# Story about unexpectedly large steakhouse bill **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2020, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331 "2020-01-13T02:18:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/81 "2020-01-16T02:53:11Z")
Apparently gold food is a [really](https://financesonline.com/10-really-expensive-foods-infused-with-gold-luxurious-bacon-burgers-and-bagels/) [stupid](https://www.insider.com/golden-food-you-can-order-2018-6#golden-caramels-leckerbaer-in-copenhagen-denmark-12) [trend](https://qz.com/quartzy/1323929/the-edible-gold-food-trend-taking-the-world-by-storm/). ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/82 "2020-01-16T03:22:58Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Surely it’s not the role of the police to simply enforce payment of whatever the restaurant demands in a situation where there appears to be a bona fide dispute over the amount due? Isn’t this a matter for the civil courts? Ah, memories. Among the pleasures of serving in law enforcement in Florida was enforcing state statute 509.151, “Defrauding an Innkeeper” (note that a value of over $1,000 is a felony). It’s right at that border of criminal/civil. I mean, really, it’s a civil dispute, but the criminal law was created for vagrants and assorted miscreants who might make a habit of such shenanigans, and is usually enforced (criminally) when the diners flee the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/83 "2020-01-16T13:52:42Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Apparently gold food is a [really](https://financesonline.com/10-really-expensive-foods-infused-with-gold-luxurious-bacon-burgers-and-bagels/) [stupid](https://www.insider.com/golden-food-you-can-order-2018-6#golden-caramels-leckerbaer-in-copenhagen-denmark-12) [trend](https://qz.com/quartzy/1323929/the-edible-gold-food-trend-taking-the-world-by-storm/). One of the items in the first link is called a Douche Burger… BTW, I do remember reading about edible gold in a magazine back in the late 70s or early 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/84 "2020-01-16T14:52:22Z")
Gold plated food sounds like one of those things we’d laugh at people in previous eras doing. “Did you know that they used to wrap their food in gold and eat it because they thought it made them look fancy in 18th century Versailles?” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/85 "2020-01-16T16:29:04Z")
Salt Bae Tomahawk vs Golden Tomahawk. They don’t sound alike, so unless the restaurant is noisy I don’t see how the server misheard. That said, while I have been a server, I have never been a high-end steakhouse server. We have eaten in a few (not this level, but Bern’s in Tampa and Ruth’s Chris) and my experience on both sides of the table is that the I/server tends to go out of their way to clarify what is being ordered when it’s gets pricey. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/86 "2020-01-16T16:36:29Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Salt Bae Tomahawk vs Golden Tomahawk. They don’t sound alike, so unless the restaurant is noisy I don’t see how the server misheard. > > That said, while I have been a server, I have never been a high-end steakhouse server. We have eaten in a few (not this level, but Bern’s in Tampa and Ruth’s Chris) and my experience on both sides of the table is that the I/server tends to go out of their way to clarify what is being ordered when it’s gets pricey. “I’d like the Tomahawk steak”. “Golden?” (not at all listening, unaware there were 2 choices) “Sure”. FWIW, when I worked at a restaurant, wait staff were instructed to always try an upsell, even a hidden upsell. So if someone ordered a glass of “house red”, at say $4, the waitstaff would reply “Merlot?”, as if they were clarifying which red they wanted, even though a glass of Merlot was a seperate menu item that was $6.50. So this could easily have been a hidden upsell like that. Especially if they’re calling the police a few times a month over bullshit like this. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/87 "2020-01-16T16:40:25Z")
> [@psychobunny](#): > > Apparently gold food is a [really](https://financesonline.com/10-really-expensive-foods-infused-with-gold-luxurious-bacon-burgers-and-bagels/) [stupid](https://www.insider.com/golden-food-you-can-order-2018-6#golden-caramels-leckerbaer-in-copenhagen-denmark-12) [trend](https://qz.com/quartzy/1323929/the-edible-gold-food-trend-taking-the-world-by-storm/). Well, the “tomahawk steak” itself is just a novelty, at best. It’s literally just a ribeye with the rib bone still attached, an honor for which you will pay a 200-300% premium. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/88 "2020-01-17T02:18:42Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Here’s the menu: > [https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/r3KaMH3bizGYRWc30G-BUQ/o.jpg](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/r3KaMH3bizGYRWc30G-BUQ/o.jpg) > > I mean, if my steak came out covered in gold, I probably would’ve said something about it. Too exclusive to put $ dollar signs on their menu. I guess their customers think that drawing attention to the price is declasse. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/89 "2020-01-17T02:25:45Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Well, the “tomahawk steak” itself is just a novelty, at best. It’s literally just a ribeye with the rib bone still attached, an honor for which you will pay a 200-300% premium. Yes, it’s ridiculous. It’s one of those things designed to be flashy and attract attention from the other tables. (Plus how does that work on the table? Don’t you need a bunch of room for the bone sticking out?) ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/90 "2020-01-17T02:27:45Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > What a scam. > > It’s maybe [$100](https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Leaf-Booklet-sheets-Transfer/dp/B005H7VS2A/ref=asc_df_B005H7VS2A/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167124288385&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7797673942564436327&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030072&hvtargid=pla-310065319118&psc=1) in gold leaf. That link is $50 for 250 square inches. 2 foot by 10 inch. Personally, I was given a gold leaf face mask. It was so cheap that it was free (a give-away to get my email address). Though, to be fair, it was also so expensive that someone had stolen it out of the free gift. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/91 "2020-01-17T03:02:28Z")
This is why, when I state my order, I also point to what I want on the menu. It reduces confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/92 "2020-01-17T20:33:39Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/93 "2020-01-18T17:13:51Z")
Apparently there’s a [restaurant in Rome](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/tourists-complaints-rome-restaurant-intl-scli/index.html) whose business model is based on screwing customers, tourists especially, via ambiguous/deceptive menu descriptions. TLDR: customers think they’re ordering a sampler platter at a few euros per hundred grams, then get brought kilos of food. That, and a mandatory tip, equals a bill of several hundred euros. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/94 "2020-01-18T17:18:35Z")
Already mentioned [upthread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=22080075#post22080075). BTW, the fix for this sort of thing is to specify that you want only 100 grams (or whatever amount). ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331/95 "2020-01-22T19:09:57Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Too exclusive to put $ dollar signs on their menu. I guess their customers think that drawing attention to the price is declasse. I don’t imagine that it’s snobbery, but rather just good graphic design. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/story-about-unexpectedly-large-steakhouse-bill/846331.md?page=4)