Have you ever seen a plate in a restaurant and thought to yourself, “I paid that amount of money to get that?” I did, and the statistics support the reason why it occurs frequently. The total proportion of the American food budget spent eating out is now approximately 56 percent.
Notably, nearly one out of two people who dine out regrets what they ordered, according to ResearchGate (2024). It is not even good enough because 70% of restaurant food can be classified as nutritionally poor, Tufts University reports.
Even restaurants are not out of the game; restaurants with menus that feature popular picks or even have dollar signs removed can encourage people to spend more than they wanted. I have been a victim of the glamorous appetizer and melancholic overvalued dessert numerous times over.
Here are 10 menu items that rarely deliver value when dining out.
Chips and Salsa
Do you remember the good old times when you could get free chips and salsa at a Mexican place of your choice? In our time, most restaurants add an extra seven dollars to your check without you ever noticing it, and they call it a basket of fried corn tortillas with a small bowl of tomato puree. Suddenly, after realizing you can make the same thing at home for under $2, the side of guac loses its appeal.
Omelettes
Are you a breakfast lover? Then you would have come across an omelette on a menu costing you $ 13 or even higher. To put it into perspective, even the one at home, with all the fixings (ham, bell peppers, cheese), is roughly $1.35 on average.
Of course, it is convenient to have it ready, but at five times the expense? That’s a costly start to your morning.
Salmon and Shellfish
Seafood lovers, tread carefully. It sounds expensive to order a salmon, shrimp, or scallop, but their prices are usually sky-high as well. A shrimp cocktail, for example, will cost you $ 15 or less for a few pounds rather than one pound being raw in the store at about the same price.
And it could be worse; it has been proven that mislabeled seafood is widespread, so that wild-caught salmon could be farm-raised fish. Dining in? It is best to purchase fresh seafood from a reputable fishmonger.
Guacamole
It might be “extra,” but does it have to be that extra? Most restaurants charge a whopping $4 to $6 to dollop it on your taco or nachos, when the total cost to make an entire bowl at home comes to a total sum of $5.
Delicious? Yes. Worth the price? Debatable. Mix up some of your own and buy some tortilla chips, and pat yourself on the back later.
Fast Food Value Deals
A “value” menu sounds promising, but terms like “deal” or “box” don’t always translate to savings. Chains like McDonald’s or Taco Bell market these bundles as budget-friendly, yet menu prices for items like fries, burgers, and tacos have still risen dramatically in the last decade.
While these combos still have some appeal, don’t assume you’re getting maximum bang for your buck.
Iceberg Lettuce Salads
When you pay $10 or more for a salad containing nothing but iceberg lettuce, you are purchasing a bottle of tap water that retails for $5. Although iceberg lettuce is one of the least healthy and least expensive greens, these salads are often garnished with either croutons or shredded carrots.
Have a salad of nutritious spinach or arugula at home to get more value (and health benefits) out of it.
Dessert
It is a pleasure to order a dessert, that is, until the bill is presented. Any restaurant can sell a slice of cheesecake or a piece of lava cake for around $8 to $12. The markup is high when you add a simple fact that such a dessert is prepared using cheap ingredients such as sugar, eggs, and flour.
You can bake a whole cake at the same price and enjoy the sugar kick on the go.
Coffee and Specialty Drinks
No drink gets marked up quite like coffee. The same latte at a coffee shop, at $5, would only cost you a dollar if you made it at home. Specialty drinks like frappes? Delicious, sure, but they’re mostly ice and whipped cream.
Are you a coffee lover? Then, consider buying your beans and preparing your drinks yourself, which can save you a few hundred dollars a year compared to buying them.
Appetizer Platters
Appetizer trays seem like an entertaining way to try a variety of flavors, but they come with a high price tag. The high cost is justified because restaurants typically offer a sampling of everything, but you can usually pay more than you would by opting for one starter.
Sharing smaller, individual appetizers is a more sensible approach.
Bottled Water
$3 for bottled water in a restaurant? That’s a hard pass. Ask your server for tap water instead. The majority of restaurants also provide filtered water, and you would likely be unable to taste the difference, regardless, during a blind taste test.
Key Takeaway
Dining out doesn’t have to mean emptying your wallet. Most menu selections, such as chips and salsa, guacamole, seafood, and salads, as well as coffee drinks, are heavily marked up against the cost you would spend when reproducing the dish in your kitchen.
With an understanding of where the money goes, one can enjoy eating out without buyer’s remorse. The next time you glance at a menu, consider the prices that are often disguised by some of the trendy meals. Your stomach and wallet will thank you.
Disclaimer–This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
Disclosure: This article was developed with the assistance of AI and was subsequently reviewed, revised, and approved by our editorial team.
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16 Grocery Staples to Stock Up On Before Prices Spike Again
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I was in the grocery store the other day, and it hit me—I’m buying the same things I always do, but my bill keeps getting higher. Like, I swear I just blinked, and suddenly, eggs are a luxury item. What’s going on?
Inflation, supply-chain delays, and erratic weather conditions have modestly (or, let’s face it, dramatically) pushed the prices of staples ever higher. The USDA reports that food prices climbed an additional 2.9% year over year in May 2025—and that’s after the inflation storm of 2022–2023.
So, if you’ve got room in a pantry, freezer, or even a couple of extra shelves, now might be a good moment to stock up on these staple groceries—before the prices rise later.
