Though my dad was intensely thrifty, he would occasionally spend on upscale restaurants for family occasions. He also had some pretty good instincts finding unique restaurants with great food that weren't particularly expensive.
However, I do remember how intensely I enjoyed a hamburger, fries, and a milkshake at Robin Hood's Barn, with a neon sign which was Robin Hood firing an arrow at a bullseye. It was strictly burger joint, but my pleasure was unbounded.
Incidentally, my dad was the cook in the family. Mom dutifully had supper for the family after school and work, but Dad did Sunday dinner, and as he got older and had more time, he got even better. He could take a simple dish and make the ingredients sing. He had an old double boiler that went back to my folks' first household that he seemed to use for everything. After he died, my brother-in-law flattened out the bottom again, it had become so rounded with use. Dad had little kitchenware -- it was all knowhow.