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Question about specials at restaurants - does waiter have ability to move it upwards?
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:26 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:26 pm
I ate at Portland City Grill on Christmas night and the prices were akin to Capital Grill. $50 for an 8 oz filet, $52 for rack of lamb with mashed potatoes, Salmon with veggies for $38, etc.
I kind of wanted to get something more economical, and the lamb shank that was recited to us as a special by our waiter sounded like a good fit. He didn't list the price, and I felt like it would make me look cheap to ask about the price (this was my mistake). I ordered it, assuming it would be about $40 or so based on the cost of the other items - maybe even in the high $30's - it's a fricking lamb shank.
Bill comes and the fricking lamb shank (which was overdone and likely had been sitting under a lamp for hours) was $55. More than rack of lamb. I was pissed but kept it to myself as it was Christmas, etc. and figured it could be a lesson learned.
TL;DR Question
Do restaurants (even nice ones) purposely not tell the price of specials and then frick you on the prices sometimes? Are the prices even malleable for the waiter to adjust based on his perceived reaction? I just have a feeling that if I had asked the waiter would have "checked" on the lamb shank price or would have told me it was $41 or something. There's no way it could have really been $55 when rack of lamb was $52 and a filet was $50.
I kind of wanted to get something more economical, and the lamb shank that was recited to us as a special by our waiter sounded like a good fit. He didn't list the price, and I felt like it would make me look cheap to ask about the price (this was my mistake). I ordered it, assuming it would be about $40 or so based on the cost of the other items - maybe even in the high $30's - it's a fricking lamb shank.
Bill comes and the fricking lamb shank (which was overdone and likely had been sitting under a lamp for hours) was $55. More than rack of lamb. I was pissed but kept it to myself as it was Christmas, etc. and figured it could be a lesson learned.
TL;DR Question
Do restaurants (even nice ones) purposely not tell the price of specials and then frick you on the prices sometimes? Are the prices even malleable for the waiter to adjust based on his perceived reaction? I just have a feeling that if I had asked the waiter would have "checked" on the lamb shank price or would have told me it was $41 or something. There's no way it could have really been $55 when rack of lamb was $52 and a filet was $50.
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 12:29 pm
11
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:28 pm to SirWinston
$55 for a lamb shank and mashed potatoes sounds ridiculous 
Was there anything else to do with the dish? Aka a salad, sauce on the lamb, or another side?
Was there anything else to do with the dish? Aka a salad, sauce on the lamb, or another side?
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 12:40 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:30 pm to Ryan3232
No they all came with house mashed potatoes. Nothing else.
We dine out all the time and this was one of the more egregious things I've ever seen. I would have protested 99 times out of 100 but it was the perfect storm of 1) Christmas night 2) great waiter other than this 3) great table (30th floor overlooking city) and ambience
We dine out all the time and this was one of the more egregious things I've ever seen. I would have protested 99 times out of 100 but it was the perfect storm of 1) Christmas night 2) great waiter other than this 3) great table (30th floor overlooking city) and ambience
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 12:31 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:32 pm to SirWinston
Push the fish. It's about to turn.
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:34 pm to SirWinston
quote:
Do restaurants (even nice ones) purposely not tell the price of specials and then frick you on the prices sometimes?
Yes.
quote:
for the waiter to adjust based on his perceived reaction?
No.
Either the waiter was dumb and rang you up for the wrong thing, or the restaurant was screwing people with their ridiculous pricing. But I have never heard of a waiter having the power to make up the price of a dish. Especially if your receipt has the dish written out on it by name. That means he pressed a button already in the computer.
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 12:37 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:36 pm to SirWinston
I know you said over-cooked, but was it braised to tenderness? Obviously a shank isn’t served medium rare, or similar. Do you mean it was dried out? Done correctly you shouldn’t have even needed a Knife.
Assuming you know all that. Yes it was over-priced. The waiter should have mentioned price without putting you in an awkward position of needing to ask. I’d have been pissed, as well.
Assuming you know all that. Yes it was over-priced. The waiter should have mentioned price without putting you in an awkward position of needing to ask. I’d have been pissed, as well.
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 12:37 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:41 pm to GusMcRae
Yeah I make lamb shank / leg of lamb all the time at home and it's one of my favorite dishes to order during the holidays.
