32 euros at Alcampo: what it costs to eat at a Spanish supermarket

Eating at Alcampo: 32 euros that divide Spaniards

Thirty-two euros for a meal for two at an Alcampo supermarket cafeteria. Told that way, the figure invites ridicule. The breakdown puts it in perspective: 16 euros per person, barely two euros more than a set lunch menu at a traditional bar, which in comparisons sits between 12 and 14 euros.

The restaurant format inside large stores keeps spreading, and its price has become a talking point in economic conversations. Defenders of the model point out that the average bill is in line with traditional dining. Critics note that you pay to eat between shelves, without bread, amid the noise of children running down the aisles. A scene that, according to some, has little of the gastronomic experience about it.

The most striking comparison comes from the south, where a few sandwiches pushed the bill up to 62 euros. Against that, Alcampo's 16 per head almost seems like a bargain. But the counterweight comes from home cooking: with four ingredients you can replicate the same dish for a fraction of the price. The catch is time, and there the matter gets stuck between saving money and convenience.

Quality, moreover, remains the Achilles' heel. Some opinions hold that supermarket food preparation is far from a benchmark, while bar offerings are not uniformly reliable either. At this rate, supermarket dining halls are not going to disappear: they will keep attracting customers who prioritise immediacy. But as long as the usual bar menu costs 12-14 euros, winning over everyone else looks like an uphill battle.