Dining out can be a lovely occasion, and the temptation to overspend is very great, because extravagance lends a sense of occasion to the meal. Restaurants do what they can to maximize the profits; they're businesses, after all. The reality for most of us, sadly, is that budgets are a way of life. Getting a nasty surprise on a little piece of paper at the end of a meal can ruin the occasion and generate ill will toward the restaurant. Restaurants would do well to remember that while raves about a restaurant are positive, rants against a restaurant stick far better in potential customers' minds.
Here are five restaurant "profit maximization" strategies we wish would shrivel up and die.
The Missing Alternative: Generally (but not strictly) confined to
fast-food restaurants and ubiquitous chain coffeeshops, this is the
practice of giving you choices but leaving off the cheapest or smallest
choice. When you go to Carl's Jr., you'll be asked if you want your
combo medium or large. Most people, figuring that those are the only
two choices and wanting the smallest option, choose medium, only to
find a 40¢ upcharge. At Starbucks, there are not three sizes of hot
drink but four; short, tall, grande and
pint-of-milk-with-two-shots-of-coffee. Guess which one is the off-menu
selection?
The Great Water Ripoff: A subset of the Missing Alternative, this is
generally (but not strictly) confined to fine-dining restaurants.
"Sparkling or still?" the server asks as you order water, failing to
mention that either option will add between $3 and $10 per bottle to
your bill. It's even worse when you respond, "Tap will be fine," and
the server sneers visibly. From the TAP will be fine, thank you, feel
free to bring the HOSE in here and fill up a freaking TROUGH so we can
stick our snouts in and get our fill. There is hope for this, though:
at a recent dinner at Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles, there was a 50¢
per person charge for unlimited sparkling or still water, which they
get through a fairly expensive filtration and carbonation system.
Restaurants are entitled to recoup costs; they are not entitled to rip
people off, which brings us to...
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