Comments on: The Restaurant Industry’s Ability to Make You Spend More Money

By: Mary R

Mary R — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:34:27 +0000

I have two strategies for eating in restaurants depending on the situation.

1) If I’m going to enjoy company with friends, but not necessarily the food (because let’s face it, a lot of restaurants are just marginal), I’ll eat something small at home first and then order something cheap at the restaurant, so I can still be a part of the eating…

2) If I’m going to enjoy the food and the restaurant, I’ll focus on value rather than price. This means, I’ll order an entree which might be more costly, but the portion will be bigger and it will be a better overall value than appetizers or salads in terms of what you actually get for the money…
.-= Mary R´s last blog ..Okinawan Baby Shower Lost in Translation =-.

By: Neil

Neil — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:40:03 +0000

It’s interesting that such a small detail would make any difference at all.

My tips for saving money are to get a jug of water once the kids have had 1 drink each (cheaper and better for us) and be aware when the restaurant is trying to make up for cheap headline prices on meals by pushing up the price of extras.

None of the above applies to special occasions, as the commentator above said just relax and enjoy them!
.-= Neil´s last blog ..The Elusion of Financial Freedom That Debt Can Bring =-.

By: Charlie@PaylessForFood.com

Charlie@PaylessForFood.com — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:55:15 +0000

Very interesting research.

I also read somewhere that restaurants also stop listing prices in a straight column, but instead list the price right after the dish description. This apparently cuts down on the number of people who search up and down the price column looking for the cheapest item.
.-= Charlie@PaylessForFood.com´s last blog ..Supermarket Speed Bumps That Get You to Spend More =-.

By: dixie

dixie — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:51:18 +0000

Whoa, I never realized that before. I think I’m going to pay more attention to that little detail in menus from now on.

One thing I always do is only order water because it’s free. Soda and tea prices seem to get higher and higher these days. If my boyfriend orders a soda I’ll just take a few sips off his and that satisfies my sweet tooth.
.-= dixie´s last blog ..New/old car =-.

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:29:24 +0000

I’ll certainly recognize that it’s a good thing to be aware of marketing tactics being used on you. However, I’ve found that it’s very helpful for me to *stop* adding up the bill at a restaurant. Before I had my spending under control, I would inevitably order the cheapest item on the menu and scowl if my companion ordered something expensive. This was to the point of ridiculousness. When my friend took me out for a fancy dinner for my birthday one year (he was paying) he had the restaurant leave off the prices on the menu entirely so that I wouldn’t be swayed by expense and would order what I “really wanted.” I chose the hamburger, of course the cheapest item on the menu.

Now when I go out to eat, I think of restaurant dining as a mini-vacation. The money is *completely* discretionary and I’ve budgeted for it. If I got to fancy dinner, I don’t want to get the chicken to save $3. I’d rather get the chilean sea bass, spend more money and enjoy it more. I know that relaxing my penny-pinching ways around the restaurant dinner table has improved my dining experiences.

My point being, I think there’s a fair chance that even though people are paying 8% more on their tabs when they aren’t thinking about the money, they’re enjoying their meal 8% more. As long as they’re not going over their restaurant dining budget, maybe it’s a good thing.

And as a side note, I think it’s far more offensive that prices are never listed for cocktails. Is my chocolate martini $8 or $10? Nevermind, I’ll go without.
.-= Amber´s last blog ..Spotlight =-.