The Americanisation of Eating Out

Monday 8th September

We really must be stupid but we are rushing headlong into an Americanisation of eating out.  We have had Supermarkets replacing Grocers, we have had our homegrown film industry dwarfed by the Hollywood Movie machine, our television more and more dominated by American series and now even eating out is being Americanised.  On Saturday we were in Frinton and fancied a quick lunch, nothing special, nothing expensive – just something to eat.  Most places were quite busy but we found a small café with tables free.  It was clean, quite smartly furnished with comfortable tables and chairs.  We ordered double egg and chips, a  coffee and a tea.  It all arrived quite quickly was well cooked and tasty.  Nothing special but good.  £10.  That was what it cost, and this was nothing special, it is about the right price for what we ordered.

On the way home today we stopped on the motorway at a Starbucks.  Two coffees, a bland Chelsea iced bun and an egg sandwich.  Taken away and eaten in the car, the food was boring and bland, the coffee quite poor and it cost £11.00.  And yet we are all taken in by this commercializing of eating out.  Starbucks has a huge presence on almost every high street, everyone has tried it, many choose it as their café of choice.  And yet it really isn’t very good and certainly not good value.  And if we aren’t careful this will be the only choice we have.  In London now, certainly in Central London it is harder and harder to find anywhere except a Starbucks or a Costa, those old traditional cafes are disappearing fast, and yet they offered excellent food and coffee at cheap prices.  No match unfortunately for the giant chains as the Americanisation of eating out rolls over all in it’s path.