My impression was that it had been sitting under a lamp for several hours - was still tasty and I ate every bite b/c I was starving, but it was a 6/10. Everything else was a 10/10 and that contributed to me letting it go.
My impression was that it had been sitting under a lamp for several hours - was still tasty and I ate every bite b/c I was starving, but it was a 6/10. Everything else was a 10/10 and that contributed to me letting it go.
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 12:42 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:42 pm to SirWinston
This drives me crazy. My wife always says, "what do you recommend (in which I roll my eyes) and no matter where we go, it's the highest priced items on the menu.
Daily specials are always higher. Ask, frick what the waiter thinks.
Daily specials are always higher. Ask, frick what the waiter thinks.
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 2:31 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:43 pm to LouisianaLady
quote:
Especially if your receipt has the dish written out on it by name. That means he pressed a button already in the computer.
It said "special $55"
Posted on 12/27/18 at 12:58 pm to SirWinston
I always will ask how much something is. I got over that fear of looking bad a long time ago.
Posted on 12/27/18 at 1:00 pm to t00f
quote:
frick what the waiter thinks.
I’ve posted this before but I used to work with a girl who would earnestly and naively tell customers, “Oh, for sure the kids grilled cheese” when they asked what’s her favorite thing. We tried explaining to her that she should probably say the 3 most popularly ordered dishes.. but she insisted they actually wanted to know HER favorite
Posted on 12/27/18 at 1:32 pm to LouisianaLady
quote:
but she insisted they actually wanted to know HER favorite
I think my wife does. Posted on 12/27/18 at 1:41 pm to SirWinston
Had this happen at a tapas place in BR. Every app is around $8-10. They had a special app that day and it ended up being $30
Posted on 12/27/18 at 1:43 pm to t00f
quote:
what do recommend (in which I roll my eyes) and no matter where we go, it's the highest priced items on the menu.
we stopped that several years ago when it was so overly obvious they said the most expensive items she could think of
Posted on 12/27/18 at 1:49 pm to SirWinston
You didn't get screwed, that is inline with their prices. $63 for a 10oz fillet and $40 for a goat cheese and prosciutto stuffed chicken breast. It's the Northwest, seems to always be pricier than New York.
Posted on 12/27/18 at 1:50 pm to Crazy Hoss
Pretty much every special at a staple BR restaurant is either a filet or fish topped with jumbo lump crabmeat.
Posted on 12/27/18 at 2:15 pm to SirWinston
quote:
It said "special $55"
This is normal OP, doubt you got screwed. Most menu items are simply a button with the price included. A restuarant with good management will add a button for the special with the price included, but this is rare. Usually its up to the waiter to simply type it in themselves. The waiter gets no benefit from over charging you.
2ndly it pisses me off when a specials menu doesn't have a price or it has "market...", that's bullshite. 95% of the time the price is the damn same all year and everyone knows it. List your damn prices.
Lastly, yes its BS when a waiter doesn't tell you the price of a special. I will say, there's absolutely a correlation between not saying the price and it being overpriced. When I waited if they price was stupid high I was more likely to not say the price then say it.
Posted on 12/27/18 at 2:17 pm to baldona
When I waited I would always recommend at least 3 items: an app, a lighter item or sandwich, and then an entree and rarely the most expensive thing. If it was the most expensive, I'd either make a joke about that or I'd justify it.
But most places have a stupid high like lobster dish or something that is high in price but rarely their best item. If I'm at a somewhere like a steak house and they recommend me as a male the Filet and lobster, I immediately know the server likely sucks.
But most places have a stupid high like lobster dish or something that is high in price but rarely their best item. If I'm at a somewhere like a steak house and they recommend me as a male the Filet and lobster, I immediately know the server likely sucks.
This post was edited on 12/27/18 at 2:18 pm
Posted on 12/27/18 at 2:23 pm to baldona
Yea, I keep reading the above comments and thought to myself "I rarely get recommended the most expensive dish."
Posted on 12/27/18 at 7:43 pm to SirWinston
quote:
I felt like it would make me look cheap to ask about the price
Hopefully this lesson in humility will provide you with enough experience to put pride aside and ask the price next time. No need to protect your ego at the sacrifice of your common sense.
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