Menus Without Prices

Agreed on no prices, and no serving sizes listed as being totally unacceptable. If the place has a good selection that is well-kept and moves quickly, ask every time you order. (Otherwise, don't bother with the place) They either will get the message and change their practice, or will get tired of you asking and you'll wind up going somewhere else anyhow. How about "cheater" pints? I've actually had waitstaff argue that a pint is 14oz. Where? Albania?

 

This seems to be common more and more here in NH also. They do seem to list the size of the pour but not the price. I paid $9.50 for a 12 oz pour of Backwoods Bastard the other day at one local place. It at least was a full pour.

 

exactly... same here, never seen it.

Going to a store is a different thing for prices. Often items are rotated or being stocked, or they just haven't gotten around to it to tag it. An occasional restaurant usually an "upper" one, wont have prices online, or their menu changes daily with a fixed priced later at the end, or they announce a special verbally and never tell the price (a big peeve of mine).

But a bar with no prices for their drinks? This makes zero sense which is why I am having a hard time picturing any place doing this.

 

Must be a U.S. thing - I have never been to a pub, bar or restaurant that didn't have the price of drinks on their menu. If they didn't have prices on their menu I would probably not bother eating there anyway. That sort of thing gives me the shits.

 

Yup, definitely ran into this a few times in NYC. It's very frustrating..

 

just ask the price before you order...seems simple enough.

i can maybe understand no prices on menus as to avoid the need to change menus every time the prices change. that might be expensive if done too often. i'm not a big bar guy but the bars i go to use the chalkboard method, with prices. seems like the smart thing to do.

cheers.

 

$12 for a pint of Two Hearted? Those are NYC prices.

 

Not listing the prices of food or drink in a bar or restaurant should tell you right off that they are going to be high. I've never been in a dive bar or short order grill that didn't list prices on a menu or board.

 

I hate that practice, and to add another layer onto it, I also get annoyed when they don't indicate if a certain pour is going to be less than the expected pint. Last gripe in the food / drink arena is when they tell you about the food specials but not the associated prices.
I'm really not a grouchy old man.

 

I can remember when most restaurants in my area didn't list the price of any beer but that was before we had any modern breweries (silly laws kept us from them a loooong time). Most places that are about craft beer are pretty good about pricing these days but if you venture into a chain restaurant you're almost guaranteed to not see prices (or more than one ok beer).

I also like to see the abv listed for anything at 6% or higher. The first time I ever had a local black IPA I had no clue it was 7.5%. I had 4 pints (I'm a small guy) in about 90 minutes and it was hammertime. Even my gf was floored because I'm not that much of a lightweight but when I looked up the abv the next day it all became clear. Good times.

 

This bothers me less than menus without ABVs.

 

OK, so there are a couple of exceptions where I view not listing the price as acceptable

Boom

First, one of my favorite bars in the world is Mr. Beery's in Sarasota. First time I went there, I looked at the chalkboard and noticed numbers listed after every beer but I quickly realized (even though there was no "%" symbol) they weren't prices, but rather ABVs. I thought that was really cool just because what else do you really need to know? If you're an informed beer drinker you know that Kona's Koko Brown listed at 5.5% is going to be reasonably priced for a pint. If you see DFH 90 Min listed at 9% you know it's going to be a bit more expensive because there's usually a correlation between ABV and prices. Of course, the exceptions are going to be Belgians and Sours/Lambics but, once again, if you're an educated beer drinker you'll know the Delirium Tremens is going to be more pricey and, along with the ABV, they also listed the state/country where the beer is from and what the style is. And of course, if you're really concerned with the price, you can always ask. If someone thinks you're cheap for asking, that's their problem and they're an asshole so who cares? Note: IIRC, Beery's did/does also have a laminated menu listing prices and pour sizes, there were just no prices on the chalkboard.

See, if the prices are reasonable, it's OK. If they're not so reasonable, you should list them, which leads me to my next point:

The only other situation where I find it's acceptable to not list prices is at a brewery where the prices are dirt cheap in the first place. I tend bar at a "nano" brewery and these are the prices: beers that come in a 16 oz pour (which are all beers lower than 7.5% ABV) are $4.50 and beers that come in a 12 oz pour (which are all beers higher than 7.5% ABV) are $5.50. The pour sizes and ABVs are listed on the menu but the prices are not. When someone asks what the prices are, it's really easy to spout off the criteria and no, I don't think you're cheap if you ask. If I did, I'd be an asshole. However, I do think you're cheap when you ask if we have any specials. When asked that, I always respond "No, our beer is already affordable enough." (Note: this bar is in a downtown area where the prices I've mentioned are extremely reasonable given the location)

On the flipside, at the other bar where I work we have 20 different taps featuring breweries from all around the world and we're constantly rotating different beers in and out so I can't possibly memorize the prices on the menu. The prices are listed on the menu but I still get asked after I serve a beer "How much is it?" when it's in black and white right there in front of them. That annoys me more than when I go out and there aren't any prices listed. Oh, and what really annoys me is when the price listed does not include the tax. Example: price listed is $5 for a pint but when I get the check, that pint is nearing $6 when the tax is factored in. THAT really grinds my gears. Both bars I work at include the tax in the price so I know it's not difficult to implement.

TL;dr You don't always have to list the prices but you should include the tax in the price. And, when the prices are listed, don't ask how much it costs, just read the damn menu.

 

If the restaurant/bar doesn't post their prices it's because they are well over the average price/overpriced. Bar Louie is a perfect example. Expect 9-10 oz pours for $10+

 

I bug the shit out of the waiter asking how much and what size pour the beers are. I then dont go back. If there are other alternatives in walking distance I will leave unless we are there to eat.

I stopped going to a bar like this that I liked. No price or glass size and they got annoyed when you asked. The food was good and taps were good but I got tired of asking or guessing that this 6% IPA should be a pint( fake pint at that) and have a $6 10oz pour show up.

Enjoy

 

yes - its straight up bullshit

 

never seen beers without prices at bars, but I do see it at liquor stores sometimes.

There is one liquor store by me that's notorious for only putting price tags on some beers but not all. I'll find a beer I want, but I often have to look through all the other bottles of it on the shelf to find the one with the price tag.

 

I fix this by making them go and find out if they're unsure. It's your job to know what you have available, not just food but drinks as well, and it's not my problem if you have to go out of your way to remind yourself.

Pretty much the same goes for price of a beer, if it's not listed I assume it's in line with what I expect to pay; if you then charge something outrageous ($12 for a Two Hearted was mentioned) then I will say something. 9 times out of 10 this is not an issue and while they might be a little high ($6/pint when I expected $5) that comes with going to a nicer place that feels entitled to skip listing prices. On that 10th time, I have no problem calling them out on a shitty business practice and demanding fair pricing.

 

you'll have trouble finding places to step foot in in Boston. No prices on beer menus is standard, but most places don't have a ton of price variation. A pint of craft is about $6, give or take. If it's something pricey, it's usually a smaller pour for around $6. Fancy places with lots of rare stuff will post prices, but that's about it.

 

Really interesting thread from a regional culture standpoint. Where I live, prices on the beer menu are rare and if the menu does have prices it is usually because the beer is expensive. Around the country folks seem to expect to see prices and people tend to find not listing prices is an indicator of high prices.