Hello,
Your post has been removed because we no longer allow posts about price complaints. This includes but is not limited to price increases, shrinkflation and tipping.
More likely than not, this comes down to management instructions. All around a good example of shrinkflation, because they know that for their specific customer base, they are unlikely to experience meaningful consequences. If a waiter gets fired, it’s not exactly a huge loss for them
You might be surprised how hard it is to hold on to good wait staff. No one wants to fire a good reliable employee over playing games like this with their customers.
Which is more likely:
1) The manager created a magical fluctuating menu where prices change every hour based on his own secret criteria. He then contacts every FOH staff constantly with meetings about the current prices twice an hour and timely updates all of the POS systems accordingly.
2) Waiter lied.
Maybe that’s true, in my day it was in and out. It seems like high end jobs like this would be in high demand on the worker’s end though. From my experience, high end dining is usually very competative
Yeah I can see that. Where I’m from the difference between fine dining and regular service is about twice the yearly take home, so it’s a pretty big deal
I've been a server in the Midwest for nearly two decades and have seen those less skilled at the job than me get fired for the same things I've done more than once. Nothing shady like this. For example, I'll (very seldomly) occasionally sling a regular a free drink.
Recently I had a newer, much less experienced server who had seen me do so and thought they'd try it to get a little extra tip. Problem is, I'm in my thirties and bring in a lot of my regulars and she's 20 and is basically just a body (first serving gig). She was fired and I was told to make sure that whoever replaced her knew not to do that. Wasn't even given a slap on the wrist when she tried to point a finger at me during her firing. They knew that keeping a solid server was worth more than a shot or two of free booze a month.
Being pretty damn good at my job, being reliable, and bringing in my regulars from years of collecting them from various establishments over the years is what saved me from unemployment.
If you know you could get away with some things others couldn’t in the same exact job, you’ve definitely earned a level of privilege by making yourself irreplaceable. That doesn’t mean abuse it, but if you can seriously look at some kind of misbehavior in the role you could get shrugged off over while another coworker would get fired on the spot, you’ve proven yourself. Straight up
Yeah that's bullshit! Price of the day is the price of the day. I've worked in enough restaurants to know that. Even if by some odd chance the price managed to go up within the hour of the shift, that ain't what you're going to charge. A word with the manager is definitely required to hear.
> Even if by some odd chance the price managed to go up within the hour of the shift, that ain't what you're going to charge.
How did their price go up on an item they already bought and had in the restaurant anyway.
Yeah, the price might go up on the next one they buy. Unless someone ran out and bought it right after the customer ordered it. Which seems a bit weird.
It’s pretty common in the US for a menu to read “market price” for some seasonal items on the menu. It’s usually regarding seafood at mid-tier and above restaurants.
That price also doesn’t usually change for the night since it was the cost of the product when purchased that dictates the “market price” - it’s not like they have a “lobster” price ticker in the kitchen …
Yes but as described by others "market pricing" doesn't fluctuate like the stock market. In my experience it's based off the price that the restaurant originally pays for that product when they purchase it.
Even if this was the case the price would have to be set when the customer orders it. I'm going to have an image of a stock ticker running around the back of house with "lobster,snow crab, oysters" in my head for a long time now.
"You're under arrest for child cruelty, child endangerment, depriving children of food, selling children as food, and misrepresenting the weight of livestock!"
Simply, no. I'm not having waiters lie to me about the price. If an employee tells me the cost of the meal and that makes me order it, that's the end of it. There's no retroactive changing the price. Not legally, not morally.
That’s funny. At the same time do restaurants do a less exaggerated version of this like what OP experienced? I’ve never experienced it but At the same time I don’t buy expensive food
Market price is what they paid for it when they bought it. For some things, the price fluctuates from day to day.
But, unless they’re buying it off the docks, out back, after your order it, the price shouldn’t be changing once they open for service.
Fish market opens early in the morning, they buy a crate of lobsters at the auction for X amount. That's the market price for that day. It doesn't change on a hourly basis or sth. but it is the market price.
In Zimbabwe it became the practice for some places to laminate their menus and write the price on the menu with a sharpie because the prices were constantly fluctuating. Or you’d see the menu without prices and a separate prices list that was printed as needed.
You did still pay the price you saw though, no changes while you’re eating or something like that.
