Mike and John dined at the Taco Palace restaurant.  They each ordered the Taco Grande Plate as their main meal, but Mike also ordered a side salad for $2, a plate of cheesy fries for $4, and a diet cola for $2.  As a result, Mike's lunch bill was twice as large as John's bill.  What was the combined total cost, in dollars, of Mike and John's lunch?
Let "x" be the cost in dollars of the Taco Grande Plate.
Since twice the cost of John's Taco Plate equals the cost of Mike's Taco Plate plus added items, then 2x = x+2+4+2.
Simplifying the equation, we get 2x = x+8.
Subtracting x from each side of the equation, we are left with x=8 dollars as the cost of the Taco Grande Plate.
Thus the combined total cost of Mike and John's lunch is 8+8+2+4+2=<<8+8+2+4+2=24>>24 dollars.
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