Saving Money at Fuddruckers: What’s Too Frugal? |
35 Comments |
This past weekend my wife and I organized a bit of a date night. We saw No Country For Old Men. (Quick thought on it: Weird ending, without spoiling anything, it seemed to “yada yada” over what should have been the best part of the movie.) We also went to dinner to Fuddruckers.
Fuddruckers is an interesting choice for a “date night.” It’s not a candlelight dinner by any stretch. However, since we both enjoy the burgers it suffices as a cheap dinner. I couldn’t help, but think that if we wanted to push the boundaries of frugality, we could have eaten extremely cheaply. Without further ado, I present you the ultimate frugal Fuddrucker’s guide…
When at Fuddruckers, you have to think burgers. That’s what they do the best. While they have veggie and turkey burger options, they sell more beef burgers than anything else. The price of burgers escalates in a non-linear situation a 1/3lb burger was $4.39, a 1/2lb burger is $4.99, and a 1 lb burger is $7.39. I was originally going to go with a sensible 1/3lb burger, but the 1/2lb burger was too tempting for an extra 60 cents. I didn’t add any cheese at additional cost - their condiment bar has a Cheez Whiz equivalent, which is surprising good on a burger. With the 1/2lb burger, I decided to forgo any sides like fries or onion rings. Instead, I had a large tomato slice on the burger. With a drink, I had my meal complete. My wife went for the veggie burger and fries. However later she would say that the veggie burger didn’t keep her full very long and wasn’t worth the $6.49.
This got me thinking about how we might maximize their dollar at Fuddrucker’s if we wanted to push the ethics of accepted restaurant behavior:
- Burger - If you have two people, you could order the 1 lb burger for $7.39, cut it in half and enjoy the equivalent of a two $4.99 burgers. Does this push the limits too far? How is it different than buying a medication that is double strength and then splitting the pills in half?
- Make a Free Salad - The condiment bar includes everything for a nice salad. There’s lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, peppers, and pico de gallo. Maybe I exaggerated the nice part, but definitely a better salad than some I’ve gotten.
- Free cheese - As I mentioned before, there’s no need to splurge for cheese on your burgers - get the nacho cheese from the condiment bar
- All You Can Drink Soda - The soda is serve yourself and all-you-can-drink. If you have two people, you can easily share a soda.
If you did all these you’d have a nice appetizer and dinner for two for around $9.00 (including the drink). Part of me thinks that if restaurants are going to price burgers disproportionately, they are inviting people to take advantage. However, I still feel very odd about taking all these steps. How about you, what’s going overboard?
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Propeller35 Responses to “Saving Money at Fuddruckers: What’s Too Frugal?”
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February 12th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
“from what is basically water and sugar.”
It’s not even sugar. It’s High Fructose Corn Syrup, an industrial sweetener that our bodies may or may not metabolize the same way as sugar.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Splitting a soda or even a meal is a fair idea. I think I’d hold back on creating a salad from the fixings bar.
I can totally justify this sort of thing because the prices for beverages at most restaurants are a total rip off - especially when you know a liter bottle is expensive from what is basically water and sugar.
January 18th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
It’s good to see that I’m not the only one who makes the “free” salad at Fuddruckers. Or makes the nacho cheese-wiz burger.
I’ve never gone as far as splitting the 1lb burger or sharing a soda, but I usually get the water.
January 17th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I don’t think there is anything wrong with loading up @ the fixin’s bar. Is there a sign prohibiting this? If not, you’re all set. I’ve never been to a Fudruckers although I’ve been to other such places and I have had a healthy salad along with my paid meal. You can even mix some of the condiments to make interesting salad dressing concoctions! I’ve NEVER felt guilty about it either.
It’s nice for them to offer a veggie burger. Another *cheap* option is to order a bun and a slice of cheese and pile on the fixins…it’s been done before.
The soda issue in no problem in my opinion. You pay for the cup and, in fact, I think the price of soda is highway robbery. What’s the difference between person A who will consume 3 cups of soda during their dining experience and person B & C who drink a combined 2 cups (or even 3) cups? At least you aren’t bringing an empty bottle to covertly fill, along with the purchased cup, on the way out the door (believe me, this has been done before).
The thing is, it all evens out. A certain % will take a modest amount of toppings, others will make a salad and, others won’t even bother. I’m sure these businesses aren’t suffering. Otherwise, they would shut down the fixin’s bar or impose regulations on it. In these situations, I really feel it’s all about how tight you are with your concience and using discression when employees are looking.
P.S. at least you’re not talking about taking a spare roll of TP, a handful of paper towells, or filling up a bottle of liquid soap in the bathroom. However, I do think it’s OK to grab a couple extra napkins for later…..
January 17th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
You’re not just paying for the food at Fuddruckers… you’re also paying for the cost of occupying a few square feet of their space for an hour or so, plus the cost of preparing and serving the food. (Well, you do have to tip the server, but he or she also gets paid a base wage by the restaurant.) So I wouldn’t go overboard with the check-trimming strategies… in the long run, if Fuddruckers doesn’t make enough money from its customers, they will either raise their prices or tear down the restaurant and put up a Staples in its place.