Picked up one of the UK mags recently: Classic Bike Guide. Nice rag, lovely Metisse on the cover...yada yada.
Inside, there's a pic of a Royal Enfield in Nelson's Diner. Sign claims "A Taste of the USA".
Curious that. *I'm* in the USA (Chicago), and I'm no stranger to a burger or two, so I do a little research. Found their menu. (http://www.nelsonsdiner.co.uk/menu2008.pdf)
Hmmm, looks a bit expensive, thinks I. So I do a bit more research, found a local joint that has: A) a reputation for being a bit spendy, and B) an online menu. (http://www.zagat.com/Verticals/Menu.aspx?VID=8&R=91252&HID=500003859)
(The text 'menu' is the clickable link for both.)
Then I think, Boy howdy, is that place normal for the UK?? But I cannot answer that. The prices, just in raw numbers, not currency numbers, are higher for the UK Nelson's Diner, than for Ed Debevics, IN Chicago, which ain't cheap eats, no matter where you go (meaning in the city proper).
Now if you consider the currency aspect, Nelson's is, to me, so incredibly expensive that those same prices HERE, would mean that you actually could not even GET a burger, because at those prices, the clientele doesn't want to see a burger on that menu.
Question is: Is Nelson's Diner, (A339 Newbury Road, Kingsclere, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 4TA) considered the norm for ordinary English folk??
Cosmo (wordy, ain't I)
P.S. Cheapest Nelson burger, at £8.85 ($14.50) compares to Ed's at £4.57 ($7.50).
Yes and no! Those are reasonable prices for a premium place, Berkshire is quite pricey, and though I don't know the place personally, Kingsclere is a well to do area.
Chains over here, that is McD and Burger King are about £6 for a meal, that place looks like its selling point is being American as apple pie! For that you pay a premium.
You can get pubs that charge the same as that round here, and some even more. One of the best "Food Pubs" round here start at about £10 for a main and go up, Sunday Lunch there is £15.
Gresy spoon cafes and truckstops do exist over here you just have to know where, ther you could get a meal for £4 to £6 easily.
You pays your money and you takes your choice. If it's any consolation if you walked into Nelsons in full leathers my guess is you'd be a tad underdressed.
In general you're going to find restaurant fare in the USA is much cheaper than in central/western Europe. I used to work with a lot of Brits (for those of you who shop at Sainsbury's, that's my software running those stores: I deserve the blame!) They were constantly amazed that eating a good meal in the US was so cheap. One of them told me it was cheaper than grocery shopping and making your own meals in the UK.
Cosmo, that's about right for a reasonable burger in a restaurant in Newbury.
Pay more...get less. Welcome to England. But why stop with Newbury....
Try London for that authentic, bitter taste of being ripped off. You could probably double the prices at Nelsons in the better end of the city and then enjoy the thrill of paying £4.50 for a pint of beer. :shock: :roll: :evil:
Food ain't cheap in the UK... but you're not paying an 18% tip on top of the price either.....
oxnsox you're right about the tipping thing. But I think the Brits I worked with told me it was still considerably cheaper here in the US for a restaurant.
Quote from: "nickcalne"....Try London for that authentic, bitter taste of being ripped off. You could probably double the prices at Nelsons in the better end of the city and then enjoy the thrill of paying £4.50 for a pint of beer. :shock: :roll: :evil:
:ImaPoser you should try Paris!!! I alsways thought we had it bad in the UK until I went to Paris last November. £6 for a Costa Coffee, £7 for a small 0.3CL bottle of Leffe beer.... :shock:
That's very interesting to me, a bloke who has not been able to travel much (I'm cheap, and usually broke :) )
Are wages better, then??
Good wages here, in Chicago, are about £25,000 ($40,000), though I made near £37,000 last year. Spent about £40.... :(
Cosmo
I took a pay cut over last year, too. Second time in my life, this time I couldn't do much about it. Thankfully I've always been really freaked out about being in debt, so I was able to adjust fairly easily.
