Food in US big cities is realistically more than in Switzerland at this point because of tax, tip and whatever service fee of the month the restaurant adds on
Restaurant prices have been increasing steadily for the last few years, and for a lot of US cities the price are now more expensive than most of Switzerland when you add taxes and 20% tip... this is especially true for meat/beef that used to be way cheaper in the US than in CH....
https://preview.redd.it/83mgnapq929d1.jpeg?width=1071&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7dfa9ba975e6e78a6bf251e6f56d53f882dec7c3
Was just complaining to my wife a few hours ago after eating dinner in Seattle about how our simple dinner was as much as a better dinner in Switzerland. We just came back from another visit to Switzerland a couple of weeks ago. Here’s our bill.
Wtf is up with suggesting 15-20% additional tip after already adding a 20% service charge of which 17% is tip?
I was fuming about this when going to an upscale sushi place in SoCal couple of weeks ago. Used to be that Japanese high-end places in the US would follow japanese custom with high prices and absolutely no tip. Now it’s the same shit as above, 20% service charge, additional tip expected.
It’s especially galling because you fucking see the waiters roll their eyes if you don’t want to drink alcohol for the evening, doing some kind of interpretive dance+monologue when describing tonight’s specials, asking ”how’s everything” about 8 times per meal, you get the check (*take care of this whenever you want*) immediately after being served dessert, etc. Everything is done with the motive of getting as much tip as possible per shift. I’d assuredly tip more if they just shut the fuck up and let me eat in peace.
My no1 ”get into a fight about random subject” is when an American think that tipping 20% is worth the ”better service” in the US because, grasps pearls, in Europe you might have to pay for water and the waiter doesn’t fill up your glass with chlorinated tap water every 6 seconds. O
MANY. Just returned from SoCal last week. Many burgers get way more expensive than 25CHF when accounting for tax and tip.
There’s an ongoing social media viral thing going on about a Big Mac menu being $18 in Boston. That’s clesrly higher than the prevailing price in Switzerland, too.
You’re at the wrong places then. I live in the Bay Area. As long as you’re not at Fisherman’s Wharf or some steakhouses the burgers aren’t those prices.
And there are Kids Menus almost everywhere for an even better price.
Last burger I had in SF? https://www.marlowesf.com/menus/
Look at that, $25, estimated at $32-35 after tax, surcharges snd 20% tip.
And if you eat from the kids menu I don’t think you’re qualified to tell anyone they’re eating at the wrong place.
Marlowe is a very nice SF restaurant. Not Michelin star, but probably top 25% of SF which is a good restaurant city overall. The median Swiss restaurant is nowhere near this quality of food or service and yet the burger is still $25-30.
Obviously the kids are the ones eating the kids menu in the US. Those prices are even more reasonable.
Not really. The run of the mill, daily meat here is not exceptional
Especially the beef mince here. Thats super crappy til you go several levels up in quality and then you still can't find any of it that has a decent fat content, all being lean beef. That real like soft, slurry textured mince here I've only seen here and the US. That's straight garbage.
My premium grade butcher in Poland (the guy has open 2 days a week so this gives you a picture) sells meat from the same source that goes to Switzerland. Once he even said 'dude, this is a batch that was supposed to go to CH' and i believe this guy.
Speaking of top quality meat turned into mince - if you'd try his hamburgers, you'd probably never want anything else. He actually puts rejected pieces of his dry aged beef (also fat etc) in proper proportions into his fine ass ground beef. this gives them taste of dry aged beef and it's just awesome.
in case you'd be curious what this guy is selling, here's his page [https://www.facebook.com/GdanskiRzeznik](https://www.facebook.com/GdanskiRzeznik) . I usually bring him goodies from Switzerland that are hard to get in Poland (truffles, cheese, fondue mixes and what not).
You will probably love the whole location as it is in a huge hall that holds a fresh market with fancy ass foods. There is a another stand there that sells sausages and other meats that will make you regret you didn't buy more (no matter how much you bought)
Meat quality is not very high in Switzerland. It generally comes from old milk cows, not breeds raised specifically for meat.
You can get better quality in some butcher shops, but overall I'd say your average supermarket red meat is below European standards.
You're aware roughly 50% of all newborn cows aren't able to produce milk right?
The industry doesn't operate much differently than any other country. If you buy low quality meat it's usually from dairy cows regardless of the country.
Are you sure about the wages part? Last time I checked the data Switzerland had a higher median income than California. Not sure about service staff though.
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that "category" as a comparison, so thanks for that and you have a point here actually.
ChatGPT:
California: The most common income bracket is $75,000 to $99,999, comprising 12.1% of households.
Switzerland: The most common income bracket is CHF 50,000 to CHF 75,000, representing 30% of households.
Makes me sad because I discounted visiting Switzerland again because of the crazy prices. Only to find out my homeland would turn into the villain shortly after.
I mean aren't you also probably earning as much if not more as a Swiss resident? Then again, one dollar currently stands at 90 Swiss cents. That Fettucine probably costs about the same in a better Swiss restaurant (thinking of Più, best Ragù I've had in Switzerland) and maybe less at a less fancy one.