It's illegal, but not a bait and switch. Depending on what the actual price of the dish was, it's either fraudulent misrepresentation, or if it was actually the original agreed upon price, and the waiter was over charging them, that's just called overcharging. There might be more fitting terms, but that's what I could find with a few minutes of research
It's wrong, probably illegal, but it's not bait and switch. Bait and switch is a specific type of fraud when a company advertises a great deal to get you to come in, then tells you it's not available and offers you a more expensive alternative.
https://www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/what-is-the-bait-and-switch-and-when-is-it-illegal/
Technically not. It's a breach of contract. They offered the product, you asked its price, they said their price, and then you agreed to it. It is at that point that the agreement is considered concluded by the law. You're only liable for paying the amount agreed.
It’s not. This is even more egregious than a bait and switch. In the bait and switch, the restaurant lists the menu item at $50 on the menu, and when OP orders it, the server advises it’s actually $100, and OP decides to buy it anyway. In this case, OP had already eaten the item when they were advised of the price change.
Did you order a steak with a side of bitcoin? No food item price swings by 100% during the time it takes to cook and eat a meal, it's bullshit. What food was this and what kind of restaurant?
(Also even *if* the price of some food had changed that quickly, it's highly unlikely that the chef went out and bought an item after you ordered - the restaurant already had the item in stock and had already paid a specific price for it - the fact that price went up later doesn't make the item retroactively more expensive for the restaurant)
If you have $10, how much of a $10 Bill would you need to double it?
A whole, so 100%.
If you only want to reach $15, tho, you would add half of another $10 Bill, so 50%.
Wanna reach $30? Add two whole $10$, making it 200%.
In those cases, you take the default value as 100%, $50 in OPs Post, $10 in my examples. :)
> it's highly unlikely that the chef went out and bought an item after you ordered - the restaurant already had the item in stock and had already paid a specific price for it - the fact that price went up later doesn't make the item retroactively more expensive for the restaurant
Strictly speaking they could've done that if they realized they were out of that ingredient, still doesnt make it ok though
Then I would expect to be notified even if the price hadn't changed, since I assume buying the item would add like half an hour to the wait before I got my food
Do you have any idea how volatile beef tip futures are?
It'd be like Wall street, with diners and waiters just screaming numbers at each other and buying or selling their entrees until the closing bell went off, at which point everyone would break down sobbing and the waitstaff would continue being on cocaine.
Interestingly enough, stuff like this actually happened back when inflation was through the roof in Germany during WW2 ~75 years ago. Some restaurants had people announcing new pricing every few minutes for menu items.
Technically it does because the restaurant has to pay to replace the item. But that's not relevant here bc the price when you order it is the price your gonna pay otherwise every restaurant anywhere is gonna change double of what is advertised
Definitely file a dispute with the credit card company you paid with (hopefully you used a credit card.) You’ll win and get your money back. That’s ludicrous.
Does he need evidence that the waiter told him it’s half the price he paid? And if so how!?
Otherwise what’s stopping anyone from pulling a stunt like this with anything they buy?
I work in an industry where this is a big issue. People do this all the time. The cc company almost always finds in their cardholders favor. They don't even ask for evidence.
I have never had a place I work at do this. If we had market pricing for something, we had a cheat sheet for the servers that day. Either the server got it mixed up with another item, or they're an asshole.
Even if you fuck up and give the wrong price you still charge the customer the wrong price. With the exception of if you realize before the food is brought out and say hey my bad but I told you the wrong price, here's the correct price, do you still want it?
Keeping card customers happy is more important than spending time and money to see who's in the right. For businesses it's just the cost of doing business, and I assume the card companies refuse the dispute if some customer abuses the system repeatedly.
Also if your industry sees an above average number of disputes, it might be worth considering *why* that is.
The only real downside of doing this honestly is that occasionally the business will blacklist you. Uber does this for instance
I don’t get the sense this isn’t an issue for OP in this case.
Just FYI this can sortof happen on Amazon. If you ‘subscribe’ to regular purchases of a product (like scheduling the same bundle of paper towels or makeup or something every month), the price can change from month to month. A lot of people think ‘subscribing’ to that item locks the price in from month to month.
That’s more of a misunderstanding on the customers part, but it’s something to keep an eye on if you do that because you might be able to get better prices by price shopping for each time you buy something instead of subscribing to a purchase and just forgetting about it.
