Menus Without Prices

I go out all the time up here in the PNW and I've never seen it.

 

Depending on the mood I'm in, if there's no prices on the menu I ask whether they're negotiable. Unfortunately, I always get the same answer but it makes me feel better.

 

Better yet, tell them it was $1 less the last time you were there.

 

um.... yeah I have.... I seem to recall prices on their menu then... at least the one that was handed to me.

They even let me do half pours and cut the price in half.

 

Definitely prices on the bottle menu but I don't believe I've ever seen any prices on the tap menu other than the $3.50 House Beer Special

 

They have prices on the food menu and the bottle list menu, which is behind the counter and you have to ask for that, but that is because it is a bunch of pages staples together.

Yeah, that is how they do their samples. All samples are half the price of a pint. That's nearly all I order there, since there are just so many options.

Finally, at special events when they are pouring specialty beer from bottles, they usually list the price for that as well.

 

That definitely seems like a sensible rule.

 

I've seen this a lot not just with beer, but food menus. Every time I'm in a new city, I check a site's menu before heading there. If they can't tell me how much a burger costs, you better believe I'm not setting foot in there.

 

You're only going to piss off a bartender or waiter who almost certainly didn't have any say in the menu creation. Then they might get back at you by taking advantage of the unlisted prices and gouge you even more for being a jerk. I've been to a couple places like this and the waitstaff is almost always in agreement with me when I complain. In fact they usually hate it more than me because remembering and explaining prices adds a lot to their workload.

If you want to get to the managers, post negative reviews on yelp and google for their poor practices. Warn others and cut into their business until they join civil society and put prices and sizes on the menu.

 

This is how I ended up paying $7 for a pint (fake pint) of Jabby Brau. It's a session beer for those unfamiliar with it (most of the country probably). I love the beer, but a growler is $9 at the brewery. Never would have bought it had I known. I agree with @jefffalcone about the frequency of this happening around Boston. Good thread. Good place to vent.

 

I don't really care. If I want to know, I'll ask. Most of the time I don't. I wouldn't drink out if I were trying to pinch pennies. There have been a couple of times where I was surprised by the price of a beer. I just know not to get it again, or it was really good I may deem the price worth it.

 

I must admit that I have never even looked at prices when out at a bar, restaurant, or brewery. I have had a server on several occasions say something like "Just want to let you know that one is $16 and it's only a 10 oz. pour". I appreciate it, but if there is a beer I really want to try, price won't hold me back.
Although I have gone to concerts or sporting events where I have absolutely refused to pay $12 for a pint of swill.

 

Yeah, I read this thread, and think, "what a novel idea - knowing how much beers cost." It's so common that it never occurred to me that it's bullshit and I'm kind of a malcontent.

 

A good beer bar should list the price, the serving size and the ABV. I see more and more bars having a beer menu that is easily updated.
I travel a ton for work and unfortunately run into to many places that don’t list prices. I think it is kind of insulating to the customers.

 

The 2 best beer bars in my area does this... you never know if a beer will be $5 or $14. You are usually surprised in a bad way... their tap lists are so long that I always want to try something new so I never know what the price will be. They do however list the size and abv.

drives me nuts - I feel cheap asking about the price all the time

 

I think we may be talking about the same 2 places... Maxs annoys me because they dont post the price... but the prices tend to be fair. Frisco's prices are all over the map and usually higher... which I dont understand. Seems like baltimore prices would be higher than columbia prices just based on rent alone.

Frisco is literally 500 feet from where I live so they get a lot of my business by default. They also have 1/2 price beer for mug club members monday nights.

 

I guess it may just be a Commonwealth thing, but its illegal to list alcohol on a menu without the prices (either pre or post tax price), if its not listed in some manner then you don't need to make note of the price.

 

I loathe it when they have menus without prices. Only to find out that pint of Pumpking was $9 when the bar across the street has say Enjoy By for $6 pints.

 

lol It was a joke... Calm down.

 

And this is why it boggles my mind. What is to stop a server from charging a price for one person and a different one from another? What if they just pull a number out of a hat or something?? Just make it up as they go along?... I mean really...