r2i forum

I prefer to eat daal/roti at home. Not because I am getting old but because I am becoming stingy.
In the US and Canada, I carried my lunch box (leftovers from previous evenings) 3 to 4 days a week and almost twice a week ate at foodcourt restaurants that took away my $6 and gave me back some coins. Along with enormous amount of nuked noodles and fried chicken doused in myriad sauces. With enough sodium to make me absorb moisture from the atmosphere.

In India, any chicken dish costs Rs 150++ even in a small restaurant of bad quality. 8 pieces of chicken tikka costs Rs 200. Compare that with chicken skewers in any greek foodcourt restaurants.
Any veggie dish costs Rs 150+ in the same restaurants. Even freaking steamed rice costs Rs 60...compare that with a pile of noodles in a chinese restaurant in the US foodcourts.

I wonder why food costs so much in India. And we are talking about roadside restaurants that probably don't even pay any taxes or good salaries to their staff. When upmarket restaurants in India cost as much as their western counterparts, I understand but why do even roadside dhabas cost so much?

more and more families are becoming dual income and once both people start earning there ego stops them doing chores at home, the first thing they look to cut down is cooking at home and work involved cleaning dishes etc.
there are few families where dual income couple cooks at home - trend is increasing and restaurants are expensive.
the people who like to cook at home, wants to open restaurant to make money - its a big circle:wink

mn_op;477548....
I wonder why food costs so much in India. And we are talking about roadside restaurants that probably don't even pay any taxes or good salaries to their staff. When upmarket restaurants in India cost as much as their western counterparts, I understand but why do even roadside dhabas cost so much?

I agree. Generally food (at restaurants of all types) is extremely expensive in India. You are right about Rs 60 for a plate of plain rice. On my recent trip to India I once had a dinner at one of the average restaurants in Nagpur. A plate of Chicken curry with 4-5 pieces of chicken was Rs. 150 and a plate of rice was Rs 60. That is expensive for the kind of restaurant it was. Anyways.... what is even more expensive is food at the airports. If you look at the food prices inside and outside the US airports, there is not much difference. But in India food and alcohol are extremely expensive at airports. A 12oz bottle of Kingfisher is Rs. 300 at the Mumbai's International airport and food is expensive too. Though, the restaurants at Mumbai's internationl terminal are great. A lot of choices. There is this place called Spice Bazzar. They have a buffet for Rs. 450. Not huge number of items but whatever they had, looked good. And considering it was buffet, Rs 450 did not seem too expensive compared to other places where you would end up paying more than Rs 300 for a curry of some sort and a plate of rice.
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In India every body is looting as they think "money grows in the plant"

If you want stay at night in a decent hotel, it is ridiculously expensive and quality is no where near even that of US Patel motel.

One night stay can cost Rs. 20,000 in decent hotel in a metro city in India. Here we look for bargain for $89/per night at Holidayinn express etc.Sometime less than that.

Chakraan;477555
One night stay can cost Rs. 20,000 in decent hotel in a metro city in India. Here we look for bargain for $89/per night at Holidayinn express etc.Sometime less than that.

:) We weren't born yesterday. Even TajMahal hotel in Mumbai charges Rs 8550 for a room - now perhaps Taj Mahal is not a decent hotel.

It is BLACKMONEY my friend!! Restaurant food cost is directly proportional to Real Estate Rent as rents are so exorbitant these days in Metros/Tier-2 Cities, he owners just hijack the rent frequently as they know the restaurans are making money. The present generation Indians do not cook much as most of them are very busy and tend to eat outside thereby pushing demand. When the restaurants pay too much towards rent, they pass the cost to consumer like us. Most of the restaurant do not pay taxes and operate everything in Blackmoney where they pay in cash to owners who again do not declare the rental income and its' BLACKMONEY everywhere....

When there is too much population eating outside, naturally the demand is tuned to Hotel owners who are dictating terms with increased rent, increase food costs due to several layers of middle men, ineffective government where the sales tax authorities just takes bribes eating free dosa along with parcel service - It's complete corruption to the core :-(

Desi;477557:) We weren't born yesterday. Even TajMahal hotel in Mumbai charges Rs 8550 for a room - now perhaps Taj Mahal is not a decent hotel.

