I've always wondered why it wasn't cheaper to do take out
than eat at a restaurant. I'm not taking up a parking
space, table, using facilities, or taking up as much of the
employees time but I still incur that overhead.
You're also not buying high-margin drinks or being swayed to buy the specials (which are often used to balance inventory).
The impact of drinks really can't be overstated. As a booze-loving city, Portland restaurant's economy is especially interesting. At least half of the meals I eat out are at bars and you can get a quality meal for $8-12. But this all hinges on drinks subsidizing the rest of the meal.
