More food or better food?

Whether they’re looking to enjoy a sit-down lunch or searching for a late-night snack, students are always trying to get the most out of their money. Some prefer quantity over quality, while others enjoy finer dining and the hospitality that comes with it. But which aspect of dining is more practical and important for students? 

Luckily for Palo Alto High School students, their access to a wide range of cuisines and styles is not limited by their budget at all. From the outskirts of Palo Alto to the heart of downtown, restaurants populate streets and plazas to offer meals of different price ranges. 

This wide variety of restaurants unavoidably leads to contrasting preferences when it comes to choosing between them. 

Paly junior Willem Madwed explains his perspective on dining, and what his focuses are when evaluating a restaurant.

“I look for a reasonable price range when looking for a restaurant,” Madwed said. “But personally, I’m a big eater, so I lean towards quantity instead of quality most of the time.”

Paly senior Vinay Shah explains how, when push comes to shove, he often chooses higher-quality food rather than a large portion of food.

“I can sacrifice some of the quantity for really good food,” Shah said. “If it’s really good food, I’ll keep coming back to the same place and eating that good food. But when it comes to price and looking at quality, I try to find a middle ground between the two.”

Paly junior Maura Hambly describes how she prioritizes the cheaper options when it comes to deciding.

“I’d say the first thing I look at is quality,” Hambly said. “But if the options aren’t too far off and one of them is a little cheaper, I would definitely choose the cheaper option.”

To compare these students’ different viewpoints, we visited three restaurants with drastically different price ranges and service.

Taco Bell

For $15, you won’t just get a meal, you can practically get a whole feast. There was easily enough food to feed two people with the 6 items and the drink that we were able to purchase. We utilized the “Luxe” value menu, such as the $7 supreme luxe box, which consisted of a Chicken Chalupa supreme, a 5-layer Burrito, a Regular Crunchy Taco, one medium drink, and Cinnamon Twists. Adding a Mini Taco Salad and two tasty dessert empanadas, which are labeled as fan-favorites, rounds off a tray of food that is more than enough for two. The quality was as expected, consistent, fast-food comfort, but the volume of food per dollar here at Taco Bell may be unbeatable.  

In-n-out

Quick, simple, and tasty. Those words often describe the food In-N-Out serves, and our experience was no different. Few seats inside the restaurant were unoccupied, and the continuous chatter of conversation created an exciting, enjoyable environment. Staff were friendly and eager to help, though they didn’t provide the top-tier service you would see at fancier restaurants. For a grand total of $15.33, In-N-Out can get you a double-double burger, animal fries, and a medium drink. The food they serve is conventional, basic, yet delicious. The fresh lettuce and tomatoes compliment two juicy patties nicely, and the American cheese layered between them gives each bite a satisfying texture. The animal fries were more of a let-down. The fries came soft rather than crispy, and the cheese on top lacked the ideal liquid-like texture, with it being closer to a solid. However, the sauteed onions sprinkled in the cheese added a kick of flavor that made the dish slightly more enjoyable. There’s nothing innovative or extra about In-N-Out’s food, but the price and quality will not disappoint.

Coupa Cafe

Coupa Cafe represents the “quality over quantity” end of the spectrum. In the busy downtown Palo Alto cafe, a single breakfast arepa, which is stuffed with scrambled eggs, bacon, and Gouda cheese, sits just above our budget at $16. This means that $15 technically won’t cover the cost of the entire dish once you factor in tax and a tip. While you do get significantly less food compared to Taco Bell or In-N-Out, the true value comes from the traditional preparation. The white cornmeal shell, which is grilled to a crisp, is then filled with the warm scrambled eggs, the juicy yet crispy bacon, and lastly the creamy Gouda cheese. Lastly, the dish is served with a side of fresh fruit, adding a final touch to this near-gourmet meal. This is a sit-down experience, where one pays for the atmosphere along with the specialized Venezuelan craft rather than focusing on the sheer calorie count.  

After visiting each place and hearing from students with different preferences, it became clear that there is no one best approach when it comes to dining on a budget. Whether you are getting feasts from Taco Bell, grabbing a quick bite at In-N-Out, or savoring a meal at Coupa Cafe, each restaurant has its own purpose that depends on what you are looking for in that moment. The advantage of Palo Alto isn’t just the amount of restaurants near us, but the variety of them that students get to choose between. Ultimately, the best restaurant isn’t the one with the lowest price or the highest quality, but the one that fits your needs.