Chili's Texas Cheese Fries vs. DIY

**nuisance26** · 05-30-2011, 03:33 PM

~Large order at Chili's(or takeout)with tax: $9

2 large potatoes(@$.30lb), 1/2 cup of blended jack and cheddar shredded cheeses(@$2lb), 2 pieces of crisp cooked bacon/crumbled(@$2lb), 1 onion slice/diced, 5 jalapeno slices(jarred)/drained and diced, salt/pepper/oil
= $1.35

I actually assembled this appetizer last night from leftover fries and bacon that I'd saved. DH picked up ribs at Chili's for dinner. I got a salad and wanted their awesome cheese fries but I wasn't about to pay for an appetizer I could make in 5 minutes in my own kitchen.
I didn't have any ranch dressing to replicate the sauce but the $7+ savings was well worth the loss of sauce.
It's very eye opening seeing how much restaurants overcharge for some things on their menus! This dish is probably their worst offender. ~

**Spirit Deer** · 05-30-2011, 06:22 PM

Interesting comparison.

I wouldn't say they overcharge. You're not just paying for the food at a restaurant. You're paying for the advertising, wait staff, cooks/chefs, bus people, cashiers, lights, gas, supplies, ingredients, insurance, cleaning staff, heat, water bill, sales and real estate and other taxes, building repair and maintenance, etc, etc.

It's easy to see why restaurants are hit so hard in a bad economy though. It's easy to figure out how to make a lot of stuff at home, but people don't do it because it's easier to eat out and we all like to have convenience sometimes. When times get tough, people get more ambitious.

I bet you made a bigger portion than you'd have gotten at the restaurant, too. Congrats on figuring out how to DIY a tasty dish.

BTW, you can mix up and keep a dry mix on hand for a ranch dressing mix clone. It's useful for dips, dressings, rubs, and other uses. Just a thought. That way you won't have to do without.

**joyofsix** · 05-30-2011, 06:43 PM

I think about this a lot. Tonight I made quarter pound burgers ($3.00/lb) with sale buns ( $.49/8) and served with various toppings. Much cheaper than taking us all out for burgers and just as good. I know a restaurant has to make a profit, just not from me.

**cheles2kids** · 11-13-2011, 02:08 PM

I am amazed at the differences in prices when eating out versus making something at home.

But having said that...we do still eat out about once a week. Although I'm going to be switching this up to once every other week because of needing to get our EF increased.

Another thing that I dislike about eating out is the amount of fat/salt that is in the food. At home I can add/omit if I feel like it but we kinda havta take what we get when it comes to eating out.

And omgosh, has anybody noticed how much ordering drinks adds to your ticket?
Seriously a coke now costs anywhere between $1.75-$2.00 a piece depending on where we eat.

Yes, this is for unlimited refills but still...you can buy a 2 liter for less than this & we can never go through a 2 liter for the 4 of us in one meal.

Sorry...just a little vent there. But if you want to shave off some moola when eating out, just order water.

And now I want some cheese fries...lol

**bent** · 02-26-2012, 07:04 PM

here's the recipe I use when dd or I want some chili cheese fries
HH chili with beans (sav-a-lot) 1.69
Sharp Cheddar cheese (shredded) 2.18-8oz.
ore-ida fries 2.98 per bag-

I fry up the ore-ida's (tried baking them ---nasty), salt as soon as they come out of the oil- top with cheese, then add chili and a bit more cheese. and if we want the Sonic taste I put a bit of velveeta instead of sharp cheddar.