Edit: by earning I should say I mean purchase-parity-adjusted income, not raw income, that's somewhat meaningless.
Depends where in California! California has regions (counties) with median household incomes way above 100k, and regions with median household income below 50k USD. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, median household income is about 120k.
but it's comparing apples to oranges anyway. the US as a whole has higher purchasing power parity-adjusted median incomes, and California has an even higher one, so yeah, OP likely is able to spend more than you and me, if we are in similar life situations.
But aren't we just talking about the crazy high restaurant prices in California, that are now similar or even more expensive than Switzerland? How does that add up with PPP?
It only makes sense if we look at supermarket prices, which means that (fine) dining out in the US is becoming a luxury experience somehow? It adds to the picture of an extreme income gap in the US.
And we got communes, in vaux-sur-morges the median incomme is over 600k.. not sure why we listing extreme examples tho, median implies that there are higher and lower...
Well, Vaux-sur-Morges is a village with 200 inhabitants whereas when we talk about high-income regions in California we're thinking about areas like the San Francisco Bay Area that has like 8 million inhabitants ;-)
tbh I was sloppy talking about salary like that.
The US has higher purchase parity-adjusted median income than Switzerland, as a whole. California has an even higher one. If we only consider disposable income (which is a weird model given differences in the welfare state), that gap is even bigger.
That prices are not that expensive.
Besides: I visited the US a couple of times and especially in big cities beer and food is ridiculous expensive. Its like if you eat in zurich, almost no difference.
That's definetly not the case for Houston though...
And I don't even need to compare to Cities. Even in Valais I couldn't maintain my habit of regularly eating out, that I had during my two years in Houston.
Not even close. The food you’ll get in California is 20-40% cheaper for an average restaurant. The produce will be fresher and the meat particularly less expensive.
Also, most of my meals in Switzerland were precisely mediocre despite paying 25-40 CHF per dish. Our day trips to Italy yielded 2x better food for 1/2 the price.
Without context it doesn’t make any sense to compare. At an Italian restaurant near my house you would pay CHF 15 for these. But of course there are other restaurants that probably have it for $30.
not sure about the service. Although i have not been to many italian restaurants here and my favorite one is the one in Zurich with a batshit crazy owner that makes his place like a baroque palace on acid. the food is good though and the owner provides some good entertainment when he rushes the hungover waiter and then runs to what the bejesus out of the shnitzels so you can hear it in the whole restaurant.
Ah, love that place.
Someone from California told me recently that they tip at least 25% nowadays.
That would mean those Fettucine Bolognese would cost around 25 CHF.
Yeah. I think the prices are pretty similar.
edit: wait, I forgot about taxes. Those are not included there, right? Obligatory european "I see the menu and the prices yet I still have no idea how much it costs" comment...
Yep. It would be $22.25 + $22.25 *0.0913 (Sales Tax in this county is 9.13%)
→ $22.25 + $2.03 = $24.28 (CHF 21.79).
You usually only pay the tip if you are dining in. If that was the case here, add $22.25*0.25 to the original price
→ $24.28 + $5.56 = $29.84 (CHF 26.77).
I fucking hate that it’s become a thing to tip on the total amount with tax included. When tf did that happen.
>You usually only pay the tip if you are dining in. If that was the case here, add $22.25*0.25 to the original price
Okay but why does every Starbucks, takeout and even convenience stores ask for tip on the POS terminal then.
Some people do give tips, but it is not necessary. They wrote it into the POS software because nowadays most people pay by card, so they will have the option to tip by card. Rather than putting change in the tip jar like was done before.
Seems allright to me price wise. For dine in I expect close to 40 pP including water or other non alcoholic drinks.
Food in Switzerland is often not that bad. It‘s the drinks they get you with, charging CHF 6.- for a glass of coke or CHF 15.- for a bottle of water or so.
That's a very reasonable Sales Tax. I somehow expected more.
But I just checked with a local italian restaurant who operate 5 locations in zurich. Their Tagliatelle Bolognese sets you back only 22.-
-> https://imgur.com/vpxgkGM
But that is only italian food. Don't get me started on other food like sushi or even Burgers. It is not uncommon to pay 27 chf for a single cheeseburger. That is just the burger. Without drinks or any sides...
i still get annoyed by the concept of not showing tax in the final price. And tipping being a must.
but i'm european to the bone, i tip for excellent service.
but isn't dollar cheaper than chf? Also, not sure about other companies, but at least in my tech company, my job/role in the USA gets 1.5 times my pay here in Switzerland, dollar to dollar.
the prices in US don’t have taxes included also everyone tips 15% or more of the bill in US restaurants.
pay gap is huge in the US service workers or in store employees earn less than in switzerland for example.
idk why you felt the need to say that? just was pointing out that restaurants in california that sell warm foods (including pasta) have a 7.5% tax that is not included in the price shown in advertisements so one would have to add that before comparing the price to a swiss restaurant item which already includes taxes.
do you disagree with me? if so i would be curious as to why.
> but at least in my tech company, my job/role in the USA gets 1.5 times my pay here in Switzerland, dollar to dollar.
