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Liam Collens's avatar

The bits toward the end about sandwiches reminded of this stand outside Cardiff Market where you could get a hog roast sandwich with apple sauce and enough crackling to put a dentist’s kids through private school. It was the best of times.

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Ben Walton's avatar

It’s a very good point about affordability, coinciding with the rise of bakeries. Affordable treats (even if we might baulk at the current price of a slice or a pastry).

Also it’s generally alcohol that whacks up your final bill and there’s less temptation (or indeed option) outside of a restaurant setting.

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Meg Houghton-Gilmour's avatar

It’s known as the lipstick effect I believe - that in times of financial hardship people treat themselves to less expensive items that are still considered little luxuries; i.e a trip to a bakery for pastry and coffee as opposed to a full blown dinner. Perhaps this is how restaurants are to survive this (hopefully temporary) period of near impossible margins.

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Ben Walton's avatar

I’m with you, I think a difficulty is the rent for a restaurant makes it a bit prohibitive as you probably need a higher spend.

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