Rant of the Day -- Why Don't Restaurants Tell You the Price of their Specials

Mentioning Specials without Prices

When I was younger, I took my wife to Il Mulino for our first anniversary dinner. The waiter or captain (I know a very fancy restaurant and I do not even know what the captain did) told us about the specials (while neglecting to tell us the prices of each special) and we were interested in the truffle pasta. We ordered it without asking about the price and we were shocked that an appetizer would cost $45 (it being the 1990’s). Lesson learned that we should always ask about the price of an item we order.

Every restaurant offers specials but many restaurants do not mention the prices of these special dishes which creates an awkward situation for the customer.

You also don’t want customers to feel deceived if they opt for a special, only to be floored by the price afterwards. It’s better to be upfront and honest. Obviously, this is not an accident and could upset the customers which would definitely impact the tip at the end of the meal. So why do restaurants do this?

After some research, I found that some restaurant owners prefer that their servers not mention the price of a special. Some consider it tacky, plus they don’t want to have their servers appear to be judging the customer or making them feel humiliated or even uncomfortable. Their goal is just the opposite.

In addition, one could argue that mentioning the price may be a disincentive to buy, as most fine dining specials are priced higher than the normal entree.  In these situations, it’s the content and presentation that’s special (often utilizing seasonal or unusual ingredients). Not the price.

Sounds to me to be a great way to create issues with customers resulting in a less than satisfactory eating experience. In other words, a way to piss off customers so that they may choose not to return.