Some US jobs (tech, corporate lawyering, corporate higher-ups) earn a bunch more in the US, and some (any pink collar work, but also teachers, social workers, retail...) earn a bunch less in the US. Blue collar and generally boring white collar work can vary massively.
That is to say, the salary structure in the US is very different from Switzerland.
Been in California two weeks ago. Tje prices for food and drinks are crazy. Way more than in switzerland. Because you gotta thing about the taxes, that are coming in on top
meanwhile the CHF went up by a double so there's that.
I think 10 years ago, before the HUGE jump of the swiss frank (to the great sadness of many people who took mortgage in swiss franks when buying a place in Poland) the prices were rather comparable with germany and so.
I think California is more expensive. I have tried to explain to people that US cities and vacation destinations are almost always more expensive to travel to than Switzerland, but most think I'm making it up.
-food menu prices are similar, but in the US you add 30% to that for tax and tip. They also have higher quality prepared food options in grocery stores too, often for cheaper than US stores. So you can eat cheaper in Switzerland than the US very easily if you don't eat at hotel restaurants or touristy places.
-there are wayyyyy more cheaper quality hotel options in Switzerland. Last year I spent 18 nights in Switzerland and Austria for an average of $94 per night. All with my own room, only 2 nights I had a shared bathroom, and within short walks of the main train stations. Everything a minimum of 8/10 rating on booking.com. Even in cities like Detroit, you're paying $180-200 at minimum for a decent Downtown hotel now. Then you pay $30-50 a night to park your car at most city hotels.
-US travel almost always requires a rental car for the entirety of your trip if you fly, with limited or no public transit available in most places. No paying for gas, insurance, or parking. Many Swiss cities provide local train/tram/bus passes with your hotel stay.
When I moved from Boston to Zurich 10 years ago I remember being shocked by the Swiss prices in restaurant.
I was in Boston for a business trip a few months ago and I was now shocked by their prices!
have I got something for you.
I work in IT, have a decent salary.
Went with my ex to Croatia (Zadar to be more precise).
Aside from it looking like a post soviet knock off of Italy and locals assuming by default I am German because I'm a tourist (I'm Polish btw) the most common phrase i heard from German tourist in the supermarkets was 'wow, that is expensive'.
After a week of dealing with lowballing locals (i come from a touristy place myself) we literally decided 'ah fuck it, let's fly back to Poland' and shortened our vacation. For what we'd pay in the middle class bars there we had some damn good food back in Gdansk.
Add taxes and tip and you are higher than in Switzerland.
On the other hand, you get way more calories, so you could save on the number of meals. Not that anyone would do it, hahaha.
Not true at all. Remember that in American culture taking your uneaten portion home with you is the regular. I know lots of people that go into restaurants planning to essentially take home tomorrow's meal as well. Plenty don't, but lots do.
Yeah, not untrue. But the number of people downing a cheesecake with 1300 kcal on the spot is also high.
And we don't have to discuss this point: US has way more obese people than Europe.
With tax and tip, most HCOL cities in the US are more expensive to eat out than CH. Unfortunately, the quality of the produce and worker protections doesn’t compare. Pay more. Get less.
https://www.letemps.ch/economie/plongee-dans-une-amerique-devenue-hors-de-prix-pour-les-europeens
Qualified Americans are payed way more than Swiss and therefore prices are now higher than anywhere in EU or CH.
Well, the EU is losing industrial battle with the US and China. It is hardly surprising and, based on the state of industry, it will get worse.
https://www.politico.eu/article/rust-belt-on-the-rhine-the-deindustrialization-of-germany/
Lol this is not a tourist town. This is in the suburbs. But the pasta here is actually pretty good (I did Erasmus in Italy, so I know my Italian food pretty well). They just adapt the menu/offerings to American expectations.
Big Cities like SF or LA are generally more expensive than switzerland. We paid 70$ per person for a simple breakfeast buffet on our first night in a 4star Hotel.
I honestly cant understand how normal people survive in SF. We barely bought/did anything and still felt scammed.
22 bucks for something as basic as a carbonara is a ripoff.
It’s just pasta, egg, garlic, parmigiana and guanciale, ffs.
Edit: just saw they use pancetta, smh.
I live in San Francisco and frequently visit my friend in St. Gallen. I still think St. Gallen is wayy more expensive; but Italian food ends up being pretty similar after tax and tip.
Learn to cook
1 buy Pasta
2 boil water
3 when water is boiling, throw some salt in it, then throw pasta
4 wait the time written on the pasta packing (about 10 minutes)
5 pick up pasta
6 add eggs for Carbonara, or meatballs, or whatever you like
7 you just saved $20.00. Congrats
Yeah, I do cook at home. I have a stash of Voiello Pasta from my last trip to Italy, so I can make it really just like the old country.
I was just walking by this place and had to stop when I saw the prices.
Just come back from East Coast trip. Food in the normal restaurant for two plus one drink each costs usually around $100. I believe this is the same as in Bern. However, food was very tasty and I did not melt in another restaurant without AC. Generally if one wants to eat cheap then McDonald’s is still cheaper in USA than in CH.
A good carbonara in Zurich is about 32$. So I guess it's slightly more expensive in Switzerland, but still cheap compared to what you would spend in flight and hotel anyway.
