inches thick, where the box wouldn’t close without smashing the pizza. Definitely enough food for two people. You can eat in or take it to go, and they have standard beverages including beer and wine.
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Ummm - yeah, but it’s Liver and Onions. 
Acquired taste and appreciate that some people like it - but I’m not one of them. Just the smell brings back unfavorable childhood memories!
That is a good deal though - in Boston they’ll often get you $12 just for the baked potato.
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My son raves about Mod Pizza. I haven’t tried it yet but your post is a reminder that I should!
Mod is Ok. Not my favorite but quite edible and super fast.
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Mmmm…good to know. Teenaged boys do tend to have different standards for what qualifies as good food. 
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This place still advertises these $12 meals:
We’ll be in Florence in a month, and I’m following a FB group. Yum - the sandwiches on the street for about 5euro look really good! We will of course try the pizza there too.
I had $9 blueberry cornmeal pancakes out yesterday. They were not as good as I’d hoped, and the $4 latte put me over the cost limit. Ah, but eating outside in Boulder CO was a lovely way to do lunch on Labor Day.
Soooooo close…$12.09 for the new Chick-fil-A Honey Pepper Pimento sandwich meal.
**Edited to add that a location in a less affluent town 10 miles away comes in below $12.
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Is Evergreen still around?
There are definitely Cracker Barrel enthusiasts!! A doctor friend of mine loves to travel by car because she and her husband have a pact to stop at least once each way at CB! I guess it’s her calorie splurge!
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