People have to understand with regards to rations. It is covering the cost a yes Food (up to your entitlement, so for supper example you are paying to get a bowl of soup, a 6" plate of from the salad bar, a main course, a desert, 3 snacks and two glasses of something to drink and a coffee. Add up all that, it get's pricey quick, and that is just one supper, not counting lunch or breakfast but if you cook at home and make one chicken breast and a cup of rice and one glass of juice, yeah it's going to be cheaper.You are also paying for the cooks to make the food for you, the cost of heating the area that you eat in, the kitchen staff to clean your dishes for you, the cost of electricity to eat the water to clean your dishes.
Personally I like it, I just walk in and I'm out within 30 minutes, no dishes, no grocery shopping, no trying to figure out what I am going to cook tonight, or getting home late and not wanting to put in the effort ect...