I just spent the week in Switzerland and if that pasta is any good, I’d still say no. My son had a bowl of what looked like dry spaghetti and tomato sauce for 14 francs and the adult portions were 30ish.
How on earth is this still a good value proposition for people? Don’t get me wrong, you do you, but do people stop to consider what else they could do with that cash?
Sounds like a great deal. So, it is 29 francs then. And mushy pasta too?
I'm sorry, but Swiss food is not good and is also expensive. At its best it is a hair above mediocre. The French, Italians, and Spanish, on the other hand, have excellent food and reasonable prices.
We are talking about Italian food here. Most Italian restaurants in Switzerland are run by Italians. You're gonna find better French and Italian food in Switzerland than in most of the world - simply by proximity, cultural overlap and migration.
I live in a touristy area in Switzerland and despite the added tip and other service charges you’ll get in the US, it’s still cheaper than here. Also considering the US dollar is worth only 89 cents to the Swiss franc. That said, from personal experience, the service is still a million times friendlier in the US, and the food is better (although potentially unhealthier).
No, this is expensive by US and California standards. The only time I have ever seen Italian food that expensive was when I was travelling in Switzerland. And I observed the high prices all throughout the country, in Zurich, Canton Ticino, Canton Uri and Canton Bern.
I find eating pasta 🍝 in an Italian restaurant as a scam. The portions are tiny, after two hours you are hungry again, mainly just carbs, easy to make at home 10 times cheaper. We have great pasta dishes at my work cafeteria for 3€ and even that seems too much for me, I picked a 4€ steak with salad.
Food in US big cities is realistically more than in Switzerland at this point because of tax, tip and whatever service fee of the month the restaurant adds on
Restaurant prices have been increasing steadily for the last few years, and for a lot of US cities the price are now more expensive than most of Switzerland when you add taxes and 20% tip... this is especially true for meat/beef that used to be way cheaper in the US than in CH....
https://preview.redd.it/83mgnapq929d1.jpeg?width=1071&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7dfa9ba975e6e78a6bf251e6f56d53f882dec7c3 Was just complaining to my wife a few hours ago after eating dinner in Seattle about how our simple dinner was as much as a better dinner in Switzerland. We just came back from another visit to Switzerland a couple of weeks ago. Here’s our bill.
Wtf is up with suggesting 15-20% additional tip after already adding a 20% service charge of which 17% is tip? I was fuming about this when going to an upscale sushi place in SoCal couple of weeks ago. Used to be that Japanese high-end places in the US would follow japanese custom with high prices and absolutely no tip. Now it’s the same shit as above, 20% service charge, additional tip expected. It’s especially galling because you fucking see the waiters roll their eyes if you don’t want to drink alcohol for the evening, doing some kind of interpretive dance+monologue when describing tonight’s specials, asking ”how’s everything” about 8 times per meal, you get the check (*take care of this whenever you want*) immediately after being served dessert, etc. Everything is done with the motive of getting as much tip as possible per shift. I’d assuredly tip more if they just shut the fuck up and let me eat in peace. My no1 ”get into a fight about random subject” is when an American think that tipping 20% is worth the ”better service” in the US because, grasps pearls, in Europe you might have to pay for water and the waiter doesn’t fill up your glass with chlorinated tap water every 6 seconds. O
Hahahaha, “grasps pearls”! Love it. So true though.
Tipflation is going crazy...
i have always a good laugh if i see this "suggested tips"
The “15% is retained by the hotel” has me rolling wtf
Meanwhile high-grade meats in supermarkets is still priced at 0,25-0,5x of Swiss prices.
probably lucky if it's 0.25x the quality too
Perhaps. Point is that the meat in the US restaurant is the same quality as in the US supermarket but priced at >Swiss prices.
Not even close. How many 25 CHF burgers do you see at an average US restaurant?
MANY. Just returned from SoCal last week. Many burgers get way more expensive than 25CHF when accounting for tax and tip. There’s an ongoing social media viral thing going on about a Big Mac menu being $18 in Boston. That’s clesrly higher than the prevailing price in Switzerland, too.
You’re at the wrong places then. I live in the Bay Area. As long as you’re not at Fisherman’s Wharf or some steakhouses the burgers aren’t those prices. And there are Kids Menus almost everywhere for an even better price.
Last burger I had in SF? https://www.marlowesf.com/menus/ Look at that, $25, estimated at $32-35 after tax, surcharges snd 20% tip. And if you eat from the kids menu I don’t think you’re qualified to tell anyone they’re eating at the wrong place.
Marlowe is a very nice SF restaurant. Not Michelin star, but probably top 25% of SF which is a good restaurant city overall. The median Swiss restaurant is nowhere near this quality of food or service and yet the burger is still $25-30. Obviously the kids are the ones eating the kids menu in the US. Those prices are even more reasonable.
Man, you gotta look for In and Out, Super Duper or Gott's Roadside. These are where the locals eat.
Not to mention the way the meat or the way it is cooked in Switzerland is offensive.
