Even though restaurant prices have really gone up and up I still like eating out and in my favor many of these same places are always running specials to get people in. They have, in a lot of cases, either added an 'inflation charge' or are charging the customer the rate they have to pay the credit card company when you use one instead of paying with cash.
One of my go to places is the Jalisco Restaurant right across from Winn-Dixie on Federal highway where I do my weekly grocery shopping. Though they have been there over 15 years I have only recently been going to them and, so far, not a bad meal. They have a list on the back of the menu of luncheon specials and I have, little by little, been working my way through them from Fajitas to Burritos. Each lunch is started with chips and salsa plus a cup of delicious homemade soup.
Full service restaurants usually cost about $20 per person including tax and tip for lunch so with the 'special' prices the meal here costs about $15 including tax and tip and they are good and, a plus, filling!
Steak certainly isn't cheap even in regular times but the Outback chain has been running a few specials such as the one we had last week which was consisting of a 11 ounce sirloin, 2 side dishes and a soft drink for $19.99 (plus tax and tip.) I always have to remember to tell the server to tell the chef to go easy on the spices as they boast they use 17 spices on their steaks and that's too many--I want to taste the steak! I love their individual loaves of breads---okay, okay, so they serve one small loaf for 2 people but we never have a problem when we ask for another! In addition I had the broccoli and a fully 'loaded' baked potato. Being on their 'reward' program I got an additional $5 off so all in all a good steak dinner cost me $25