I think the reason has got more to do with the regulatory obligation of German restaurants/bars to post their menu (with large menus, a representative section) at the outside, with violations incurring a fine. I presume that US jurisdictions do not impose such an obligation, and that German restaurants also would tend not to post the menu if regulators would not demand it, and patrons would not have a long-established expectation to see it outside the door.
That’s funny, I’ve never been in any restaurant anywhere that lists drinks without showing the prices. They usually don’t list prices for any possible drink, but they will list their beers and wines with prices and usually a list of specialty cocktails. The list of possible cocktails is practically unlimited, though, so I’m not sure how you would list them.
I must live a mile or two from you, so maybe you’re thinking of TGIF’s at Tysons Corner Center. I have only been there once and don’t remember how they listed drinks.
The Friday’s book I have from the one in Fairfax lists no prices. That’s one of the older books that had a very extensive menu of mixed drinks.
I don’t think there is any legal reasons restaurants don’t disclose their drink prices. There is a custom they don’t have to, so they don’t. In general beer and wine lists have prices but mixed drinks don’t.
It’s not a question of them listing prices for every drink they can make. Restaurants don’t even list prices for drinks they are actively promoting and picturing on their menus.
Funny enough someone in cafe society posted about a high end bar that uses actual chinchona tree bark to make tonic water I was intrigued so I went to their website.
WOW lots of exotic sounding shit, but NO PRICES anywhere!
I’d be …terrified to go get a drink there with no posted prices, and I am probably rigfht in their demo.
I know that around here (Texas), it depends on the place. One place I frequent is a sort of beer bar (75 beers on tap, 200 in bottles, etc…) and they have the price of every single one listed in the beer menu.
Other places don’t publish anything at all, and you have to ask about everything - what they have, how much it costs, etc…
Uh, prices everywhere, actually. Everything on this menu is 10 bucks except for the Apothecary’s Cup. Small plates are 5 bucks, large plates are 12 and desserts are 6.
I was in a scuzzy neighborhood bar that had prices written on liquor bottles in black sharpie. So, Old Grandad had a 2 on it, so you knew that a single shot straight up or in a mixed drink would be $2.00.
No, my experience has been similar to yours. The OP surely meant ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’ when they wrote ‘never’, since they probably haven’t seen every menu in every bar and restaurant in the States.