This is part of our Cardinal Way project on promoting civil discussions.
Roanoke is looking at raising its meals tax. Radford already has. Tazewell County recently imposed one for the first time.
That prompted us to ask readers how they feel about meals taxes. This wasn’t intended as a scientific survey, but rather to get some flavor — no pun intended — of how people react to meals taxes. Do they make dining decisions based on them or not?
We heard from readers across Virginia who have a wide variety of eating-out habits, from Victoria Drury of Manassas who said she only ate out about six times a year (“because eating out has become expensive, too — not just from the meal tax)” to Keith Holland of Rocky Mount who said he and his wife eat out “nearly every day.”
Here’s a representative sample of what those readers had to say.
The pandemic changed some dining habits permanently
Yes, it has dramatically decreased since COVID.
Lauren Ellerman, Roanoke
Pandemic changed our habits from twice to once a week and we never went back.
Scott Schafer, Middlesex County
Rising costs in general have changed some diners’ habits, but not others
Where we go out to eat now is affected by prices.
John Steehler, Salem
We have rarely eaten at high price places so price rises haven’t affected us, yet.
Robert Egbert, Roanoke
Yes, we used to eat out once or twice a week. Just too expensive.
Rick Mullins, Big Stone Gap
We don’t pay much attention to price at dinner.
Therry Neilsen-Steinhardt, Roanoke
Not sensitive to food prices but very sensitive to taxes, mainly because they are sneaked onto the bill.
Stephen Hill, Madison County
I’m very aware of higher prices in the full spectrum of restaurants, from fast food to the most elegant sit down establishments. While I don’t like it, the higher prices have no affect on my decision about where to eat.
Ernest Bentley, Blacksburg
I am always looking at prices. I compare shop for groceries, and am always aware of what I am spending on food I don’t make myself.
Lauren Ellerman, Roanoke
I eat out less now, primarily because of cost.
Katherine Grimes, Ferrum
We notice if menu prices go up. We may order fewer “extras.”
Tina Barbour, Altavista
Eating out in today’s environment is infrequent and rare unless away from home or travel related. Reasons: Increasingly higher prices, reductions in food portions, the elimination of complement items and selections for the amount charged, greater expectations/demands for tips and gratuities, and more frequent unsatisfactory dining experiences.
Jack Rohr, Abingdon
There is a limit to what some diners are willing to pay in meals taxes
We asked readers: Would paying $1.50 more per $100 in meals tax stop you from going out to eat? If no, what additional price would stop you? Many said an extra $1.50 wouldn’t matter, but paying more would. Here’s a sampling:
Extra $5 would stop me.
John Steehler, Salem
$5 or more might stop us.
Robert Egbert, Roanoke
If I can pay $100, then $1.50 is not making that much difference. Just the cost of the meal itself. Just can’t afford to eat out very often.
Rick Mullins, Big Stone Gap
I’m not sure where my pain point would be but if I believe the revenue is being used for the local good, I’d pay more than $1.50 , , , When Roanoke City raised its meals tax with a sunset clause, it didn’t deter people from eating out and revenue was raised from diners who didn’t live in the city. $9.5 million was raised in two years and the city’s school children greatly benefited. People eating out in Vinton, Salem, and Roanoke pay more for their meals than we do in Roanoke County and county residents don’t mind paying the higher meals tax there. Roanoke County Schools needs more revenue to hire and retain its teaching staff. An Eat for Education program in the county would have more support than many would like to think.
Laura Bowman, Roanoke County
No it would not stop me. I’m not sure how high of a tax on $100 would suddenly stop me from eating out. It’s a known component of the cost of a meal. I have never been travelling and stopped at a restaurant and asked about meals tax before deciding if I am going to order food there or get back in the car and drive to the next county and hope for a cheaper tax rate.
Keith Holland, Rocky Mount
Meals and state taxes already top $3.00 on most meals for 2 people. If it goes higher it would definitely change our eating out.
Julia Reed, Roanoke
$1.50/$100 would have no effect on me. A 10-15% meals tax, on top of regular sales taxes would probably discourage me from eating out.
Ernest Bentley, Blacksburg
It wouldn’t stop me, but I might eat out less often. A 5% addition would slow me down quite a bit.
Katherine Grimes, Ferrum
Probably $10 more equivalent.
Chris Meyer, Charlottesville
It wouldn’t stop me, but it would incent me to avoid the tax if I could.
Ben Pearman, Bent Mountain
More than 10% will affect the tips I would think, altho I do believe in tipping well.
Jacqueline Rose Boston, Lexington
It would not & I can’t imagine an increase that would make me stop.