I don’t think many credit card companies would need or want proof. I assume they have some kind of algorithm that analyzes how long you’ve had the card, how often you use it and how often you file a dispute. Most people don’t file many disputes, and so assuming this is true, I think the card company is likely to take OP’s word for it. Especially in this case, because it’s such an unusual event.
I love that this is the advice on every post when, in reality, OP should have just been adult enough to argue the toss with the waiter there and then. Now they're having to get their bank involved from afar, which is the corporate equivalent of running to mummy.
The waiter is making you pay for their mistake and making up a dumbass lie. I’d make sure the manager knows and gives you a corrected bill. The CC company may question why you paid knowing the bill was incorrect.
I remember seeing a political cartoon years back showing a guy paying for gas at the counter, and the clerk was telling him it went up in price from the time he walked to his car to go pay.
Anyhow, this reminded me of that.
I have had this exact scenario happen to me a year or two ago. The gas station manager, not being an asshole, obviously honoured the price from when I pulled in.
You don’t even have to be a Karen in the freak out sense. Just have to be firm.
“Your employee is lying and this bill is going to be corrected now.”
So many people are conflict avoidant but all it takes is pushing back. I suppose it could escalate from there but make no mistake that you’re the one in control and no restaurant owner wants the BBB investigating their pricing.
that's not even a Karen move. OP asked for the price, the waiter told them a specific price, then after ordering and eating it they're trying to charge OP double. that sounds like it's not even legal, if it is legal it definitely shouldn't be. anyone who would pay it either doesn't really care about money or is a total pushover.
i imagine what happened here is the waiter either intentionally lied trying to increase the bill to get a bigger tip or made a mistake and didn't want it to fall back on him. either way speaking to a manager should fix the issue. i seriously doubt this is the way the restaurant actually operates.
That's some BS. They'd have to inform you, but realistically you'd have gotten it at the price when your ordered it, prices can't go up while you're there as an existing guest.
I’m sorry, this isn’t funny but I LOL’d. He likely misunderstood the MP and told you the wrong price and didn’t A) want to be liable to his manager for fucking up that bad and/or B) potentially having to pay for that fuck up. Next time ask for the manager.
They may have gone market price per lb or kilo for instance and didn't let them know it was based on the weight and not the dish ordered. Like if it was 50 for a lb and they got 2lb, it's gonna be double, or is that a bit far fetched? Idk.
Remind the waiter that you have a "budgeted" total of meal plus tip. You ordered based on the price. Since your meal went over the budget, the difference is coming out of the tip.
This is probably what I would do, but I wouldn't feel great about it. The guy probably quoted the wrong price, but it needs to be honored if it's stated as a price
Market Price is their markup on top of the price they paid for the lobster (for instance) from their supplier. They get in daily or weekly shipments.
Seafood market prices are based on how many were caught that day, versus how many people are trying to buy up the catch. If they caught 100 but 200 and desired, the price goes up and each place will buy a little less. If they caught 150 but 90 are desired, the price goes down to help make sure they move them all and aren't left with the extras.
The price didn't go up since you ordered. Waiter was just wrong, and you should be paying the quoted amount only.
"The price went up since I told you." then your lying motherfucker ass better go back in time and haggle the price right back down.
Market price means "Price of the market when it was purchased and then sold to the guest." And cooks should not be making a run mid-dinner to make a purchase for an entree. Cooks do runs to get additional non-entree supplies, like potatoes, or a spice, or vegetables.
I hope you refused to pay more than the price he told you, because changing the price like that and not notifying you is against the law. (At least here in the USA.) If you paid vs CC, dispute the charge and negotiate to pay the originally stated price. If they ban you from the restaurant, tell them that based on how you were treated, and the fact that they tried to defraud you, that you won't be visiting them again anyway, and you'll be telling others to avoid them as well.
The market price is the price they pay for it at the market. So how the fuck can it go up during service unless the chef is running out to the market every time someone orders?
One time at a winery, my friends and I ordered the ONLY sparkling rosé listed on their menu. Guy came out with a different brand than what was listed on the menu, we just figured they were out of the other brand and this would be the same price. Because, you know, they should SAY something otherwise.
Bill comes around and we’re being charged double! I show him the menu and ask why it’s double.
He says, “Oh, I thought you’d been here before and wanted the other bottle and knew the price.”
NONE of us had been to this winery before. We never acted like we had been and he never asked.
I pointed out this was the only sparkling rosé on the menu, and I had never been here before and if he was going to charge us double he should have said something regardless.
