Cost of Fine Dining

[Arun Vajpey]

I assume that First Class passengers who chose to eat at the a la carte restaurant instead of the dining hall had to pay for the meal.

How much in actual Pounds or Dollars would a good 4-course meal for TWO including good (but not rare vintage or anything) wine have cost on board the Titanic? (with items preferred by an 'average' wealthy Western couple dining out at a swanky restaurant in London, Paris or New York today)

 

[Mark Chirnside]

How much in actual Pounds or Dollars would a good 4-course meal for TWO including good (but not rare vintage or anything) wine have cost on board the Titanic? (with items preferred by an 'average' wealthy Western couple dining out at a swanky restaurant in London, Paris or New York today)

On Olympic in 1911, the minimum rate per head for a dinner of three or more people was 12 shillings and 6 pence.

The estimates for her third round trip (westbound and eastbound) included 265 passengers taking meals in the restaurant and total receipts estimated at about £1,250. That gives an average ticket per passenger of less than £5. While some passengers decided to take all their meals in the restaurant, others used the restaurant only part of the time. For those who did notify White Star when they booked passage that they would take all their meals in the restaurant, they received a small rebate on their first class ticket cost. However, their expenditure in the restaurant would have far outweighed the 'rebate'!

Total receipts in the a la carte restaurant over the course of Olympic's first three round trips were equivalent to the revenues generated by the average third class pre-war passenger list (around six hundred passengers) on a single crossing.

 

[Seumas]

Very interesting information there, Mark !

I looked up what 12s 6d would be worth as of 2020 (the latest available date) and found this. There are a number of ways to evaluate it.

Source: https://www.measuringworth.com/index.php

The best measure of the relative value over time depends on if you are interested in comparing the cost or value of a Commodity, Income or Wealth, or a Project. For more discussion on how to pick the best measure, consult the Tutorials.

If you want to compare the value of a £0 12s 6d Commodity in 1912 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:
real price of that commodity is £63.26
labour value of that commodity is £247.00
income value of that commodity is £359.30
economic share of that commodity is £569.20

If you want to compare the value of a £0 12s 6d Income or Wealth , in 1912 there are four choices. In 2020 the relative:
real wage or real wealth value of that income or wealth is £63.26
labour earnings of that income or wealth is £247.00
relative income value of that income or wealth is £359.30
relative output value of that income or wealth is £569.20


If you want to compare the value of a £0 12s 6d Project in 1912 there are three choices. In 2020 the relative:
real cost of that project is £67.39
labour cost of that project is £247.00
economic cost of that project is £569.20

 

[Arun Vajpey]

On Olympic in 1911, the minimum rate per head for a dinner of three or more people was 12 shillings and 6 pence.

Thanks. Did that include table wine?

I looked up what 12s 6d would be worth as of 2020 (the latest available date) and found this. There are a number of ways to evaluate it.

Thanks Seumas; that's very interesting. Based on the information there, I am guessing (might be way of the mark) that it would translate to about £250 per head for dinner under similar surroundings and standards. I factored in additional 'labour costs' due to higher waiting charges etc.

I wonder how far one can go at £250 per head at - say - Gordon Ramsay's The River Restaurant at the London Savoy today?

 

[William Oakes]

If First class pasengers chose to dine in the A La Carte at their own cost, and because meals in First Class Dining were included in the ticket cost, those who chose to pay out of pcker were given a rebate card to record those out of pocket meal expenses, which would entitle them to a rebate. This card would be redeemed at the pursers office at the conclusion of the voyage. I do not know what percent that this rebate amounted to but I have always been curious to know.
It would seem to factor in to the costs decribed in this discussion.
If I had to venture a guess, and it is strictly a guess, I would say 10%.

 

[Mark Chirnside]

Very interesting information there, Mark !

I looked up what 12s 6d would be worth as of 2020 (the latest available date) and found this. There are a number of ways to evaluate it.

Source: https://www.measuringworth.com/index.php

There certainly are. As you demonstrated, it's complicated enough simply in Sterling terms, without bringing the exchange rate differences into it between the British Pound and American Dollar! Comparing 1912 with today, £1 has depreciated from being worth $4.86 to around $1.33.

Thanks. Did that include table wine?

It's not stated, however if it is a minimum price then I would assume some passengers might not drink alcohol, and those who did would be able to spend a lot more than the minimum! One Cunard official bemoaned the approach of some saloon (first class) passengers a few years earlier: he thought they spent ages trying to get a discount on their ticket (however small) and yet then went on to spend many times that on their wine bill. Not that the latter was a problem...

For what it's worth, iced draught Munich lager beer was priced at '3d [pence], & 6d [pence] a Tankard'. There are menu cards and restaurant receipts surviving so examples of wine pricing can probably be found. I did make some notes on this a few years back but can't get my hands on them right now.

By the way, the average first class ticket price for Titanic's passengers was about £31.50. This compares to the average ticket per passenger using the restaurant on Olympic at under £5. However, one would assume the wealthier first class passengers were those who favoured the restaurant. It is likely their tickets were substantially more expensive, alongside their restaurant bill!