Sticker Shock at Beer Bars

what i do is get my beer chug it then ask how much...then say oh i figured it was x price i only have that....jk jk kind of ruins the purpose of enjoying beer

 

no one should work for free, but why cant people put prices up. Ive been to bars with beer menus listing the beer. style. abv and price and they leave one at every table and a few at the bar. Its like saying i love music but dont care how much i pay for a guitar, but i love guitars so it doesnt matter.

 

Most of the ones I go to have it somewhere. Map Room puts it on a printed menu, so does Small Bar, Bangers & Lace has it on their chalkboard, Owen & Engine on a printed menu, etc. Or you can access BeerMenus on your smartphone, because those who update on there also list size and prices.

 

don't have a smartphone and I haven't been to any of those

 

I never order anything without knowing the price. If the price is not posted ask.

 

Pretty much my only complaint about my amazing local beer bar (Prime 16) is that they don't list prices on their chalkboards. I can generally guess within $.50 or $1 how much something is going to be, and at happy hour it doesn't matter since everything's cheap, but a couple times I've wound up getting something for $8.50 that I expected to be more like $7.

 

I agree, in part. But a restaurant or bar experience is not simply a transactional one. Having to inquire about the price of each option can distract from the customer's enjoyment, or the enjoyment of the customer's dining companions. Saying "ask for the price" is like say "don't complain about the meal after the fact if you didn't give them an opportunity to fix it"--sometimes waiting around for the kitchen to refire a meal is too distracting, would take too long, would make you seem whiny, etc. The restaurant/bar should try to make the best possible experience for the customer, and hoodwinking them into spending more than expected on beer should not be part of that equation. If you need to trick your customers in order to meet your revenue goals, your place sucks.

 

You don't have to imagine a bar w/ 20 taps putting up 20 prices, they already exist (and more).

Its not about begrudging someone for making a buck, we're just wanting you to disclose the price of the beer. If you can write the name of the beer somewhere in the establishment, you can write the price next to it. Transparency should be more than just a broken campaign promise. . .

It might not be the most important issue in the beer world, but calling it a non-issue is the type of attitude from bar owners/purveyors that is more indicative of not listening to the customer/consumer.

 

Places that do this probably have a bunch of health code violations as well. After all, if you are going to be intentionally and blatantly deceitful to pull what amounts to bait and switch stunts, then you probably don't give a damn about proper food storage and cleaning practices either. Bottom line, don't go there.

 

What line of work are you in in which customers are essentially asked to either commit to your product or engage in some amount of awkwardness to find out the price in advance? I agree it's not the worst thing in the world, or even the worst thing in the beer world, but it is kind of crappy.

 

And let's get real, how many times do you think you can ask the price of something before your server gets pissed and your level of service takes a nose dive?

 

My personal favorite local beer bar (Kickbacks in Jacksonville, FL) has a free iPhone/android app with all their beers on tap and the pour size, price, ABV, and a brief description. They also have a big board on the wall with size, price, and ABV but the app makes it so much easier.

 

Well, thanks for the reply. I did not mean to create a firestorm, but I stand by my post. The Op concedes that he could ask the price but feels it's 'lame'. That, to me, seems to be the real problem. Like I said, in most cases, the bar will only post a price or two like; 'Bud LT, $2 mugs'. That is marketing. I feel comfortable asking for a price. I order a B&B and an IPA draft together once in a while and I always ask the price of the B&B because I know that it varies quite a bit. I'll only pay so much. I do not endorse hidden pricing, it just happens to be inherant to the bar business. As craft drinkers, we know what to expect to pay, and the 'what' is a premium.

 

Thanks for the reply. Did I say that I do not care how much the beer costs? No, I did not. I did say that I ask for the price [if I don't already know it] and go from there.
I love music and guitars, too. The music shops here stock hundreds of axes, not every unit has a price tag. The business person wants the customer to inquire sometimes because it leads to a sale.
Anywho, what do I know? I'm in it for the beer!

 

Awkwarness? I don't see it. You're right, not the end of the world either way. But beer price menus are not necessary for me. Ya know, sometimes the bartender, ahh, barmaid is worth talking to about the selections. It beats complimenting her eyes like the last 50 guys have done. Thanks for the reply.

 

I always ask for prices at places that don't list. Why does it seem so hard to do for so many in this thread?

Anyone who is too embarassed to ask for a price of what they are buying is foolish.

Any server who cops an attitude for being asked a price deserves to cop a bigger attitude when they get stiffed on their tip.

 

Finally, someone who understands me. I was so lonely.

 

That's a beautiful thing. I'm the kind of consumer who likes to ponder what he wants for quite some time, especially since I'll rarely have more than 2-3 beers, so I want to maximize 'em.

I certainly prefer not to have to ask a price and then remember it. Having something to look at makes my life a lot easier.

 

When you're at a place with 25 taps and hundreds of bottles, yet you're not there for any one particular offering, then the price (for me at least, and I suspect many others) will be a key -- maybe the key -- factor in deciding which beer I'll ultimately order. So, it can get quite cumbersome for both the server/bartender and me.

Plus, the server often doesn't know every price off hand. So, it takes unnecessary time and effort for her to keep going back and asking prices.

If a place has Abt 12, Hoptimum, and Old Raspy, that's easy. But if it has 3 in every style, I want to sit there and power, look back from the menu to my phone/BA back to the menu, think about it some more, etc.

 

I didn't even notice the prices, that's a fancy "chalkboard".