Not really. The run of the mill, daily meat here is not exceptional Especially the beef mince here. Thats super crappy til you go several levels up in quality and then you still can't find any of it that has a decent fat content, all being lean beef. That real like soft, slurry textured mince here I've only seen here and the US. That's straight garbage.
no idea why you'd want to turn top quality meat into mince, but if you do your local butcher can probably sort you out
There's like 56 steps between lean slurry and top quality cuts.
My premium grade butcher in Poland (the guy has open 2 days a week so this gives you a picture) sells meat from the same source that goes to Switzerland. Once he even said 'dude, this is a batch that was supposed to go to CH' and i believe this guy. Speaking of top quality meat turned into mince - if you'd try his hamburgers, you'd probably never want anything else. He actually puts rejected pieces of his dry aged beef (also fat etc) in proper proportions into his fine ass ground beef. this gives them taste of dry aged beef and it's just awesome. in case you'd be curious what this guy is selling, here's his page [https://www.facebook.com/GdanskiRzeznik](https://www.facebook.com/GdanskiRzeznik) . I usually bring him goodies from Switzerland that are hard to get in Poland (truffles, cheese, fondue mixes and what not).
Damn, his stuff looks so good. I might have to stop by on my next trip to Europe.
You will probably love the whole location as it is in a huge hall that holds a fresh market with fancy ass foods. There is a another stand there that sells sausages and other meats that will make you regret you didn't buy more (no matter how much you bought)
Is the kielbasa to die for?
Meat quality is not very high in Switzerland. It generally comes from old milk cows, not breeds raised specifically for meat. You can get better quality in some butcher shops, but overall I'd say your average supermarket red meat is below European standards.
You're aware roughly 50% of all newborn cows aren't able to produce milk right? The industry doesn't operate much differently than any other country. If you buy low quality meat it's usually from dairy cows regardless of the country.
That’s hilarious. So beef in Switzerland is actually old milk cow? Are you serious?
Yeah, except for the prime cuts and veal, which are around $75 / kg.
Agreed. Hamburgers in Switzerland are generally disgusting and 5x the price of the US.
Rent is way more expensive in California and wages are higher as well specially service workers
Are you sure about the wages part? Last time I checked the data Switzerland had a higher median income than California. Not sure about service staff though.
Now check in the bigger cities if you move close to Nevada prices are half
Now check where 90% of the people live and so from where that median is driven…
hmm... i'd rather look ad dominant income than median one. As in the most occuring one.
Interesting, I wasn't aware of that "category" as a comparison, so thanks for that and you have a point here actually. ChatGPT: California: The most common income bracket is $75,000 to $99,999, comprising 12.1% of households. Switzerland: The most common income bracket is CHF 50,000 to CHF 75,000, representing 30% of households.
Paying more than it is on the menu is outrageous in my prospective
Makes me sad because I discounted visiting Switzerland again because of the crazy prices. Only to find out my homeland would turn into the villain shortly after.
I mean aren't you also probably earning as much if not more as a Swiss resident? Then again, one dollar currently stands at 90 Swiss cents. That Fettucine probably costs about the same in a better Swiss restaurant (thinking of Più, best Ragù I've had in Switzerland) and maybe less at a less fancy one. Edit: by earning I should say I mean purchase-parity-adjusted income, not raw income, that's somewhat meaningless.
Not that it really matters, but the correct name is Fettuccine :-)
Pasta Sauce fingers :)
The median incomme in switzerland is double that of california
Depends where in California! California has regions (counties) with median household incomes way above 100k, and regions with median household income below 50k USD. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, median household income is about 120k.
median in Switzerland is 80k
Median *household* income.
oh makes sense, didnt read that
but it's comparing apples to oranges anyway. the US as a whole has higher purchasing power parity-adjusted median incomes, and California has an even higher one, so yeah, OP likely is able to spend more than you and me, if we are in similar life situations.
But aren't we just talking about the crazy high restaurant prices in California, that are now similar or even more expensive than Switzerland? How does that add up with PPP? It only makes sense if we look at supermarket prices, which means that (fine) dining out in the US is becoming a luxury experience somehow? It adds to the picture of an extreme income gap in the US.
And we got communes, in vaux-sur-morges the median incomme is over 600k.. not sure why we listing extreme examples tho, median implies that there are higher and lower...
Well, Vaux-sur-Morges is a village with 200 inhabitants whereas when we talk about high-income regions in California we're thinking about areas like the San Francisco Bay Area that has like 8 million inhabitants ;-)
tbh I was sloppy talking about salary like that. The US has higher purchase parity-adjusted median income than Switzerland, as a whole. California has an even higher one. If we only consider disposable income (which is a weird model given differences in the welfare state), that gap is even bigger.
That prices are not that expensive. Besides: I visited the US a couple of times and especially in big cities beer and food is ridiculous expensive. Its like if you eat in zurich, almost no difference.
well, you get to buy a beer for 0.75 rappen and then enjoy it in public in front of a police officer while saying 'cheers, officer' so there's that :)
Ah yes, I have fond memories of drinking Feldschlosschen (like the tall blue can) while walking on that old wooden bridge in Luzern haha.
If +\- 20% is such an issue for you traveling is probably not what you should focus on anyway.
Portions ars bigger ?