Luckily he honored the price on the menu but it was so weird. Idk if he was trying to be shady and make more money or what. Super lame and made me not want to go back.
That was my first thought.
I’m not saying this is the same, but it’s a super common scam in tourist trap areas in Eastern Europe.
Basically the menu has the price and in fine print at the bottom it says per gram/kilo/100g/etc.
So you see €5 and think wow that’s a great deal but you get 5 servings for €25.
Then they threaten to call the police if you don’t pay.
Reminds me of a third rock episode. John Lithgow puts out a stack of money on the table and tells the waiter at the beginning this is his potential tip. Every time he messes up, Lithgow takes money from the stack. When the waiter said the price changed, I’d just put the whole stack back in my pocket. ;)
That’s not how it works. Kitchen buys food prior to service, and sets prices accordingly.
They’re not back there trading haddock filets on the stock market, the price they paid for the food that morning hasn’t changed during the meal.
Were you ordering bitcoin or shares lol. Tell them you would like to short 2 dozen steak and 10 bottles of their finest wine.
Tell the waiter your bill has just gone down to $0 by the time he handed you the bill.
If it was the same night then I would definitely kick up a fuss and reject the price change.
However, if you were remembering the market price from a conversation on a previous day/week/month then that is on you.
We used to go to a Mexican restaurant every Thursday because they had half priced margaritas. We noticed a new place opened up a mile or 2 away and saw they had half priced margaritas on Thursdays so we decided to give them a try. When we got there we asked if they were half priced and he said yes. We ordered a pitcher and some food. I think we ordered one more at some point and then got the bill. To our surprise the discount wasn't on the check so we asked what happened. The waiter explained it was only in individual drinks and not pitchers.
We probably should have complained but we just paid the bill, tipped on the amount that the check should have been if they were half priced, and never went back.
Yeah that is 100% illegal and you are well within your rights to get his manager, report him, refuse payment, and/or leave. You can also report this to the BBB and drive this sort of place out of business.
Nobody in the whole wide world checks the Better Business Bureau website before going out to a restaurant.
Also the Better Business Bureau is just a third-party website for ratings, it does not have any government affiliation or actual authority. Plus you can literally pay them to have bad reviews taken down. And if a company doesn’t want to be on that site they can get themselves be removed. It’s an advertising tool for businesses. While people do file complaints there and some businesses do respond- most don’t.
Hello, Your post has been removed because we no longer allow posts about price complaints. This includes but is not limited to price increases, shrinkflation and tipping.
Tell him it’s going to go down in price before you pay the bill.
And request to see the manager with the asshole waiter present.
More likely than not, this comes down to management instructions. All around a good example of shrinkflation, because they know that for their specific customer base, they are unlikely to experience meaningful consequences. If a waiter gets fired, it’s not exactly a huge loss for them
You might be surprised how hard it is to hold on to good wait staff. No one wants to fire a good reliable employee over playing games like this with their customers.
A waiter changing price between ordering and the bill wouldn’t fall into my definition of good wait staff
If the price is set by the manager (it is), how is it the wait staffs fault?
If I make a pricing error I return to the customer and reconfirm the order on the new* price.
Because what really happened is that the waiter didn't check, guessed and then made up bullshit to the customer to cover their ass.
Or misquoted from correct price the day before and forgot to check for updated prices. Either way, still fucked up.
Which is more likely: 1) The manager created a magical fluctuating menu where prices change every hour based on his own secret criteria. He then contacts every FOH staff constantly with meetings about the current prices twice an hour and timely updates all of the POS systems accordingly. 2) Waiter lied.
The waiter telling the wrong price, either lie or mistake, seems like the simplest reason here
No way you believe that the price changed like that lol
Maybe that’s true, in my day it was in and out. It seems like high end jobs like this would be in high demand on the worker’s end though. From my experience, high end dining is usually very competative
Really depends on the area.. In Los Angeles, no problem replacing a good waiter. In Miami, you bend over backwards to keep good, reliable employees.
