# Do these types of restaurants exist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092 "2011-06-28T01:58:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![HawksPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f07891/32.png) [@HawksPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HawksPath)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/21 "2011-06-28T20:38:13Z")
On a related note, are you obligated to pay whatever they say if they don’t tell you the price first? I mean Hampshire’s story as an example. What if they’d asked $100 when the highest listed item was under $30? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/22 "2011-06-28T21:42:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It wasn’t even that long ago. I remember seeing “date menus” as late as 1994 in some of the nicer, old-school restaurants (the Pump Room at the Ambassador East is the one I remember in particular.) I went to Ruth’s Chris steakhouse with my mom when I was in high school (2004) and they gave me the menu with the prices and my mom the “date menu” with no prices. She told me that the waiter must have thought we were a couple. My mom looks 20 years younger than she is and was considered hot by my friends when I was a teenager; I guess it’s possible. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/23 "2011-06-29T02:28:35Z")
In Rome, we ate at this great restaurant near the collesium 2 nights in a row. It was so good the first night, we went back. Plus they had a waiter from Nepal that spoke both Italian and english. The second night, he said let me order for you. The bill was a million lira. Man that was a helluva awesome meal. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/24 "2011-06-29T03:14:37Z")
> [@chaoticbear](#): > > As a mini-rant, drink menus! This happened to me the other night, roommate wanted to go out to Olive Garden, and I inquired about the price of a beer, and completely balked at paying $5.50 for a draft beer. I got a $2 Diet Coke instead. I was going to mention this, but figured everybody would say “well, drinks, OBVIOUSLY.” Unpriced cocktail menus seem to practically the norm. It’s a pet peeve of mine ever since getting a bill for a $16 Grey Goose martini. Which, I should note, was served in an unchilled tumbler. > [@FoundWaldo](#): > > I have been to one restaurant where there were no prices, but it was also a kind of “the chef will put together a custom tasting menu for you” kind of place. You weren’t really choosing from a menu (and it also wasn’t a traditional prix fixe tasting menu). You just told them if you had any dietary restrictions, and they went with it. I had no idea what it all cost until the check came. There’s a place near me that operates on this principle on Sundays. You come in, you’re seated, and they serve you. If I recall, they don’t tell you the price unless you ask, but it’s on their website and you can only get a reservation by signing up through the website, so I think they’re operating on the assumption that everybody who cares, knows. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/25 "2011-06-29T05:02:50Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > I was going to mention this, but figured everybody would say “well, drinks, OBVIOUSLY.” Unpriced cocktail menus seem to practically the norm. It’s a pet peeve of mine ever since getting a bill for a $16 Grey Goose martini. Which, I should note, was served in an unchilled tumbler. I think I’d be less angry about that, or at least expect it if it were a nice-looking restaurant. I’d certainly feel caught off-guard by a $16 martini if I were at Chili’s or something. Likewise, when I go to one of the places around here that specializes in having a lot of different, interesting beers, or brews their own, $5-6 is reasonable. But for a (I assume pint) of an American macrobrew? Puhleeze. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/26 "2011-07-01T06:56:11Z")
I used to work at a member’s only dining club that sometimes had menus and sometimes didn’t. Whoever the host of the party or table was would get a menu with the prices on it. All the other menus did not. That was a fun job, but that’s neither here nor there. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2011, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/27 "2011-07-01T07:38:07Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I went to Ruth’s Chris steakhouse with my mom when I was in high school (2004) and they gave me the menu with the prices and my mom the “date menu” with no prices. She told me that the waiter must have thought we were a couple. My mom looks 20 years younger than she is and was considered hot by my friends when I was a teenager; I guess it’s possible. I bet he got a great tip. ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/28 "2011-07-02T10:39:00Z")
It’s not the same as ‘if you have to ask you can’t afford’ but I’ve been to at least one dim sum place recently (and the same for sushi trains) where you don’t see the final price until the end of the meal. The serving staff bring the food around and you take what looks good, but there’s no menu and no prices mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/29 "2011-07-02T14:47:37Z")
Don’t many dim sum and sushi train places price based on the color of the plate or some similar criteria? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/30 "2011-07-02T16:02:25Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It wasn’t even that long ago. I remember seeing “date menus” as late as 1994 in some of the nicer, old-school restaurants (the Pump Room at the Ambassador East is the one I remember in particular.) There used to be a bar called the Pump Room on Northwestern Avenue in Indianapolis, which typically had a stabbing or shooting at least every other night. I’m pretty sure they didn’t have a date menu. In fact, a menu of any kind (not to mention a wine list) would have been surprising. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/31 "2011-07-02T16:40:43Z")