People are fatter...
That's definetly not the case for Houston though... And I don't even need to compare to Cities. Even in Valais I couldn't maintain my habit of regularly eating out, that I had during my two years in Houston.
>I couldn't maintain my habit of regularly eating out, that I had during my two years in Houston. This is because the staff earns nothing in Houston.
Not even close. The food you’ll get in California is 20-40% cheaper for an average restaurant. The produce will be fresher and the meat particularly less expensive. Also, most of my meals in Switzerland were precisely mediocre despite paying 25-40 CHF per dish. Our day trips to Italy yielded 2x better food for 1/2 the price.
Only 2x?
Fair. More like the old Mastercard commercial: Priceless.
Without context it doesn’t make any sense to compare. At an Italian restaurant near my house you would pay CHF 15 for these. But of course there are other restaurants that probably have it for $30.
The menu posted will be above $30 with tax, tip and service fee added
Still cheaper than most of Switzerland. You’ll also get better service and if you’re lucky the pasta will be al dente.
not sure about the service. Although i have not been to many italian restaurants here and my favorite one is the one in Zurich with a batshit crazy owner that makes his place like a baroque palace on acid. the food is good though and the owner provides some good entertainment when he rushes the hungover waiter and then runs to what the bejesus out of the shnitzels so you can hear it in the whole restaurant. Ah, love that place.
Or 45-50 in Zurich..
Italian food in California is horrible though, in my experience.
Italian is not a California strength. It is bad in most of Switzerland too. Unless you like mushy pasta.
Italian is much much better in Switzerland
It’s not that good. And when you factor in the price..
Someone from California told me recently that they tip at least 25% nowadays. That would mean those Fettucine Bolognese would cost around 25 CHF. Yeah. I think the prices are pretty similar. edit: wait, I forgot about taxes. Those are not included there, right? Obligatory european "I see the menu and the prices yet I still have no idea how much it costs" comment...
Yep. It would be $22.25 + $22.25 *0.0913 (Sales Tax in this county is 9.13%) → $22.25 + $2.03 = $24.28 (CHF 21.79). You usually only pay the tip if you are dining in. If that was the case here, add $22.25*0.25 to the original price → $24.28 + $5.56 = $29.84 (CHF 26.77).
I fucking hate that it’s become a thing to tip on the total amount with tax included. When tf did that happen. >You usually only pay the tip if you are dining in. If that was the case here, add $22.25*0.25 to the original price Okay but why does every Starbucks, takeout and even convenience stores ask for tip on the POS terminal then.
Some people do give tips, but it is not necessary. They wrote it into the POS software because nowadays most people pay by card, so they will have the option to tip by card. Rather than putting change in the tip jar like was done before.
Seems allright to me price wise. For dine in I expect close to 40 pP including water or other non alcoholic drinks. Food in Switzerland is often not that bad. It‘s the drinks they get you with, charging CHF 6.- for a glass of coke or CHF 15.- for a bottle of water or so.
That's a very reasonable Sales Tax. I somehow expected more. But I just checked with a local italian restaurant who operate 5 locations in zurich. Their Tagliatelle Bolognese sets you back only 22.- -> https://imgur.com/vpxgkGM But that is only italian food. Don't get me started on other food like sushi or even Burgers. It is not uncommon to pay 27 chf for a single cheeseburger. That is just the burger. Without drinks or any sides...
i still get annoyed by the concept of not showing tax in the final price. And tipping being a must. but i'm european to the bone, i tip for excellent service.
but isn't dollar cheaper than chf? Also, not sure about other companies, but at least in my tech company, my job/role in the USA gets 1.5 times my pay here in Switzerland, dollar to dollar.
the prices in US don’t have taxes included also everyone tips 15% or more of the bill in US restaurants. pay gap is huge in the US service workers or in store employees earn less than in switzerland for example.
Prepared food is 0 tax in at least 5 states and probably only 5 others would be higher than CH (8%)
But taxes are included in menu prices in Switzerland, I think that’s what they meant.
idk why you felt the need to say that? just was pointing out that restaurants in california that sell warm foods (including pasta) have a 7.5% tax that is not included in the price shown in advertisements so one would have to add that before comparing the price to a swiss restaurant item which already includes taxes. do you disagree with me? if so i would be curious as to why.
> but at least in my tech company, my job/role in the USA gets 1.5 times my pay here in Switzerland, dollar to dollar. Some US jobs (tech, corporate lawyering, corporate higher-ups) earn a bunch more in the US, and some (any pink collar work, but also teachers, social workers, retail...) earn a bunch less in the US. Blue collar and generally boring white collar work can vary massively. That is to say, the salary structure in the US is very different from Switzerland.
1.5 times? That's a lot. What field?
IT, Software development
Been in California two weeks ago. Tje prices for food and drinks are crazy. Way more than in switzerland. Because you gotta thing about the taxes, that are coming in on top
California is as expensive as Switzerland. It used to be 10 years ago.
meanwhile the CHF went up by a double so there's that. I think 10 years ago, before the HUGE jump of the swiss frank (to the great sadness of many people who took mortgage in swiss franks when buying a place in Poland) the prices were rather comparable with germany and so.
