For a birthday, an anniversary or a long table with every generation at it. Restaurant meal prices across Australia over ten years, and the things worth asking before you book.
The price, ten years on
Restaurant meals, across Australia, from the ABS Consumer Price Index. The class holds meals eaten in restaurants, hotels and cafes that offer full table service.
June 2016$100
June 2026$135
$136Everything a household buys, over the same years
Up over ten years, roughly in step with everything a household buys.
$90$100$110$120$130$140$135$136
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Restaurant mealsAll groups CPI, everything a household buys
Booking a restaurant for a family dinner. The first half is what to look for yourself. Put the second half to each place you try.
Look for
The banquet or set menuWhat comes to the table, course by course, and whether dishes can be swapped.
Room for your groupWhether everyone sits at one long table, a round table or a private room.
Getting thereParking, the walk from the station, and steps or a lift for older guests.
Diners' own photosPictures from people who ate there, beside the restaurant's own.
The booking termsWhat a booking asks of you in advance, and what happens if plans change.
Ask
01Can you seat our whole group together, and where?Ask whether the room will be shared with other diners on the night.
02What does the banquet include, and what costs extra?Drinks, dessert, a fee for cutting a cake, a service charge on large tables.
03Can you cook for guests who avoid an ingredient?Tell them when you book, and remind the staff on the night.
04Is there a set time we need to leave the table by?Long dinners and speeches take longer than the clock suggests.
05What happens if more or fewer guests come, or we cancel?Write down the last day a change can be made.
06Can we bring decorations or a cake from home?Ask whether a fee applies for a cake.
From goldenpalace.com.au, a concept page.
Choosing a place for the occasion
Start with the people at the table. A banquet for grandparents and small children wants easy chairs, room for a pram and food that arrives steadily, while a dinner among friends can lean on a longer menu.
If you can, eat there once before the night. A single meal shows you how the kitchen and the floor staff look after a table.
Putting the same questions to every restaurant
Ask each restaurant the same questions and keep the answers side by side. Differences in what the banquet includes, or how long the table is held, show up quickly that way.
Once you book, keep the confirmation with the date, the time and the last day for changes. It saves a phone call in the rush before the night.
Shows whether a business's ABN is active or cancelled, its business type and its GST status, and the Register says the public can use it to check a business before buying.