Why Eating at Home is a Better UX
Restaurants tend to be expensive, often have parking that is a hassle, and then they expect you to wait in line to get a table. Once you get seated, you could easily have a screaming child at the next table with parents that have tuned out, or a waiter that ignores you for long periods, or food that comes out extremely slowly, or find that it is impossible to get the check. Perhaps these issues don’t bother some customers, but for many people they are an excuse not to go out to eat. When potential customers are trying to spend money at a business, and that business simply isn’t providing a sufficiently good end-to-end user experience, those customers tend to go elsewhere over time.
The alternative to braving the less-than-reliable restaurant scene is of course to eat at home. While it has its downsides of extended preparation time, having a large kitchen and supplies, and having to do the dishes, there are considerable advantages.
Choosing your own ingredients
It is rare to see a bartender creating a bloody mary from scratch these days because it takes more time and it requires some training. A friend and I collaborated on an optimal recipe which involves eleven ingredients. It is one of the best bloody mary’s we have tasted and it’s not difficult to make if you have the ingredients. You simply can’t buy one of these anywhere and you have the advantage of knowing what you are eating. Most restaurants have very little transparency in terms of an ingredient list in their food, so if you are low-carb, or lactose intolerant you often have to interrogate a waiter to understand what is going into your body.
Quantity and types of food
Trying to get a decent portion size at some restaurants can be challenging. When you cook for yourself you decide how much to cook. Some restaurants have a half-portion, or extra-large option, but most don’t allow customization. Also for those on a protein diet it can be hard to modify orders to be only meat, or to replace carbs with other items. Additionally, trying to find certain dishes, such as a dry rub hickory BBQ chicken can be nearly impossible, but very reasonable if you are doing it yourself.
Affordable access to high-end foods
Ingredients like lobster, fresh oysters, or other more labor-intensive items are often hard to find, or sold in very small quantities at high prices. Preparing your own meals means you can purchase these items from the distributor of your choice and reasonable prices, buy larger quantities, and prepare them in the way you personally enjoy. Seafood seems to be unnecessarily high-priced at many restaurants, probably because of it’s brand recognition as a higher-class food item.
Custom orders and being artistic
Making dishes at home means that you can experiment with a range of ingredients and incorporate surprise items brought by guests. Dragonfruit-lychee gimlet anyone?
Socialization without distractions
Many restaurants are balanced in favor of bothering you every five minutes and trying to ensure you leave your table as rapidly as possible so the next customer can spend money there. Trying to find a nice bar with couches and music low enough to have a conversation can be nearly impossible, but it’s easy to craft that kind of space at home.
Outdoor patios and fire-pits can be found at some restaurants, but they often refuse to take reservations for these areas, and there are frequently lines. Eating at home means that you can create spaces in gardens and next to pools that are extremely relaxing to guests.
In summary, eating at home does mean more work, but it can bring significant benefits in terms of food quality and the environment you socialize in. It also poses an interesting thought experiment as to how a restaurant could feel more like eating at home, without the downsides.