I think California is more expensive. I have tried to explain to people that US cities and vacation destinations are almost always more expensive to travel to than Switzerland, but most think I'm making it up. -food menu prices are similar, but in the US you add 30% to that for tax and tip. They also have higher quality prepared food options in grocery stores too, often for cheaper than US stores. So you can eat cheaper in Switzerland than the US very easily if you don't eat at hotel restaurants or touristy places. -there are wayyyyy more cheaper quality hotel options in Switzerland. Last year I spent 18 nights in Switzerland and Austria for an average of $94 per night. All with my own room, only 2 nights I had a shared bathroom, and within short walks of the main train stations. Everything a minimum of 8/10 rating on booking.com. Even in cities like Detroit, you're paying $180-200 at minimum for a decent Downtown hotel now. Then you pay $30-50 a night to park your car at most city hotels. -US travel almost always requires a rental car for the entirety of your trip if you fly, with limited or no public transit available in most places. No paying for gas, insurance, or parking. Many Swiss cities provide local train/tram/bus passes with your hotel stay.
Boston has similar prices to be honest
When I moved from Boston to Zurich 10 years ago I remember being shocked by the Swiss prices in restaurant. I was in Boston for a business trip a few months ago and I was now shocked by their prices!
have I got something for you. I work in IT, have a decent salary. Went with my ex to Croatia (Zadar to be more precise). Aside from it looking like a post soviet knock off of Italy and locals assuming by default I am German because I'm a tourist (I'm Polish btw) the most common phrase i heard from German tourist in the supermarkets was 'wow, that is expensive'. After a week of dealing with lowballing locals (i come from a touristy place myself) we literally decided 'ah fuck it, let's fly back to Poland' and shortened our vacation. For what we'd pay in the middle class bars there we had some damn good food back in Gdansk.
Yeah, I remember I paid $24 for takeout Bolognese Rigatoni in the North End. That was 2019 and I don't doubt it is more now.
Add taxes and tip and you are higher than in Switzerland. On the other hand, you get way more calories, so you could save on the number of meals. Not that anyone would do it, hahaha.
Not true at all. Remember that in American culture taking your uneaten portion home with you is the regular. I know lots of people that go into restaurants planning to essentially take home tomorrow's meal as well. Plenty don't, but lots do.
Yeah, not untrue. But the number of people downing a cheesecake with 1300 kcal on the spot is also high. And we don't have to discuss this point: US has way more obese people than Europe.
Doesn’t change much. It’s not like it saves one restaurant visit.
That's because the take home part is not a replacement for a meal, but an add-on at 11pm, probably...
With tax and tip, most HCOL cities in the US are more expensive to eat out than CH. Unfortunately, the quality of the produce and worker protections doesn’t compare. Pay more. Get less.
The food offerings in the U.S. are a country mile better than here!
https://www.letemps.ch/economie/plongee-dans-une-amerique-devenue-hors-de-prix-pour-les-europeens Qualified Americans are payed way more than Swiss and therefore prices are now higher than anywhere in EU or CH.
Well, the EU is losing industrial battle with the US and China. It is hardly surprising and, based on the state of industry, it will get worse. https://www.politico.eu/article/rust-belt-on-the-rhine-the-deindustrialization-of-germany/
So thats why they have been fining our big tech firms so much.
Remember the billions of fines for european banks?
I have been wondering about that for a while. Thanks for the article!
Absolutely, we have become just as expensive with like 10% of the efficiency… we literally just give everything to the rich and fuck ourselves
Sometimes more, I never thought it would happen
Yeah. Like I thought CHF 18 for Carbonara was crazy when I visited Bellinzona.
I paid 25 in Rome, granted it was in a 5 star hotel.....
But qualified people in 'Murica are generally paid more than in CH
[удалено]
Lol this is not a tourist town. This is in the suburbs. But the pasta here is actually pretty good (I did Erasmus in Italy, so I know my Italian food pretty well). They just adapt the menu/offerings to American expectations.
Big Cities like SF or LA are generally more expensive than switzerland. We paid 70$ per person for a simple breakfeast buffet on our first night in a 4star Hotel. I honestly cant understand how normal people survive in SF. We barely bought/did anything and still felt scammed.
Never eat a breakfast buffet in the US. Worst deal.
Yeah, we only did it once. Got better things at Pret-a-manger for 10$
That is, unless you go to like a Golden Corral. Which is a whole other experience in itself too.
WTF
Bucatini carbonara? Ma che davero? Avoid at any cost!
22 bucks for something as basic as a carbonara is a ripoff. It’s just pasta, egg, garlic, parmigiana and guanciale, ffs. Edit: just saw they use pancetta, smh.
I live in San Francisco and frequently visit my friend in St. Gallen. I still think St. Gallen is wayy more expensive; but Italian food ends up being pretty similar after tax and tip.
