Fine dining is overrated because you’re paying for the dining experience, not the food. At the end of the fine dining experience, you do not feel full and wonder why you even went to the restaurant in the first place. Fine dining is the biggest waste of money.
The closest thing to the fine dining experience came when I went to Capital Grille and spent $250+ just for me and my then girlfriend at the time. And $250 I don’t even think is considered even near fine dining! There are MrBeast videos who gets us to experience the fine dining experience through him.
He posts great videos to help us experience what it feels like to be a rich person. Those are great videos because his brand is based around him doing outrageous and out of norm things like that. However, for me, personally, I would never try fine dining even if I could afford them.
Even if I’m a billionaire with a private island, I wouldn’t go to fine dining places, besides once in a while occasion like a kid’s high school graduation or such. Fine dining is overrated because they have all these rules and regulations of what kind of knife you should be using for your food.
How you should dress for the event. It’s too restrictive of an eating environment and it isn’t as glamorous as they make it out to be on TV. I ordered an 8oz Filet Mignon from Capital Grille that costed $90 and didn’t come with any sides at all whatsoever.
What! If I’m paying $90, shouldn’t it at least fill me up?!
Fine Dining is Overrated: 9 Reasons Why
Below are the 9 reasons why fine dining is overrated. I’ve tried it multiple times and realized that it’s not for me.
1) Fine Dining Food Doesn’t Fill You Up
The $90 8-oz Filet Mignon was delicious. However, apart from that one minute experience of getting to chew the Filet Mignon, I got no value out of it after that. I was still hungry afterwards, no matter how juicy the steak was. Then you have to add an exorbitant tip on top of the meal.
That was way too much money for way too little food. I had to order another appetizer and sides, which was an additional $75 on top. The experience was good for a one-time thing. However, I do not want to go back to a fine dining restaurant for at least the next 5 years.
Fine dining is overrated because you’re paying an exorbitant premium for the experience of eating food. Not even for the sake of eating food but for the experience of eating food. I personally believe restaurants are to fill your belly up.
If a restaurant doesn’t even do that job right, then what’s the point?
2) You’re Not Paying for the Food
You’re paying for the environment, location, and experience. There are many restaurants out there who offer a great experience of eating food for much less price than fine dining. Hibachi Grill restaurants are one such example. The chefs involve you in their cooking!
Fine dining is overrated because you can get even more interesting experience elsewhere. Fine dining restaurants put on classical music, because that’s what appeals to the wealthy, that you don’t even appreciate it yourself, afterwards. As an avid piano player, I know how soothing classical music is.
However, is classical music really worth paying $500 for two at the restaurant? It isn’t. There are good memories you can create around good food and a good eating environment. However, you can get the same good memories for a cheaper price elsewhere.
At a minimum, you should go to a restaurant and pay for a good meal. The eating experience should come second. However, with fine dining, the eating experience comes first.
3) You Can Get the Same Quality Food for Cheaper
There’s always a way to get the same quality for cheaper, especially with food. When I went to Capital Grille, it was $90 for a steak. I could’ve gotten the same quality and more food at a competing restaurant called Fogo de Chao. This is why fine dining is overrated.
Fine dining is not the only way to eat quality food at an affordable price. There are an infinite number of alternative restaurant options that has everything that you’re looking for. I’m all for quality. I’m even more for quality at a cheaper price.
At the end of the day, food is a commodity. You get the same nutritional content whether you buy a steak from a fine dining restaurant or at Olive Garden. There are even people who frequent fine dining restaurants, spend an exorbitant amount money, and end up complaining about money!
That’s not the way to go. Even if you can afford fine dining, that doesn’t make it a sound decision.
4) Fine Dining is Overrated Because It Doesn’t Mean Food Tastes Better
Whether it’s steak grilled at a fine dining establishment or steak grilled at a regular restaurant, it’s still the same grill. Yes, some fine dining restaurants know how to make the food taste better and make it look exotic. However, some fine dining restaurants overdo it and end up making it taste worse!
Fine dining is overrated because your taste buds are what matters at the end of the day. Some fine dining restaurants make food so exotic that the end result is even worse. Like with everything else, just because it’s expensive, doesn’t mean the quality is better.
I personally enjoy a hot dog from Costco for $1.50 more than I enjoy fine dining food. It’s the little things that matter the most for me. I don’t need fancy clothing, food, car, or house to make me happy. The simpler your life, the less headaches.
The less headaches, the better off you feel.
5) You Have to Dress Up and Feel Restricted
There are actual rules to go into a fine dining restaurant. Eating shouldn’t be restrictive. You should wear whatever is the most comfortable when you go out to eat. That isn’t the case for fine dining. When you just wear shorts and a t-shirt you stick out like a sore thumb.
It’s not the restaurant establishment that judges you. It’s the patrons who see what a slob dresser you are who silently judge you behind your back. Fine dining is overrated because it’s pretentious. You have to put in a look that you are an important person.
