A year ago Business Travel News placed Dallas as the 24th most expensive U.S. city for the business traveler, who wound up spending an average of $153 on hotel, $109 for a rental car and $76 for food per day per visit -- got that? Well, BTN's got another not-online list concerning the spending habits of the road warrior -- this one, concerning just the amount of bread the suit spends on food during his or her travels outta town. And Dallas comes in at No. 22 on that list -- seems our food prices have gone way up.
Because last year's $76 is now, somehow, this year's $107.63. Which breaks down to: $11.62 for breakfast; $18.48 for lunch; $63.49 for dinner; and $14.04 for those cheapskates leaving just the standard 15 percent. (BTW, NYC is No. 1 at $$124.40 per day; Wilmington, Delaware, is at the bottom of the fab 40 with $95.48) And just how'd the mag arrive at these numbers?
BTN meals reflect these costs: breakfast -- two eggs with breakfast meat, toast, orange juice, and coffee; lunch -- soup, hamburger or chicken sandwich, slice of pie, and soft drink; and dinner -- soup, filet steak, a glass of red wine, a dessert of pie or ice cream, and coffee. Detail: Costs include a 15 percent gratuity, but no sales tax, in a range of restaurants, not just those in hotels.That's just too much soup right there, that's all that is. --Robert Wilonsky
