“It’s Too Effing Expensive to Eat Out Anymore”

Most of them had weathered the pandemic, somehow, but by this time last year, Denver restaurateurs were fed up. Without some changes, they worried that the industry was cooked. Not only relatively new restaurants, like Noisette, were closing, but so were longtime mainstays.

The owners still in business were tired of balancing increasing costs — for labor, for supplies, even for rent, despite high vacancy rates — with keeping menu prices palatable. Finally, Visit Denver, working with Denver’s Economic Development & Opportunity department and inKind, created the Denver Restaurant Liaison Project. Together, they commissioned two industry veterans to research the state of Denver restaurants, and over the next six months, Dana Query and Adam Schlegel conducted dozens of interviews — not just with restaurateurs, but with city officials.

Comments from those interviews are sprinkled through the just-released report. And on the Westword Facebook post about the report, Denver consumers have plenty more to say, particularly about the cost of dining out. Says Craig:

High prices, high tips expected for bad service, and kitchen fees. No, thanks! I’ll throw ribs in the smoker at home

Adds Adam:

As someone who worked in service for over a decade and still loves to go out — the prices simply aren’t worth it anymore. Not only have prices risen to stupid levels, but service has seemed to decline at the same time. Servers just expect 20-25 percent on their bloated prices and put in little to no effort in to trying to make it a good experience.

Sorry, it just isn’t worth it for a family of four to drop over $100 for a meal that used to cost half as much, likely had poor service, and likely had diminished food quality and portioning. At some point, something has got to give…

Agrees Robert:

It’s too effing expensive to eat out anymore. We used to dine out once a week. Now retired, can’t do it. It’s out of whack. Prices up, quality and quantity down.

Suggests Larry:

The high prices to eat out in Denver are not justified by the low level of service and inconsistent food quality. The standards and expectations in Denver are so low compared to real food cities like NY and SF. That’s why we hardly eat out anymore.

Expands JP:

It’s the service IMO. I just got back from San Francisco. World of difference. Denver just isn’t a friendly city, and customer service is horrible here. I knew it wasn’t great and I guess I just got used to it but after being in the Bay Area for ten days, the contrast is overwhelming. It was sad to come back to a city that is so agro and grumpy all the time. Anyone else feel this way, or is it just me? Sure, if I know the staff, it’s different (if you are a regular at an establishment) but outside of that, it’s just not worth it. I hate going out for this reason.

Notes Joshua:

Prices are high, service fees are all over the place, food quality is inconsistent, service is generally inconsistent…There are a handful of restaurants I can rely upon for when I want a break from the kitchen, but otherwise it makes more sense to turn it out at home.

Also, maybe if restaurants would learn how to use a spice rack? I knew moving from New Orleans would be a radical shift, but there is far too much confidence in mediocrity here. Yall think you’re gourmetAF when you move beyond salt and pepper and throw a Hatch chile on top.

Comments Michael:

This narrative by restaurateurs is getting a bit fatigued. The wage -elated suggestions in the exec summary seem to make some sense; if implemented, would menu prices come down, thus tips as well, making it generally more affordable — or would the wage savings go into the pockets of the owners, more specifically the big groups like the two principal authors of the report? Those numbers get pretty big when applied to hundreds of employees. I’d like someone to research the number of restaurants over the last ten, twenty years. I’ve tried. I know the Excise office changed how some data is collected, but my suspicion is there are simply more restaurants than the Denver market can support. And how does it compare to the ‘burbs? And yet new places open all the time. God love the dreamers amongst us. And really this is but one, albeit vital, element of the broader “affordability” topic.

Counters Alex:

Every time I go to a good restaurant in Denver, it’s fully booked and walk-in only, regardless of the day of the week. I don’t buy this article

Offers Jason:

Good food and service on the regular can help us look past some pricing if not too unbalanced. BUT no politics, activism or other BS please, since that is always a turnoff no matter the cause du jour involved. That fatigue is real and I will NOT pay to be subjected to it by the establishment proprietor or employees. Simple as that. The far majority of the public (<85%) are not radical on either side so if that is the push upon visit we just move on and forget about that place. 

And then there’s this from Dave:

One of our weaknesses is grabbing hold of a trend, then pounding it into mediocrity. Breakfast burritos, pho, tacos, craft brewing, Korean fried chicken, Nashville hot chicken, ramen, tapas, dumplings, cannabis: We start with a few restaurants doing these amazing things. Eventually, we slit our own throats with oversaturation. Everything exists in a watered-down form, with little care for real quality. Churn n’ burn. Hit that four-year average lifespan, then watch as other restaurants, doing it worse but cheaper, start to kill you, slowly.

What do you think of the Denver food scene? Did you read the report ? (Find it here.) Share your thoughts in a comment or send them to editorial@westword.com.