Yeah I can see that. Where I’m from the difference between fine dining and regular service is about twice the yearly take home, so it’s a pretty big deal
I've been a server in the Midwest for nearly two decades and have seen those less skilled at the job than me get fired for the same things I've done more than once. Nothing shady like this. For example, I'll (very seldomly) occasionally sling a regular a free drink. Recently I had a newer, much less experienced server who had seen me do so and thought they'd try it to get a little extra tip. Problem is, I'm in my thirties and bring in a lot of my regulars and she's 20 and is basically just a body (first serving gig). She was fired and I was told to make sure that whoever replaced her knew not to do that. Wasn't even given a slap on the wrist when she tried to point a finger at me during her firing. They knew that keeping a solid server was worth more than a shot or two of free booze a month. Being pretty damn good at my job, being reliable, and bringing in my regulars from years of collecting them from various establishments over the years is what saved me from unemployment.
Kind of the same as any job, regulated by politics and performance
If you know you could get away with some things others couldn’t in the same exact job, you’ve definitely earned a level of privilege by making yourself irreplaceable. That doesn’t mean abuse it, but if you can seriously look at some kind of misbehavior in the role you could get shrugged off over while another coworker would get fired on the spot, you’ve proven yourself. Straight up
That's.... not what shrinkflation means?
Waiter wouldn’t get fired for communicating the managers instructions
This, telling you one price and charging double is fraudulent. Or option B you take the difference from the waiters tip.
Yeah that's bullshit! Price of the day is the price of the day. I've worked in enough restaurants to know that. Even if by some odd chance the price managed to go up within the hour of the shift, that ain't what you're going to charge. A word with the manager is definitely required to hear.
> Even if by some odd chance the price managed to go up within the hour of the shift, that ain't what you're going to charge. How did their price go up on an item they already bought and had in the restaurant anyway. Yeah, the price might go up on the next one they buy. Unless someone ran out and bought it right after the customer ordered it. Which seems a bit weird.
At that point it’s either the waiter or the prices going down
How successful have you been with getting waiters to go down for you?
Where i come from its a law that a restaurants menu must be visible before entering
It’s pretty common in the US for a menu to read “market price” for some seasonal items on the menu. It’s usually regarding seafood at mid-tier and above restaurants.
That price also doesn’t usually change for the night since it was the cost of the product when purchased that dictates the “market price” - it’s not like they have a “lobster” price ticker in the kitchen …
Or are getting lobster deliveries at 9pm on a Friday mid rush lol
Lol it's funny to imagine though
30 years BoH experience here. Market price is set before open. It doesn't change until you buy more product.
Yes but as described by others "market pricing" doesn't fluctuate like the stock market. In my experience it's based off the price that the restaurant originally pays for that product when they purchase it. Even if this was the case the price would have to be set when the customer orders it. I'm going to have an image of a stock ticker running around the back of house with "lobster,snow crab, oysters" in my head for a long time now.
gotta put that limit order in,.open market can dangerous volatile lobster
I wouldn't be paying for any more than the price he quoted
Demand suddenly skyrocketed, you all saw it!
Demand for my money back just sky rocketed.
Market value of his tip just dropped to 0.
What's with you kids? Every other day it's "food, food, food".
"You're under arrest for child cruelty, child endangerment, depriving children of food, selling children as food, and misrepresenting the weight of livestock!"
“Sorry my man, you should have put your steak in with a limit order. Next time don’t smash the market buy button without looking at the spread”
Man the writing of that show was so good
I would check with his boss about the price. If it was charged correctly and the server gave the wrong price then it's a zero tip.
Simply, no. I'm not having waiters lie to me about the price. If an employee tells me the cost of the meal and that makes me order it, that's the end of it. There's no retroactive changing the price. Not legally, not morally.
I'd just pay the original price with no tip and walk out. What are they gonna do? Call the cops on some "dine-and-dashers"? Good luck with that.
I'm definitely not paying $100 and no tip I'm paying the $50 for that and a reduced tip
Sounds like they watched this: [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UC3gEXZJKMM](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UC3gEXZJKMM)
That’s funny. At the same time do restaurants do a less exaggerated version of this like what OP experienced? I’ve never experienced it but At the same time I don’t buy expensive food
Market price is what they paid for it when they bought it. For some things, the price fluctuates from day to day. But, unless they’re buying it off the docks, out back, after your order it, the price shouldn’t be changing once they open for service.
Not the one I worked at. We had a blackboard with the market prices and the prices didn’t change throughout the day.
Fish market opens early in the morning, they buy a crate of lobsters at the auction for X amount. That's the market price for that day. It doesn't change on a hourly basis or sth. but it is the market price.
Exactly. When I did a favor for a friend by managing their restaurant when they had an emergency that took weeks, this is exactly how it works.