Which Taj hotel are you talking about? The Jhumritalaya one? Every city and town in India will have one "Taj hotel"

This is Delhi rate:

http://www.agoda.com/asia/india/new_delhi_and_ncr/the_taj_mahal_hotel.html?asq=K%2b5kE6i4PmKSR2cQYAfqsqZKKSG2j7twoMNhrKtQwhcynTpRsFJwxdtrVT4qVyGgGhLmC8aMRr0O9%2bs9SO7FyKxUJcvEmpNwQ%2bJ74mSkq6c0Z%2b40jtasqxXuFjC2JRh0

Regilar price USD 593 (Rs. 31,000) per night, this site has huge discount at $258 = 258x53 =INR 13674.

I never stayed there but that is what I see the price on the net.

Chakraan;477560Which Taj hotel are you talking about? The Jhumritalaya one? Every city and town in India will have one "Taj hotel"

This is Delhi rate:

http://www.agoda.com/asia/india/new_delhi_and_ncr/the_taj_mahal_hotel.html?asq=K%2b5kE6i4PmKSR2cQYAfqsqZKKSG2j7twoMNhrKtQwhcynTpRsFJwxdtrVT4qVyGgGhLmC8aMRr0O9%2bs9SO7FyKxUJcvEmpNwQ%2bJ74mSkq6c0Z%2b40jtasqxXuFjC2JRh0

Regilar price USD 593 (Rs. 31,000) per night, this site has huge discount at $258 = 258x53 =INR 13674.

I never stayed there but that is what I see the price on the net.

You picked one of the costliest hotel in the country.

Check the rates at the Taj Palace Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai. It is a five star hotel.

http://www.agoda.com/asia/india/mumbai/the_taj_mahal_palace.html?asq=zu8RAFQaPA7TteFRzXiWRgTDeU2L6hwEJmP5JSaSKgajyP%2fK4OZrRKLg00nsPe%2fDkYE018msObSq%2bv4f10vWJGDVbnqT7smfq0%2flgiEHqrTWwBKcRkHof6ilc6r%2b6du%2b

Desi;477563You picked one of the costliest hotel in the country.

Check the rates at the Taj Palace Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai. It is a five star hotel.

http://www.agoda.com/asia/india/mumbai/the_taj_mahal_palace.html?asq=zu8RAFQaPA7TteFRzXiWRgTDeU2L6hwEJmP5JSaSKgajyP%2fK4OZrRKLg00nsPe%2fDkYE018msObSq%2bv4f10vWJGDVbnqT7smfq0%2flgiEHqrTWwBKcRkHof6ilc6r%2b6du%2b

Rates are varying with every search and date, very confusing

see this rate for the same hotel

http://www.agoda.com/asia/india/mumbai/the_taj_mahal_palace.html?asq=K%2b5kE6i4PmKSR2cQYAfqsqZKKSG2j7twoMNhrKtQwhf5ltfEKkTwrsFxZvko03EkyHSHa40NHuzieris%2fNn%2bkuSa%2b0%2bLrnNnyLfud%2b8sjZfB7TYvPDQKsb6fO6Oe0gAG&tyra=1|3


Added later:
This is the hotel that I refer originally as INR 20k for Hyatt kolkatta. regular price are all above 20k when I checked directly on their site some time back but this agoda site giving very good discount now a days which is around 8k, in a way you are right at this moment

http://www.agoda.com/asia/india/kolkata_calcutta/hyatt_regency_kolkata.html?asq=%2bJ%2bh6wVq0X94qbpWZgg2Nfc%2f1BSDqoImPi92L0MAs3YzwtxDM%2feOX2F2gzocsrwVqjeaAiotLZ8V%2fu0OoZ2sRR90S0ZzCokp%2bb2bnJODE7oJDgf2Qm90BoIwmgwbqAg7

But 8k is still expensive for me.

Chakraan;477564
But 8k is still expensive for me.

For a five star hotel? A comparison of Holiday Inn Express to Taj or Hyatt and deeming that hotels are expensive in India on comparative basis is incorrect way of going about it. The correct way is to pick hotels with comparable facilities.