I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
-
@MLE_online It is quite strange to me that for the price of a restaurant dinner and a couple drinks I can buy a low end laptop.
@mirth i know going out is expensive, but what restaurants are you going to/what budget laptops are you buying that the laptop is cheaper?
-
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online
Third spaces are important.Regardless of if they are a business for economic value generation. The fact that costs are rising and wages are slumping definitely effects businesses that provide spaces does matter.
Libraries, community centers, are also suffering from will to cut public services in order to cut taxes.
The wealthy used to compete with one another to try to donate their wealth toward public goods.
-
@mirth i know going out is expensive, but what restaurants are you going to/what budget laptops are you buying that the laptop is cheaper?
@MLE_online Oh, I don't go hardly at all partially due to the expense. Dinner for two with drinks in my city might be US $100 at the neighborhood Thai place to $400 for a fancier Italian place we like, and a low end Lenovo or HP laptop can be had for $200 to $300 delivered from Amazon or similar.
-
@ChuckMcManis if someone told me they would give me a movie ticket if i worked for an hour, i would tell them to fuck off. that's too much work to watch a movie
i agree. i'd work 15 minutes to get four movie tickets, though
-
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online I don’t know. $20 cocktails are too expensive, yet somehow $1000+ tickets for Taylor Swift are just fine…!
-
@MLE_online Oh, I don't go hardly at all partially due to the expense. Dinner for two with drinks in my city might be US $100 at the neighborhood Thai place to $400 for a fancier Italian place we like, and a low end Lenovo or HP laptop can be had for $200 to $300 delivered from Amazon or similar.
@mirth omg what! If I went to a thai place here, I would be looking at $25 for the meal and maybe $9 each for two beers, but, and with tip, it's like $50 maybe? About the same for a normal italian place of the sort that has candles stuck in chianti bottles on the tables
-
@MLE_online I don’t know. $20 cocktails are too expensive, yet somehow $1000+ tickets for Taylor Swift are just fine…!
@Dr_Bombay There was an article several months ago about swfities skipping meals to save money up to go to her concerts
-
@julescelt01 I saw that one!
-
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online I mean the majority of the article looks for me as being essentially about "ah how bad, we can't get our overpriced income by selling shitty poisons as we used to do for decades before, this unfair life forces us to really *change something*
or, even worse, to *start actually working* 
". -
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online This smacks of the same juvenoia that millennials slogged though with like. The paper napkin industry. The housing industry. The marriage industry. Etm.
Headlines like to blame younger people for just making up new culture and then tying it to economic trends that the previous generational culture propped up. I mean.
Yeah.Things are going to change. And honestly? The fact that folks aren't engaging in a ton of substance abuse makes me feel a little better about the world.
-
@MLE_online I mean the majority of the article looks for me as being essentially about "ah how bad, we can't get our overpriced income by selling shitty poisons as we used to do for decades before, this unfair life forces us to really *change something*
or, even worse, to *start actually working* ".@torf Running a restaurant or bar is a lot of work
-
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online For the same price I can pop a gummi and not feel like dogshit the next day
-
@mirth omg what! If I went to a thai place here, I would be looking at $25 for the meal and maybe $9 each for two beers, but, and with tip, it's like $50 maybe? About the same for a normal italian place of the sort that has candles stuck in chianti bottles on the tables
@MLE_online Figure $20+ entree x2, some appetizers, a few drinks, tax, and tip, $100 is about where it ends up. There are definitely some less expensive options but not a lot for sit down dining.
Edit: I realize I didn't specify but the only times I'm out for dinner are two or more people, I kind of forgot what it's like to be out on my own.
-
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online some multinational restaurant conglomerate executive is drafting a memo right now titled "stop thinking of our cocktails as 'expensive poison' and start thinking of them as "bicycles for your inhibitions'"
-
@cyberlyra I think a lot of people on those medications drink anyway ...
@MLE_online @cyberlyra tbf a lot of the people I know who do that had a drinking problem before they started the meds
-
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online or that everyone is poor now
-
@MLE_online Some restaurants have started adding a “labor surcharge” to the check, often accompanied by a big explanation somewhere on the menu, which all comes across as a backhanded way to build animosity towards minimum wage hikes. Rent is also an escalating cost for restaurants but I’ve yet to see a one collect a landlord surcharge.
Landlord surcharge!
-
@MLE_online or that everyone is poor now
@minervakoenig that's the same thing
-
@MLE_online For the same price I can pop a gummi and not feel like dogshit the next day
@disorderlyf glad that works for you! gummies give me anxiety, and im not the only one with that issue
-
I keep seeing articles like this, about how people choosing to drink less is hurting bars and restaurants, and it's almost always framed as people, especially younger generations, don't like to drink.
They never seem to bring up the fact that a cocktail is like $20 now unless you go to a really divey dive bar. It's the same kind of reporting they on how no one goes to the movies anymore. It's always about changing habits, and never that movie tickets just cost a lot now.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/dining/us-alcohol-restaurants.html
@MLE_online
a generation sees the mark-up and says fuck that. good.