I feel for a lot of folks still lookin' for work. I think we need a real manufacturing sector in the US of A. Nothing against the Chinese people, but having everything done over in China and then having the Chinese currency artificially deflated is just Mutual Assured Destruction without nukes, that's all. Not moving forward. Of course SOME people make a lot of money under this scheme, but not most people; certainly not us (I think).
Oops, thread hijack, I'll shut my piehole now.
You want really silly, the average house price in the cotswolds (yeah it's expensive here) is £324,000, the average wage is £18,000.
you can get a mortgage for, at best, 4 times your salary!
Wow, that's a horrible ratio! Although sadly that ratio didn't stop people from buying homes here, which was the bigger problem.
Quote from: "Colonel Nikolai"I took a pay cut over last year, too. Second time in my life, this time I couldn't do much about it. Thankfully I've always been really freaked out about being in debt, so I was able to adjust fairly easily.
I feel for a lot of folks still lookin' for work. I think we need a real manufacturing sector in the US of A. Nothing against the Chinese people, but having everything done over in China and then having the Chinese currency artificially deflated is just Mutual Assured Destruction without nukes, that's all. Not moving forward. Of course SOME people make a lot of money under this scheme, but not most people; certainly not us (I think).
Oops, thread hijack, I'll shut my piehole now.
What I don't get is the hypocrisy of turning China into the factory of the world, then giving her a hard time over her carbon footprint :?:
Average salary for the UK is £24,000, I'm told, Enough for a burger in Nelson's - just!
What makes the transatlantic thing interesting is the variance in the exchange rate.
Sometimes a pound is worth $1.25 and sometimes it's nearly $2.00.
:shock:
QuoteWhat I don't get is the hypocrisy of turning China into the factory of the world, then giving her a hard time over her carbon footprint
You're right. It is hypocritical: I think since the US and the Chinese economy has in many important aspects (shudder) become one economy with two parts in the last 20 years, maybe we should take responsibility as say it's *our* footprint, not *their* footprint and act accordingly.
I like positing that buying Chinese is patriotic.
I like the reaction, like I just pissed in their Wheaties (US breakies cereal)
Yet, considering all the money we (USA) owe China, buying Chinese IS patriotic, it's paying off our nat'l debt.
And while there are a lot of folk whinging on about buying "American Made" and all, there are 47 times as many buying the cheapest crap possible - and lovin' it.
When you are the only one buying from a business, said business will close tomorrow.
Back on topic: methinks it doesn't matter so much the exchange rate, as the wage to price ratio stays the same, unless it's me buying you the pint.
And, to me, a pint's just not worth a Hamilton.
Cosmo
Except that the price of durable goods are pretty much fixed worldwide. A cheap, new 150cc motorbike is about 2500 bucks or 115,000 Rupees or 17,000 Yuan. No matter where you live. And the Chinese buying US treasuries means that they're _financing_ our debt not paying it, last I checked?
There are some benefits to buying the best value regardless, as you theoretically spur the best producer, no matter what the nationality. But this has rarely worked out straightforwardly in the past. When you outsource the making of the product somewhere else, soon you outsource the know-how of making and designing it, too. We've already seen major sectors of the US economy follow on with relocating the R&D after outsourcing the manufacturing overseas. All fine and dandy when it's salad-shooters and cutlery. Problematic when nobody here knows how to make a car, microchip or a rocket anymore. Then all you have left is "rent-seeking" activity like patent trolling, financial chicanery and political string-pulling.
Ooops. Too late.
Can't agree Nic.
You're letting someone else do what they do best to allow you to do what you do best... innovate
And whilst they're focused on making cheaper grape peelers you're designing something better.
There will always be competition between companies and countries to make things cheaper.. but you shouldn't restrict competitiveness thru regulations and subsidies, all you doing then is stiffling innovation
Well it certainly sounds like a good version of the story. And some economists would agree with you. Some would not, however. Those economists cite history which shows that developed nations historically heavily protected certain sectors to foster innovation on their own shores. Most economies have import quotas on certain key goods. Even the US. If that weren't true my Toyota would never have been built in Tennesee like it was. Would it be good to remove import tarrifs across the board? Sure, but not unilaterally. Whenever we've done that other countries haven't followed suit. So we just devastate that sector. They aren't stupid, why should we be?