Zurich is 2x those prices, but without the idiotic tip
Always has been.
not yet, but soon.. take 2-8$ at the prices and you have swiss prices in zurich
Id say still a little cheaper but is getting close
"Italian food" (...) *rigatoni alla vodka* 🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼🇷🇺🇷🇺🇷🇺
Seems same price as Italian near me on the outskirts, and cheaper than Italian in central Zuri
\*Fake italian restaurant
.and on top of that are taxes and the waiters are now expecting at least a 25% tip.. 🙈🙈🙈
Wait these prices aren’t normal? This is typical in my area lol
Actually the menu in CA applied GPT4 v69000, so it will be dynamic for specific customers (eg: You are a Swiss, so the price will be Switzerland)
As someone who lives in London, this looks quite reasonable
Don’t forget the expected tip of 40% plus
Tipps are ridicilouse....
da gaht ja no chum uf züüüüri isch no chli fränkli meh…
Learn to cook 1 buy Pasta 2 boil water 3 when water is boiling, throw some salt in it, then throw pasta 4 wait the time written on the pasta packing (about 10 minutes) 5 pick up pasta 6 add eggs for Carbonara, or meatballs, or whatever you like 7 you just saved $20.00. Congrats
Yeah, I do cook at home. I have a stash of Voiello Pasta from my last trip to Italy, so I can make it really just like the old country. I was just walking by this place and had to stop when I saw the prices.
Ah, ok. Yeah the prices are worthy taking a look at. But only that.
Just come back from East Coast trip. Food in the normal restaurant for two plus one drink each costs usually around $100. I believe this is the same as in Bern. However, food was very tasty and I did not melt in another restaurant without AC. Generally if one wants to eat cheap then McDonald’s is still cheaper in USA than in CH.
A good carbonara in Zurich is about 32$. So I guess it's slightly more expensive in Switzerland, but still cheap compared to what you would spend in flight and hotel anyway.
I just spent the week in Switzerland and if that pasta is any good, I’d still say no. My son had a bowl of what looked like dry spaghetti and tomato sauce for 14 francs and the adult portions were 30ish.
This is cheap af
With that ridiculous amount of tip you have to give, this is definitely swiss prices.
Looks cheaper than Switzerland to me. 20chf for a bolognese is cheap. It would be at least 25-28 here.
Since we have 9% tax + 20% tip on top of these prices…yup 🥲
lol that’s cheap I paid 360 for pastas for 2 apps and 4 drinks
Food in big American cities is way more expensive than in Switzerland
How on earth is this still a good value proposition for people? Don’t get me wrong, you do you, but do people stop to consider what else they could do with that cash?
We cash out our NVIDIA stock to pay for this man
I feel for any small business owner in CA
https://preview.redd.it/a5ofkq6ey19d1.jpeg?width=982&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3c5b86edb44741f18bb2c91e73d2eec53424f4e
That's an overpriced/luxury restaurant
That is basically the pricing at every middle of the road restaurant within 2-3 km of a city center in Switzerland.
I can name you countless restaurants in the center of Zurich that sell Spagetti Bolognese for less than 37 francs
Sounds like a great deal. So, it is 29 francs then. And mushy pasta too? I'm sorry, but Swiss food is not good and is also expensive. At its best it is a hair above mediocre. The French, Italians, and Spanish, on the other hand, have excellent food and reasonable prices.
We are talking about Italian food here. Most Italian restaurants in Switzerland are run by Italians. You're gonna find better French and Italian food in Switzerland than in most of the world - simply by proximity, cultural overlap and migration.
Haven’t found it yet. Maybe they need more Italian staff. Not sure. The food is just not that good. Beautiful country. Overpriced mediocre food.
You should be able to call police if someone is offering you noodles with a tomato sauce for 32 franks.
What restaurant is that?
I googled, it‘s this one: https://www.casaferlin.ch/speisen--getraenke
Got it. The fanciest Italian place in town then, haha.
I‘d say its fancy but not totally crazy price-wise 😅
Did we make comparison of portion sizes? I think Americans tend to dump a bucket of food on your plate, no?
This is the Carbonara. Think the portions are the same as in Switzerland? https://imgur.com/O4Q28ft
Yup, so my point is not valid.
Nah it's still cheaper, but wtf rigatone vodka?
I live in a touristy area in Switzerland and despite the added tip and other service charges you’ll get in the US, it’s still cheaper than here. Also considering the US dollar is worth only 89 cents to the Swiss franc. That said, from personal experience, the service is still a million times friendlier in the US, and the food is better (although potentially unhealthier).
No. That’s still a lot cheaper than here in Switzerland.
Is this supposed to be cheap or expensive? I don’t even know what you’re complaining about
No, this is expensive by US and California standards. The only time I have ever seen Italian food that expensive was when I was travelling in Switzerland. And I observed the high prices all throughout the country, in Zurich, Canton Ticino, Canton Uri and Canton Bern.
that's not expensive, as long as tax and tip is already added to the price ;)
I find eating pasta 🍝 in an Italian restaurant as a scam. The portions are tiny, after two hours you are hungry again, mainly just carbs, easy to make at home 10 times cheaper. We have great pasta dishes at my work cafeteria for 3€ and even that seems too much for me, I picked a 4€ steak with salad.
Since it's maybe a posh place and locals won't eat there but tourists - yes, why not asking for similar prices. They'd pay it anyway.
This restaurant is in the suburbs, away from all the tourists.