Kathy Hachey, Nellysford
No. Our decisions are based more on the entire bill.
Jeanne Bollendorf, Roanoke
I don’t think this is the right question. The right question is — when do you change your habits re: eating out because the cumulative cost is so high? If a burger cost $10 before Covid, now costs $13 because of inflation, wage increases, meat prices, and I am currently taxed at 10.8%, and suggested tip of 20%, then my $10 burger is now really $20 burger when I am done paying credit card fees, taxes, tip etc. It isn’t the meals tax in a vacuum. It is the timing of it, at the same time everything else has increased in price. And, what it means is that when restaurant workers want a raise because inflation is so high, and cost of goods is so high, owners can’t give those raises because their 1-3% margins have now shrunk to 1%, because fewer people can afford to eat out. The question isn’t meals tax in a vacuum. Also, the question is the short-sighted nature of increasing it in Roanoke City where businesses and restaurants are already closing every day.
Lauren Ellerman, Roanoke
Some have already changed their dining habits because of meals taxes
Meals taxes influence where I eat out. If a town or city has a much higher meal tax than the county’s, I’ll try not to eat in that town or city but instead eat where taxes are lower.
Katherine Grimes, Ferrum
We will not dine in Tazewell County after July 1st…. recent increase in property taxes and the inflated erroneous assessments, especially on manufactured homes, was the start…. .now adding a meals tax on the patrons will only decrease the tip wages on the wait staff… therefore we will be dining in WV….
Terr Dowdy, Raven
I actively avoid eating within the Roanoke City Limits for several reasons, one of which is the meals tax . . I avoid restaurants in the city because of the tax, same as I shopped at the Food Lion Tanglewood, instead of the Food Lion at Oak Grove because of the 10 cent per bag tax the city imposed, even though Oak Grove was closer. The city council never met a tax it didn’t like. If they want to tax everyone so much, and run the city into the ground, I’ll just do my shopping and eating out in areas other than the city limits. I moved from Wasena to Roanoke County because my property taxes doubled in 10 years. I try to keep all my dollars out of Roanoke City if I can possibly help it. I can’t vote for council, but I can damn sure vote with my dollars.
Ben Pearman, Bent Mountain
Increasing prices and meal taxes affect my interest in dining out. Meal tax rate is a high priority factor particularly for the City of Bristol, Virginia and that factor has motivated personal changes. My wife and I have not eaten out within the City of Bristol, VA for nearly two years. The increase in the meal tax in June 2023 was the deciding factor. Locations in Abingdon, VA or Tennessee are the destinations when eating out. If entertaining out of town friends or guests, dining always occurs somewhere other than within the city limits of Bristol, VA. . . . City of Bristol, VA leadership asserts Bristol, Virginia residents are low-income and the city as a whole suffers from a high percentage of poverty and low-income residents. Yet they approved one of the highest meal tax rates on those same residents. City leaders have been documented as saying they expect tourism and visitors to bear the burden of higher meal taxes (and lodging taxes). Given that, I have personally opted out of contributing to their meal tax revenue. I do not patronize meal establishments in Bristol, VA.. . . The argument [that] it is only a minimal amount of extra money for the pleasure, convenience, etc. is hollow. It is not the small amount of money for increased meal taxes; it is the principle of drawing a line that I am done paying increasingly higher taxes for things I can control. Enough is enough.
Jack Rohr, Abingdon
Meals taxes: Good or bad?
Dining out is not a necessity, and for that reason less burdensome than a source for property taxes.
Robert Egbert, Roanoke
Meals and lodging taxes are mostly paid by non-residents, which offset the need to depend upon property taxes to carry most of the costs of government.
Keith Holland, Rocky Mount
Meal taxes always elicit a knee jerk reaction by the public and restaurant owners. No one likes paying taxes, but we’re often slow to offer solutions, i.e. cut back our schools, reduce law enforcement, let our roads deteriorate further before being repaired, etc. I live in Montgomery County. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Salem and Roanoke all have their own meals taxes. Every time a locality considers raising the meals tax restaurant owners worry that their customers will drive miles away to a different locality with lower meal taxes. I don’t think that’s realistic. A 10 mile drive to a neighboring town is 20 miles round trip, or at 50¢/mile cost of operating a car, $10.
Ernest Bentley, Blacksburg
Not my preferred tax as it is largely regressive and impacts demand for an industry that is pretty difficult to begin with. I don’t share the rationale that it is paid by outsiders, which is partially true, but not significant enough in my mind to warrant the impact on lower-income residents.
Chris Meyer, Charlottesville
Charging a tax on what people eat is a capitalist form of taking advantage of the common people everywhere.
James Preston, Axton