Price gouging by the pub, restaurant & hotel industry

16 euro is hardly expensive for a main course to be fair.

Stop here regularly on the way to Donegal, great spot.

They have consistently been €1=£1 for years as well, there's still value out there!

You're calling other posters out for being disingenuous for picking cheap restaurants in Paris, while being disingenuous yourself and picking a restaurant with 3 Michelin stars as your own comparison.

The original point was that Marrakech is a poor comparison because the standard of living is so much lower. A point was made that Paris has a SOL equal to, if not higher than here, so their prices should be more in line with ours. Showing a relatively cheap restaurant in one of the food capitals of the world certainly does imply that Ireland is a rip-off, that's the entire point of the post and indeed the thread.

We are being ripped off and it will come back to bite the restauranteurs in the arse. You seem to be defending this for some reason.

Average restaurants and even pubs charging €9+ for soup or €20 for a salad, €6+ for a pint and €18+ for a burger is simply unsustainable. People simply won't pay it. More than 45 restaurants per month closed in 2023, over 50 in November alone. Couldn't even hang on until the lucrative Xmas period. It's just unsustainable, and people will vote with their feet/wallet.

SME's are being squeezed out of existence in this country. Overheads ridiculous, VAT nonsensical, rates ludicrous... Could go on and on.

Plenty of people commenting wouldn't be able to run a business for a week.

Since I was shocked at the prices for a few nights away over the summer I booked further afield.

2 nights in Amsterdam, fly Aer Lingus, booked short term parking to splash out, 4* hotel city center hotel, Tues to Thurs night mid Aug = €745

vs

2 nights Croke Park Hotel = €688(dont think there any concerts on)

For a big feed of buttery mash, soft vegetables and a bit of turkey with stuffing, I'd say it's dear enough, especially considering it's not Dublin, Cork or Galway I'm in.

But anyway, having looked at the menu as I haven't been there a while, the mains are almost all now €20 minimum.

Greed, is the simple answer.

Not being able to see that short term gain is trumped by long-term loss of custom.

Guilt tripping is never gonna work. I would give fellas a break over it though - they could be under a lot of financial pressure, working crazy hours n no staff etc etc.

Local fella was at the same here on Facebook when Celtic tiger died, he tried everything to keep the lights on - line dancing, Texas holdem, quiz's etc. his had massive heart attack n had to pack it in, stress n boozing nearly killed him.

Meat and salad sandwich in the Greengrocer Castlemartyr yesterday for €2.70; nice bread, decent ham, nice homemade coleslaw and fresh lettuce. Seating upstairs to. Best deal in Ireland.

Was charged 5.50 for a similar sandwich worse in every way in Eurospar Dungarvan lately.