> [@chaoticbear](#): > > I got a $2 Diet Coke instead. Because that seemed like a reasonable option? :dubious: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/32 "2011-07-03T02:02:53Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Don’t many dim sum and sushi train places price based on the color of the plate or some similar criteria? Not sure about dim sum, but yes in Japan the standard pricing system for sushi trains is the color of the plate. Many places also have menus however. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/33 "2011-07-03T04:28:11Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > I have seen restaurants with certain items unpriced. IIRC, it was just a couple very high-end things. Basically, the stuff that might say “Market Price” elsewhere but didn’t bother to say it. That’s been my experience, and this usually pertains to things like Alaskan King Crab or Lobster. That is, at a high end restaurant, MOST of the dishes will have the price listed, but the lobster dishes will frequently say something like “Market Price.” Presumably, there’s some seasonal fluctuation in the supply of some items, meaning the price may rise or fall more rapidly than the price of most other dishes. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/34 "2011-07-04T03:27:04Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > That’s a non-profit. I remember a few years ago, the Wall Street Journal had an article about a for-profit restaurant that removed its prices, and started a “pay what you think it was worth” policy. The article said it was a smashing success. There were a few customers who paid nothing, or close to it. But the average customer paid MORE than what the old menus had listed, and the restaurant was making more money than before. Recently Panera’s has converted some of their locations to [a “pay what you can” model](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43050301/ns/business-consumer_news/t/paneras-pay-what-you-can-cafe-success/). And they are actually profitable locations. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/35 "2011-07-04T07:17:08Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Places with “guest” menus are still about. Private clubs are another example, where the club member will simply have the cost of a meal added to his monthly account. Guests of the member will receive menus with no prices. Similarly for drinks, even at the bar. I’ve been a guest to a few of these clubs over the years (less than half a dozen). The member gets a bill at the end of the month or quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Handsome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@Gus\_Handsome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Handsome)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/36 "2011-07-04T10:12:20Z")
When we were visiting a friend in London, he took my wife & I out to dinner at a restaurant called “Blake’s”. It was the only time in my life I’ve ever been presented with a menu with no prices on it. Our gracious host’s menu had prices, but ours didn’t. Also, it was the first time I ate souffle - the most amazing dessert ever known to man. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/37 "2011-07-04T10:26:21Z")
I have come across a number of restaurants like this (in my travels), and it’s not like I go looking for such places. They do exist. You just might not find one on every corner, however. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/38 "2011-07-04T18:06:52Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > When I was young (back when restaurants still served dinosaur steaks and the like), it was quite common for better restaurants to have a “[ladies’ menu](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=11&sqi=2&ved=0CGkQFjAK&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcqx.sagepub.com%2Fcontent%2F21%2F4%2F8.abstract&rct=j&q=ladies%20menu&ei=ejcJTta4NoXTgQeK3PigAg&usg=AFQjCNFbw1dvZrcbgsyCjDGtTPH7of-pDw&cad=rja).” > Gentlemen would get a menu with the prices listed, while ladies would be given menus without prices. > [@pulykamell](#): > > It wasn’t even that long ago. I remember seeing “date menus” as late as 1994 in some of the nicer, old-school restaurants (the Pump Room at the Ambassador East is the one I remember in particular.) I got that shit pulled on me in a Miami restaurant thereabouts of 1995, and the main reason the waiter didn’t eat the no-prices version is that I didn’t want to risk jail. The “prix fixe” places I have known in France and the “menú del día” ones in Spain have no individual prices on dishes, but that’s because you pay for the whole meal. A menú del día will include two courses, dessert, bread, drink and service (the drink is usually water or wine, anything else gets charged extra); the French version was the same with one course. I saw similar arrangements in Italy but can’t recall what they were called. In any case, those restaurants aren’t particularly posh and you still know how much you’re paying - it’s simply not per item. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/39 "2011-07-04T18:49:27Z")
I once went to a fancy restaurant that didn’t have a printed menu at all. The waiter recited all the options verbally. I don’t remember if he included prices. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092/40 "2011-07-04T22:16:37Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > I got that shit pulled on me in a Miami restaurant thereabouts of 1995, and the main reason the waiter didn’t eat the no-prices version is that I didn’t want to risk jail. See, I kind of like the idea of a host menu and a guest menu. If I’m taking someone out and paying for it–male or female–it’d be nice to have the option of giving them a menu where they need not concern themselves over the price of individual dishes and just order what they like. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-these-types-of-restaurants-exist/587092.md?page=3)