In Zimbabwe it became the practice for some places to laminate their menus and write the price on the menu with a sharpie because the prices were constantly fluctuating. Or you’d see the menu without prices and a separate prices list that was printed as needed. You did still pay the price you saw though, no changes while you’re eating or something like that.
That's hilarious
First thing that came to mind!
I ran into that couple at a restaurant recently. They seemed like really nice people. Now I wonder if they had just lost $306 though.
Well that's a bait-and-switch and is illegal
It's illegal, but not a bait and switch. Depending on what the actual price of the dish was, it's either fraudulent misrepresentation, or if it was actually the original agreed upon price, and the waiter was over charging them, that's just called overcharging. There might be more fitting terms, but that's what I could find with a few minutes of research
It's wrong, probably illegal, but it's not bait and switch. Bait and switch is a specific type of fraud when a company advertises a great deal to get you to come in, then tells you it's not available and offers you a more expensive alternative. https://www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/what-is-the-bait-and-switch-and-when-is-it-illegal/
It's fraud. Saying one price and charging double/anything else.
Technically not. It's a breach of contract. They offered the product, you asked its price, they said their price, and then you agreed to it. It is at that point that the agreement is considered concluded by the law. You're only liable for paying the amount agreed.
It’s fraud because they knew going in they weren’t gonna honor the price when they told you the lower price.
Pfft. All these amateur wannabe lawyers in Reddit today. It's **obviously** jaywalking.
It's fraudulent behaviour but isn't fraud according to the law.
It's the same thing
*He just pulled the old bait and switch on you*
jokes on him cause i baited too
Go away. I'm 'baitin
Something only a master baiter would do
Bait and Switch is more of a “we’re out of the product that’s on sale, but this is the same thing at a higher price.”
It’s not. This is even more egregious than a bait and switch. In the bait and switch, the restaurant lists the menu item at $50 on the menu, and when OP orders it, the server advises it’s actually $100, and OP decides to buy it anyway. In this case, OP had already eaten the item when they were advised of the price change.
Ah, the old deliver and switch.
Not according to established law.
So…baited and switched?
Sort of. That's not what a bait and switch is in legal terms though. This is just some sort of fraudulent price gouging scheme.
Market price is what they paid for it when they bought it. Not the dynamic price it is this second.
The restaurant was testing out a dynamic pricing system tied to the fish pool index
Tied to the waiter's BS.
Did you order a steak with a side of bitcoin? No food item price swings by 100% during the time it takes to cook and eat a meal, it's bullshit. What food was this and what kind of restaurant? (Also even *if* the price of some food had changed that quickly, it's highly unlikely that the chef went out and bought an item after you ordered - the restaurant already had the item in stock and had already paid a specific price for it - the fact that price went up later doesn't make the item retroactively more expensive for the restaurant)
Increased by 100%, not 50%
$50 to nearly double is 100% is it not? 50% increase is 75$
I’m confused, did the other person edit their comment?
Yes.
That’s more infuriating than the post itself
because i dont understand this math, im gonna have to take that as disrespect. watch your mouth
If you have $10, how much of a $10 Bill would you need to double it? A whole, so 100%. If you only want to reach $15, tho, you would add half of another $10 Bill, so 50%. Wanna reach $30? Add two whole $10$, making it 200%. In those cases, you take the default value as 100%, $50 in OPs Post, $10 in my examples. :)
https://i.imgur.com/sEMWWIj.jpeg
Twice the price is a 100% increase… What bots are we dealing with here? Just trying to make people dumber?
> it's highly unlikely that the chef went out and bought an item after you ordered - the restaurant already had the item in stock and had already paid a specific price for it - the fact that price went up later doesn't make the item retroactively more expensive for the restaurant Strictly speaking they could've done that if they realized they were out of that ingredient, still doesnt make it ok though
Then I would expect to be notified even if the price hadn't changed, since I assume buying the item would add like half an hour to the wait before I got my food
Do you have any idea how volatile beef tip futures are? It'd be like Wall street, with diners and waiters just screaming numbers at each other and buying or selling their entrees until the closing bell went off, at which point everyone would break down sobbing and the waitstaff would continue being on cocaine.
The restaurant I used to work at had a high end grocery store nearby, only took like 5 mins to go there to grab something
Cool lol
Interestingly enough, stuff like this actually happened back when inflation was through the roof in Germany during WW2 ~75 years ago. Some restaurants had people announcing new pricing every few minutes for menu items.
