On Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:42:28 -0700 (PDT), KevinS >
wrote:

> On Sep 10, 12:56*pm, aem > wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> > ' “We always, always hire the undocumented workers,” he said. “It’s
> > not just me, it’s everybody in the industry. First, they are willing
> > to do the work. Second, they are willing to learn. Third, they are not
> > paid as well. It’s an economic decision. It’s less expensive to hire
> > an undocumented person.” '
> >
> > So if restaurants replace all those workers, and raise prices to pay
> > them, will you eat out as much as before? * -aem
>
> My first thought - if prices were to rise - let's say arbitrarily 15%
> to 20% -
> I would not alter my dining out habits. If prices were to double, I
> would reconsider my habits and likely reduce the frequency of dining
> out.

We didn't change our dining out habits after restaurant workers were
paid a decent wage and prices went up. Restaurants have done a good
job here of watching the bottom line of a diner's wallet anyway.
There are plenty of $10-15 or $25-50 and early bird specials.
Something for everyone. Of course if you want to blow your whole
paycheck on one meal, there are still places that are happy to oblige.

Having two retired people in the household does mean that our income
has reduced somewhat and we don't eat out as much; but frankly we
didn't give it any conscious thought because we have the time and
energy to do more cooking at home now. I'm never happy slamming a
meal together in 30 minutes or less; because I enjoy the cooking
process and the end result.



--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.