Food budget for the American West: eating well as a family

Barbecue in Page, a Navajo taco in Cameron, groceries for lunches in the parks: eating well in the American West mainly comes down to planning your stops. For four people, restaurants, breakfasts and unplanned purchases can quickly add to your USA road trip food budget.

At Planet Ride, we suggest starting with a planning allowance of USD 200 per day for four, mixing groceries, picnics and restaurants. Over two weeks, that means USD 2,800, or USD 3,080 with a 10% reserve. Adjust this guide to your orders and itinerary; it is not a guaranteed spending ceiling.

In Cameron, try a local speciality instead of another burger

At Cameron Trading Post, 466 US-89 in Cameron, a Navajo taco introduces another side of American food. It combines fry bread with beans, beef, cheese and fresh vegetables.

The official online lunch menu consulted lists:

• Navajo taco: USD 12.99;
• Mini Navajo taco: USD 10.99;
• Vegetarian Navajo taco: USD 12.99.

Four Navajo tacos therefore total USD 51.96 before drinks, tax and tip. These are the prices displayed online. The page does not state when they took effect, so check before visiting. See the official Cameron Trading Post menu.

Our tip: choose the size to match your appetite. A smaller version lets you try the speciality without automatically ordering the largest portion. However, do not base your entire restaurant budget on this one address: every stop will have its own bill.

In Page, plan a barbecue dinner and a grocery stop

For a barbecue evening, Big John’s Texas BBQ in Page offers BBQ sandwich plates, ribs and a selection of meats. Before ordering, compare what the meals include: included sides matter as much as the price of the meat.

Do: make this one of your special meals and plan a simpler lunch that day.

Avoid: ordering several sides before checking what already comes with the plates, or automatically adding dessert at the start of the meal.

Page is also a place to replenish supplies. The Walmart Supercenter is at 1017 West Haul Road: save the address to buy provisions for upcoming breakfasts and picnics. Grouping purchases into one stop avoids searching for a shop when everyone is hungry. See the official store page.

For picnics, buy a complete meal

The trap is buying a few ingredients and then topping up throughout the day with drinks, chips and snacks. Your supposedly inexpensive lunch ends up spread across several receipts.

For four people, make your list before entering the store:

• a base: bread or wraps;
• a filling suited to your food storage arrangements;
• fruit and easy-to-eat vegetables;
• water and an afternoon snack;
• only the utensils or containers you need.

Check salads and prepared foods at the deli counter to vary your meals. For items sold by weight, check the rate and final weight rather than judging by the size of the container.

A cooler with ice or another cold source is essential for perishable foods. The USDA recommends not leaving them without refrigeration for more than two hours, or one hour when temperatures exceed about 32°C (90°F). A sandwich or restaurant leftovers should therefore not spend the afternoon in a hot car.

Breakfast: savings that repeat every morning

A visit to IHOP or Denny’s can be part of the fun. Save it for a morning when you have time to sit down.

For early departures, groceries bought the previous evening may be more practical. Check your room’s equipment, though: milk and yoghurt require refrigeration.

To understand the impact, take a hypothetical USD 40 breakfast for four. Over fourteen mornings, that adds up to USD 560. This is not a chain’s advertised price, but a useful calculation when comparing two hotels.

Do: compare the total stay cost, including breakfasts actually covered for everyone.

Avoid: paying much more for a breakfast-inclusive room without checking serving times, especially if you will leave before breakfast starts.

Drinks and desserts: small extras that change the bill

Assuming USD 4 per drink, four drinks add USD 16 to an order before any extra charges. Twice a day, that choice totals USD 448 over two weeks.

Ask whether complimentary tap water is available. For soft drinks, check whether refills are included: that does not mean several people may share one glass.

The same approach works for desserts: look at portion sizes and order according to your appetite. Sharing a dessert can let you try more specialities during the trip without making every meal a full multi-course order.

At restaurants, work out the total before choosing

For table service, allow for applicable taxes and a tip. A common guideline is 15–20% of the pre-tax amount. Check whether gratuity is already on the bill before adding anything. See the InterExchange practical guide.

For example, a USD 100 order, a hypothetical USD 8 tax and a USD 18 tip come to USD 126 to pay. Tax rates vary by location.

Our advice: for each restaurant you want to try, price up four realistic orders. This gives you a more useful budget than an average price per person.

What food budget should you plan for two weeks in the American West?

For two weeks and four people, USD 150 per day totals USD 2,100, while USD 200 per day totals USD 2,800. The first requires more simple meals; the second gives more flexibility without guaranteeing restaurant dining at every meal.

At Planet Ride, we favour a simple approach: choose the restaurants you want to experience, identify grocery stops and leave room for easy dinners in suitably equipped accommodation.

Track groceries, restaurants and extras separately. You will quickly see whether your money is going towards chosen experiences or unplanned purchases, leaving room for the discoveries that really matter.