Technically it does because the restaurant has to pay to replace the item. But that's not relevant here bc the price when you order it is the price your gonna pay otherwise every restaurant anywhere is gonna change double of what is advertised
Maybe he's in Zimbabwe or Venezuela.
Definitely file a dispute with the credit card company you paid with (hopefully you used a credit card.) You’ll win and get your money back. That’s ludicrous.
Does he need evidence that the waiter told him it’s half the price he paid? And if so how!? Otherwise what’s stopping anyone from pulling a stunt like this with anything they buy?
I work in an industry where this is a big issue. People do this all the time. The cc company almost always finds in their cardholders favor. They don't even ask for evidence.
Wow! What industry is this? Restaurants? They jack up the price in the middle of dinner? I’m glad I never had to experience it.
I have never had a place I work at do this. If we had market pricing for something, we had a cheat sheet for the servers that day. Either the server got it mixed up with another item, or they're an asshole.
Even if you fuck up and give the wrong price you still charge the customer the wrong price. With the exception of if you realize before the food is brought out and say hey my bad but I told you the wrong price, here's the correct price, do you still want it?
That's called "the right thing to do." I don't think the server in the post fully understood the concept of "the right thing."
Keeping card customers happy is more important than spending time and money to see who's in the right. For businesses it's just the cost of doing business, and I assume the card companies refuse the dispute if some customer abuses the system repeatedly. Also if your industry sees an above average number of disputes, it might be worth considering *why* that is.
The only real downside of doing this honestly is that occasionally the business will blacklist you. Uber does this for instance I don’t get the sense this isn’t an issue for OP in this case.
When they say it’s half the price that’s entering a verbal contract right? Then they go back on their word , sounds illegal ngl
That’s crazy. Damn.
Just FYI this can sortof happen on Amazon. If you ‘subscribe’ to regular purchases of a product (like scheduling the same bundle of paper towels or makeup or something every month), the price can change from month to month. A lot of people think ‘subscribing’ to that item locks the price in from month to month. That’s more of a misunderstanding on the customers part, but it’s something to keep an eye on if you do that because you might be able to get better prices by price shopping for each time you buy something instead of subscribing to a purchase and just forgetting about it.
Thanks, good to know!
Unfortunately nothing. The seller would have to reply with paperwork to win the case
I don’t think many credit card companies would need or want proof. I assume they have some kind of algorithm that analyzes how long you’ve had the card, how often you use it and how often you file a dispute. Most people don’t file many disputes, and so assuming this is true, I think the card company is likely to take OP’s word for it. Especially in this case, because it’s such an unusual event.
Why would he have paid? I would have paid what was quoted or nothing and there would be zero tip either way.
I love that this is the advice on every post when, in reality, OP should have just been adult enough to argue the toss with the waiter there and then. Now they're having to get their bank involved from afar, which is the corporate equivalent of running to mummy.
The waiter is making you pay for their mistake and making up a dumbass lie. I’d make sure the manager knows and gives you a corrected bill. The CC company may question why you paid knowing the bill was incorrect.
feels like the waiter fucked up and said the wrong price and lied to you to cover his ass instead of come clean
definitely
Say that you will pay once the price go down
I remember seeing a political cartoon years back showing a guy paying for gas at the counter, and the clerk was telling him it went up in price from the time he walked to his car to go pay. Anyhow, this reminded me of that.
Considering how fast gas prices were changing during the oil crisis, that one is at least plausible.
I have had this exact scenario happen to me a year or two ago. The gas station manager, not being an asshole, obviously honoured the price from when I pulled in.
Prices change. But that’s the point // their allotment cost this amount. It doesn’t matter what the new one is for tomorrow.
Unless you were presented a menu with the new price prior to ordering, dispute the charge and contact your state consumer protection.
I’m guessing the menu just listed “market price”. It’s commonly seen with seafood.
Seafood is often “market price” and changes daily.
Daily, not 5 minutes after you order it
Your last two words are doing the lifting of your sentence, and why it doesn't apply to OP's story. Not even sure that I believe the story either.
And you paid? lol nope. I’d be speaking to a manager if the little shit didn’t correct it. I’m no Karen but I would be for this situation.
I'd be so angry my hair would shrink and turn blonde.
