The High Price of Kosher Restaurants For Jewish Teens

A pain point among Jewish kids who only eat kosher and who often have limited allowances centers around the high price of kosher food when compared to non-kosher alternatives.

Ask any Jewish kid who only eats kosher about the feeling of passing by a fast food joint advertising a burger or sandwich for a few dollars while the same item costs double or, more likely, triple the price at a kosher store, and they may admit to feeling a bit of jealously. Granted, many may be glad to sacrifice for religious observance, but the reality is that many Jewish kids have limited allowances, which may not have been raised in tandem with inflation (which hit a 40-year high at an annual rate of 8.5% in March of 2022) and the aggressive price increases many kosher restaurants, and fast food joints have implemented on what was already much more expensive pricing than non-kosher establishments.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency explores this interesting undercurrent among kosher observant teens trying to navigate increasing prices at kosher restaurants. Take, for example, Gabe, a Jewish teen who was taken aback by the prices at Grill Point: “$26.50 for a bowl of schnitzel over rice, quinoa or salad.” Unable to afford the hefty price and with no cheaper options in the vicinity, Gabe passed on the Schnitzel and played basketball while “ignoring his growling stomach.”

While some might think that eating out or lack thereof is trivial, the reality is, that for some Jewish teens who only eat kosher, the exorbitant costs are leading to feelings of resentment.

One Jewish teen summed up these feelings as follows:

“Some of my non-kosher friends can eat a Big Mac [Combo] Meal at McDonald’s” or a burger, fries, and a drink for about $12 in New York City. “There is no such option for me. It’s frustrating,” said Benichou. At Burgers and Grill, a popular kosher eatery on the Upper West Side, a similar combination meal starts at $18… “I didn’t choose my denomination. The truth is that I can’t get a cheaper lunch with my [non-kosher] friends because of some random laws in the Torah,” he said. “This makes me more resentful of Orthodox Judaism.”

The article further includes valuable context on the pricing differential between kosher options and non-kosher options. Specifically, “a pound of chicken drumsticks at Park East Kosher Butcher in NYC costs $9.98 — $9.30 a year ago — [while] a pound of non-kosher Springer Mountain Farms Chicken Drumsticks, sold on FreshDirect, is $2.79.”

Other Jewish teens featured in the article stated that the difficulties had not affected their relationship with Judaism. One stated, “I am grateful to live in a place and attend a Jewish day school where kosher foods are accessible to me,” in reference to the kosher breakfast and lunch offered for no additional charge at the Jewish school he attends.

While eating out is a luxury, and some might say that kids should stop complaining, the reality is some kids feel bad, which raises the question about whether it should be a “communal” priority for Jewish kids, who sacrifice for observance, to have affordable options to enjoy eating out while keeping kosher?

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