• Leraje@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    1 year ago

    Sad and accurate. Energy bills + cost of living + the political event that cannot be named here and suddenly a traditional meal that we all expect to always be there and always be good value is just too expensive. Two small cod + chips is £20 near me these days.

    Pubs are going the same way too. I don’t mean the big soulless chains like Spoons but the smaller locals. Since COVID, 4 pubs in my town have closed, unable to compete. The ones that survived aren’t cosy locals anymore, they survived by having themed events two or three times a week. I don’t blame them but it seems the days of just nipping into the pub for a quiet pint or a chat with your neighbours are gone.

    • Risk@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      24
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      This is happening because our wages haven’t kept up with rising costs. Otherwise paying £20 for a fish and chips wouldn’t be an issue.

      • Leraje@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        14
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yep, that plays a significant part too. But when you’ve got a fryer who’s monthly running cost has gone from £600 to £2000 that’s unsustainable.

        • Risk@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          1 year ago

          Of course - unless your prices increase to match, which requires consumer prices to increase to match too.

          My angry point is - small, independent businesses shutting down is inherent to the system as it stands.

        • david
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          1 year ago

          It’s all about the greedy energy generating companies sucking many many billions out of the useful economy.

    • HipPriest@kbin.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      6
      ·
      1 year ago

      Went to our local chippy the other week for when my parents came to visit - fish and chips for 5 with a few extras was well over £50. It was great and I’m not complaining because the place nearly closed for good last year, I’m glad they’re charging what they need to to keep open. But it’s why it’s the sort of food you have once in a blue moon now.

    • Techyno@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Most pubs charge extortionate amounts for second rate beer, at least souless spoons has the capacity for a decent price rather than the brewery owned gastropubs that are the only ones surviving these days. Even microbreweries charge a shitton for a pint of terrible citrus tasting beer (god I hate that stuff, so hoppy it tastes like bong water)

      • Leraje@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s impossible to not at least allude to the fact it exists in this context really. It’s either that or say ‘there seems to be no reason why chippies are closing’ which is clearly untrue.

        • Bernie Ecclestoned@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          It’d be interesting to see the number of other fast food closures.

          Purely anecdotal, but no chippies have closed in my town but numerous pizza and kebab places have opened, plus chains like pizza express and wagamamas.

          I wonder if it’s just dietary changes?

          • SuperLogica@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            ·
            1 year ago

            I think it’s more complex for chippies. Fish and chips was meant to be a cheap treat, that’s why it has such a strong working class heritage behind it. So the price rise makes it untenable in a way that may not affect other takeaways. Like, if I’m going to pay £20 for some fish and chips, I might as well have a Chinese. It’s a cultural thing.

            • Bernie Ecclestoned@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              1 year ago

              That’s from a time of plenty, overfishing has decimated fish stocks and trawling is destroying the sea bed.

              I’m not going to mourn the loss of that ‘industry’, we can make sustainable protein, and high prices help to attract investment