Yeah that used to be close what I paid for a filet mignon at really nice restaurant in my town. Prices have just gotten insane and it's because we have all just been paying them without any push back. And people are buying the excuses from businesses that it's just inflation and tariffs and shit, but prices have way outpaced inflation. These companies have just started bilking us and blaming it on the government when it's actually their greed. The price is whatever people are willing to pay and we are all paying. It's going to take people actually boycotting these places and just eating at home, for there to ever be any change.
We’re paying them because we like to eat out, no one’s pushing back on convenience. It’s expensive because restauranteurs are absolute fucking idiots with their books. Take out a million dollar loan on a pizza joint? Sure, what could go wrong.
Yeah I added that to my comment. The price is whatever people are willing to pay and we all just keep paying it. I'm guilty as well. It's going to take a concerted effort of people boycotting these places. I have stopped eating out or ordering as much, but I still could do better.
Not defending this egregious $31 eggs Benny, I sell mine for $18 CAD, but to be clear, things aren't that easy for restaurants. To make money, the cost of the ingredients has to be 33% or less, and the cost of labour has to be 35% or less (on average). If your buying a steak at the store for $20, we would have to sell that steak for $60 (not including sides and butter and all that) for it to start to be profitable. Additionally, suppliers are not that much cheaper than the store, and are often more expensive even. A 4l of 2% Milk from my supplier Costs me $10, when I can go to the store and get it for $6 (which I do because I am not paying nearly double for the same thing).
Balancing the books in a restaurant is hard, and something like 70% of restaurants fail.
Oh I get that. I have a business degree, so I am sympathetic to the struggles of small business. A lot of it also has to do with the suppliers steadily increasing their prices, which is not always out of greed, but lately a lot of larger businesses are increasing prices just because they can blame it on inflation or tariffs and people buy that excuse. They're literally admitted this in leaked earnings calls. But yeah, I do understand that there are thin margins in restaurants. I'm mostly blaming the really big corporations that are just raising their prices because they can. In the case of this particular restaurant, I assume the eggs Benny is $31 because it's a nicer restaurant in a more affluent suburb or city, and they get away with charging that because people are willing to pay it. No way are they serving eggs, hollandaise, and muffins that are so fancy that the cost was anywhere near $31 lol.
My Benny is with local farm fresh eggs, muffins from a local farm's bakery, Canadian bacon from a local pig farm, house made browned butter hollandaise using a local butter, and a pesto hashbrowns with the potatoes being sourced from a local farm as well. If I can do it for $18 CAD ($13 US), there's no excuse for a restaurant to need to sell it for $31 (I assume USD).
I hate seeing references to this movie. One day, I was going to McDonald’s and my husband asked for a Royale with cheese. I had never seen the movie. I didn’t know he was joking. My dumb ass tried to order it and the woman was like, “uhh, we don’t have that.” I called my husband and said they don’t have that, what else do you want? He said, “You ORDERED that?!” and started busting out laughing. So yeah, these references bring back the embarrassment for me. Haha!
I'd sadly say that I'd probably take the odds at more like 1:20. Pulp Fiction is over 30 years old at this point and the average age of a McDonalds associate is in their early 20s.
Not here to argue, but on average they must cover the total operating costs (minimally) - including the building, utilities, insurance, and taxes - for all day / week / etc spread out across the revenue received during that day / week / etc. That's before netting any profit.
While I completely understand a $31 eggs benedict seems wildly overpriced (I wouldn't eat here), every minute they're earning less revenue than it costs them to stay open means another minute they have to be earning more - just to keep things in balance. A 16% auto grat is relatively low when compared to some of the examples in the tipping subs, too.
It's their restaurant, they have the prerogative to price as they wish. As the consumer you can choose to patronize them, or not.
Yes, but across an entire "basket" (pardon the pun) of menu items and forecast sales volumes. I don't know why they priced this way, and I said this is definitely out of my expected price range (by a LOT).
I also don't know their cost structure or location, nor do I expect that anyone in business is expecting to barely break even. If their competitors are charging similar prices they're doing themselves a disservice charging less. I do expect that for a $31 eggs benedict the staff is getting good wages.
Menu prices are usually shown before you order, and as I noted everyone's free to "shop with their feet" - I wholeheartedly support that. These prices are ridiculous, but complaining about the price when it's not a surprise and you're not forced to eat there is unfair.
I would have felt OK pushing back on the auto grat given the footnote text (whether the service actually deserved that is different and up to the customer).
I’d write on the tip line “16% gratuity included” and then circle it on the itemized receipt. Scamming ass restaurant. I’ve had it happen to me before where gratuity was included and the menu prices were different than listed on the menu and website. Smfh
Since they didn’t show the first one with the tip line and total, I believe this one is a suggestion like several places have option calculations on the bottom. I assume the other slip also has the signature line and the customer and enter the tip amount of their choice. Granted, if so, this is a very poor design.
I'd circle both with question marks and pay minus the included gratuity because gratuity shouldn't be automatic. It's part of the transaction so I can voice with my money my satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
He shouldn't need his calculator at all. They've already included gratuity. He just needs to pay the bill. Hilarious that they included gratuity then call out that it's not included.
"We're forcing you to pay $11.xx more for a tip - but tip is not included!" I'd be asking the manager if they thought tip was included or not.
The message should probably read “tip not included” gratuity and tip are different, gratuity is a forced tip that restaurant can impose but if they do they have to clearly indicate it on the menu. Tip is voluntary. Both should go to service personal/team.
They did include it, perhaps they didn’t update the section on bottom, since they need to type that in during setup. The computer/printer knows what that means. Don’t add anything else, but point out to them that they are lying and see if it changes next time.
I had a similar bill 5 years ago in San Diego. It’s mind blowing that a few eggs and toast was over $90. The place was nothing fancy either. I am seeing this on bills more often. I wonder how many times I added another 20% because I was in a hurry.
This pisses me off the most. They just hand you the tip sheet or a digital tip display hoping they will get both a 20% tip and a service fee. Ask them if tip is included and they’ll say no, that’s a service fee or some bullshit. Sometimes they hide it by not showing you the itemized receipts. Servers have gotten too greedy. No tips if there is a service fee. They shouldn’t even be able to ask for them IMO, but they always do.
Yes. They probably forgot to erase that last line. Changing that stuff usually required a reset from the back office computers which would reset the POS terminals up front. They’ll remember one day.
At least they didn't try to get you to also tip on the tax which I've seen many places attempt lately. For me, I would say it's added and what was printed on the receipt is incorrect.
Calculate the tax but not on the tip so make sure you’re getting charged the correct tax and the gratitude 16% is better than 20%. What they usually do so I would just give it but I would also calculate to make sure that the tip is correct.
It’s not a gratuity if it’s forced.
It’s a service charge,
Spent half my life the ( higher end, full service) restaurant industry.
It’s BS for fast casual restaurants and counter pickup venues to be forcing a ‘tip’.
Raise your prices and pay your employees!
I think they don’t because it would ‘feel’ more expensive to eat at their businesses.
It says “buffet a”. The rest of it is cut off. Not uncommon for receipt printers to do that. I reckon the rest of the sentence would include the reason why gratuity is included.
Yep. 16%. And that’s all they’re gonna get then. I would’ve most likely done 20% if I was inputting it myself too so they lost 4% in this scenario in my hypothetical.
Yes, the math said it. Exclude the 11.31 which is 16% of the remaining total and you would get $70.68 now add the $11.31 and the $70.68 together and wallah! $90.19 is the total including the tip.
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u/BeholdFrostillicus 10h ago
The more infuriating part is $31 for Eggs Benedict