You have to appear important and take yourself seriously, even when you don’t actually think that way. More and more fine dining restaurants are loosening the rules on the dressing up policy. However, not all fine dining restaurants think that way.
The image you have to keep up just to eat and keep yourself alive is insane.
6) The Drinks are Overpriced
Drinks are the highest margin menu items ever for any restaurant or bar. They’re even more marked up when you go to a fine dining restaurant. However much of a ripoff you thought drinks were in the first place, it’s even worse for fine dining. Movie theaters don’t make money off ticket sales.
They make money from the concessions that customers buy, especially drinks. To them, drinks cost 10 cents and we buy them for $2.00+. That’s a 20x return! There’s a reason restaurants offer free and unlimited drink refills. It doesn’t matter how much you refill, it’s profitable for them anyway.
Fine dining is overrated because everything costs more for no other reason than that it’s “fine dining”. It doesn’t matter if the drink quality is worse or it’s the same drink you can get somewhere else. The location is just what matters. Something that adds no value to your life.
Americans are already struggling to pay for basic necessities. There’s no reason to add more financial stress to your life.
7) Fine Dining is Overrated Because the Eating Rules are Restrictive
When it comes to enjoying your food, there should be no rules. Not for fine dining. Fine dining is overrated because there are actual rules on how you can enjoy your food. You should be able to enjoy your food just with your fingers if you please.
Not with fine dining. There are only certain knives you can only use for certain foods, and the like. What kind of nonsense is this?! Food is food no matter how I choose to scoop up the food to my mouth. Apparently, not if you want to hang out with the “elites”.
There’s a reason Mom’s cooking you can enjoy within the comforts of your home and family is the best meal on the face of the planet. You don’t have to dress up or eat a certain food with certain utensils. All you have to worry about is putting food in your belly and enjoying the company.
That’s it. That should be the recipe to enjoying a good dinner. Not anything else.
8) The People are Pretentious
Not just the restaurant people who judge you if you’re not wearing a certain type of clothing. But the patrons who frequent those places. They won’t care about you if you “fit in” with the right clothing and the like. However, they will care if you don’t “fit in” and wear the appropriate type of clothing.
If you talk “street” language and grammar, the patrons get turned off. You have to fit a certain mold and there’s only so far you can take the mold before they start judging you. Fine dining is overrated because you shouldn’t have to change who you are just for the sake of eating food.
Eating food is something that you should enjoy when you want it, the way you want it done. Without thinking about anybody else but yourself. If dressing up to impress others isn’t who you are, then you don’t have to be one of them. You can be who you are without conforming to others.
Individuality and unique personalities are what makes you great.
9) Fine Dining Takes Up Too Much of Your Time
Eating, in general, is a big hassle if you have a big family. You have to get others ready, coordinate schedules, and free up time yourself to go eat. However, not with fine dining. You not only have to get ready, you have to make reservations, think about what to say, what not to say, and more.
I personally only like taking 30 minutes to eat. When it comes to fine dining, it takes over 2 hours to eat because it’s not just you who’s enjoying the food. You somehow have to make sure people around you are comfortable as well. That’s too much of a hassle.
Fine dining is overrated because presumably, you are wealthy enough to afford fine dining in the first place. However, that means your time is worth infinitely more than someone else’s time who can’t afford the food.
Yet, it takes you more time to actually enjoy the food while you spend exorbitant amounts on overpriced food. You are losing both ways.
Fine Dining is Overrated For the Majority of People
That doesn’t mean fine dining should never be in your life. There are special occasions in which you should enjoy fine dining at least once in your life. However, fine dining is overrated for the majority of people. Even billionaires don’t enjoy fine dining, like Mark Cuban.
We’re not born out of the womb enjoying fine dining. Fine dining is a human made social construct. I’m not saying hoard all of your cash and possibly cross the frugality disease line. I’m saying figure out what really truly adds value to your life and focus your attention on them.
You don’t go fine dining for the food but rather the experience. Therefore, you should try it at least once in your life. However, there are ways to get the same, if not better, experience for a cheaper price. Not even including how much time you save in the process.
I once interviewed with someone who play tennis in the “country club”. It’s one thing if he used it for networking purposes but it’s another if he used it for tennis playing purposes. There are much better free alternatives than to play tennis in the country club.
Fine dining is overrated if it’s not who you are. You have much better things to do with your time and money than to spend it on overpriced restaurants that you’re going to forget about in a year or two’s time. Money can buy happiness but not when it comes to the extravagant.
At that point, intrinsic happiness wins above all.
Fine Dining is Overrated: 9 Reasons Why
- Fine dining food doesn’t fill you up
- You’re not paying for the food
- You can get the same quality food for cheaper
- Fine dining is overrated because it doesn’t mean food tastes better
- You dress up and feel restricted
- The drinks are overpriced
- Fine dining is overrated because the eating rules are restrictive
- The people are pretentious
- Fine dining takes up too much of your time
