In a city where the cost of living crisis is spiraling, I’ve noticed that some of my friends are starting to use some unconventional tactics to save money.
On a recent occasion, I was having breakfast at a cafe with my friend Sofia* on Sydney’s Northern Beaches when she pulled out her pre-made overnight oats and started eating them like it was completely normal.
She had even been careful enough to bring her own spoon.
The Overnight Oatmeal Trial
Ummm.. what are you doing? I asked, annoyed, though a little envious of her money-saving hack.
Meanwhile, I had just inadvertently ordered a $30 breakfast, somehow oblivious to the economic crisis we find ourselves in.
Oh, I started doing that all the time, she replied matter-of-factly, nobody ever has a problem.
But as she continued to speak, I noticed the barista throwing a dagger at our table as if we had just taken money out of the wren.
And in a way, that’s exactly what my husband had done, wasn’t it?
Finally, a waiter came and politely asked her to leave, and she obliged even though she had LOT of inflation and inflation involved.
Fascinated to learn more about her strange habit, I spoke with her a little later in the week.
I just didn’t want to spend $20 for breakfast, I wanted a coffee from a coffee shop and that was it, she said. baby pot.
I realized it wasn’t a sit down restaurant so I could get away with it because it’s such a casual setting, but I definitely won’t be going back there.
Instead, she’ll be taking her oats elsewhere because she doesn’t plan on giving up her cost-saving hack anytime soon.
I will continue to BYO breakfast in the cafe, she said. Far away for sure.
Everyone doing it. I went out to a coffee shop the other day and my friend had brought their dark water bottle and was drinking an iced coffee they had made at home.
It may seem unethical, but Sofia says it’s clear why some people, including herself, do things like this.
People are paying more attention to what they eat and drink these days, but they still want to go out and socialize. So bringing your own food means you can do both, but still know exactly what’s in the stuff you’re consuming because you’ve made it. It’s just cleaner, she said.
Also, the food in the cafeteria is so ridiculously expensive, she added. It was something like $15 for a bircher pot, but it takes $2 to make my own oatmeal at home.
For anyone who wants to try this budget strategy for themselves, Sofia advises ordering your coffee in a grocery cup.
That way, if they ask you to stop eating your food, you can just grab your coffee and go, or move to a nearby outdoor spot.
The DoorDash Dilemma
In the same week, I witnessed another approach by friends to avoid expensive menu items.
My partner and I joined one of our couple friends for our local brewery’s trivia night and anticipating the poor menu, I ate before I came.
But our friend Oliver* had a more… creative solution in mind.
Halfway through the second round of questions, he discreetly pulled out his phone, making sure the quizmaster wouldn’t think he was Googling the answers, and ordered DoorDash.
I’m vegetarian and they only had one vegetarian thing on the menu which was a small mushroom burger which I didn’t want. It would probably be too greasy, so I wanted to get something that fits my diet and my health goals, he told me a few days later.
I knew I was being mean, but the risk was worth it to get a dinner I would enjoy and it wouldn’t cost a bomb, he explained. The subway I ended up taking was only $5 a foot long because I used a special offer. The burger was about $25 and didn’t even come with fries.
He says judgment from the bar staff wasn’t a concern for him because it wasn’t a formal enough place to warrant them making a scene. But if one of them had approached him, he said he might have been a little embarrassed at first, but would have told them they needed a better menu.
Of course, it’s their right to set their own rules for their business, but at the end of the day, the price of their menu is an indictment of the increasingly unbearable cost of living in Sydney.
And like Sofia, it’s not the first time she’s pulled this stunt, and it won’t be the last either.
“Every now and then, I might bring a little fishbowl to a coffee shop if I don’t like the food there, but my friend really wants to eat at a certain place,” she said.
If you’re going to do this, just make sure someone from your table buys something, don’t have visible packaging, and make sure you sit somewhere visible!
Hospitality workers weigh in
To get another perspective, I asked a waiter I knew if they had noticed an increase in this type of behavior.
I definitely started to see it pop up a little more, they said. As my manager would come right out and tell them, I try to be a little more understanding.
Times are tough and people are doing whatever they can to get by, so who am I to shame them?
But another cafe worker said baby pot she had a no tolerance policy for this sort of thing.
It’s rude, they said. You wouldn’t do it in a nice restaurant, so why do you think it’s okay in a coffee shop? We were still a business trying to make money, and it’s also difficult for us in this economy.
When that happens, I tell people, I can see you’re eating food that’s not from our restaurant. We have a wide range of food on the menu and are happy to accommodate any dietary requirements if necessary.
To clarify, we never have a problem with parents bringing food for their babies and toddlers. They bring their own dishes or use ours, which we accept. If that means adults can enjoy their meals, then so be it. But someone else, no way.
#Cheap #eateries #bring #food #cafes #moneysaving #trend #Times #tough
Image Source : nypost.com