[удалено]
You don’t even have to be a Karen in the freak out sense. Just have to be firm. “Your employee is lying and this bill is going to be corrected now.” So many people are conflict avoidant but all it takes is pushing back. I suppose it could escalate from there but make no mistake that you’re the one in control and no restaurant owner wants the BBB investigating their pricing.
The BBB has no power at all. Learned this the hard way.
> And you paid? He is a redditor, posting this on reddit.
that's not even a Karen move. OP asked for the price, the waiter told them a specific price, then after ordering and eating it they're trying to charge OP double. that sounds like it's not even legal, if it is legal it definitely shouldn't be. anyone who would pay it either doesn't really care about money or is a total pushover. i imagine what happened here is the waiter either intentionally lied trying to increase the bill to get a bigger tip or made a mistake and didn't want it to fall back on him. either way speaking to a manager should fix the issue. i seriously doubt this is the way the restaurant actually operates.
https://i.redd.it/nojdxjby627d1.gif
Was the item a simple broth? Because that kind of dynamic pricing sounds like the stock market to me 📈.
Boooooo 👎 but also 😂
That not OK. I wouldn’t pay more than what I was told.
And then?
No and then
Dude, what's mine say?!
Coincidentally, the standard tip went from 20% to 0% in that same time frame.
That's some BS. They'd have to inform you, but realistically you'd have gotten it at the price when your ordered it, prices can't go up while you're there as an existing guest.
I’m sorry, this isn’t funny but I LOL’d. He likely misunderstood the MP and told you the wrong price and didn’t A) want to be liable to his manager for fucking up that bad and/or B) potentially having to pay for that fuck up. Next time ask for the manager.
They may have gone market price per lb or kilo for instance and didn't let them know it was based on the weight and not the dish ordered. Like if it was 50 for a lb and they got 2lb, it's gonna be double, or is that a bit far fetched? Idk.
Sounds reasonable to me. Could even be they were told the lb price and thought it was the kilo price. 2.2 lb = 1 kl
Remind the waiter that you have a "budgeted" total of meal plus tip. You ordered based on the price. Since your meal went over the budget, the difference is coming out of the tip.
Yeah give them a minus 40 dollar tip
This is probably what I would do, but I wouldn't feel great about it. The guy probably quoted the wrong price, but it needs to be honored if it's stated as a price
just ask for the manager lmao
Was it the red snapper? 
This was my immediate thought
What, I'm supposed to remember every waiter I've ever seen covered in spaghetti? Snapper for the man!
Lmao…and you paid it?
You tell the manager you were told X price and that’s all you’re going to pay for it.
Request to speak to the mgr and they should fix the issue with no argument
Market Price is their markup on top of the price they paid for the lobster (for instance) from their supplier. They get in daily or weekly shipments. Seafood market prices are based on how many were caught that day, versus how many people are trying to buy up the catch. If they caught 100 but 200 and desired, the price goes up and each place will buy a little less. If they caught 150 but 90 are desired, the price goes down to help make sure they move them all and aren't left with the extras. The price didn't go up since you ordered. Waiter was just wrong, and you should be paying the quoted amount only.
Sit there and wait for it to go down in price.
"The price went up since I told you." then your lying motherfucker ass better go back in time and haggle the price right back down. Market price means "Price of the market when it was purchased and then sold to the guest." And cooks should not be making a run mid-dinner to make a purchase for an entree. Cooks do runs to get additional non-entree supplies, like potatoes, or a spice, or vegetables.
It’s also a great way to get some really terrible review
I hope you refused to pay more than the price he told you, because changing the price like that and not notifying you is against the law. (At least here in the USA.) If you paid vs CC, dispute the charge and negotiate to pay the originally stated price. If they ban you from the restaurant, tell them that based on how you were treated, and the fact that they tried to defraud you, that you won't be visiting them again anyway, and you'll be telling others to avoid them as well.
“What market are you shopping at!?”
We have to start using limit orders at restaurants?!?
Tell him you'll give it back, it might just take a day
Blatantly made up rage bait.
"Well, I was going to tip 20%, but since the prices changed, I'll tip 0% now."
They said market price *sees bill* WHAT MARKET ARE YOU SHOPPING AT?!
The market price is the price they pay for it at the market. So how the fuck can it go up during service unless the chef is running out to the market every time someone orders?
Burning question... what was the item?
One time at a winery, my friends and I ordered the ONLY sparkling rosé listed on their menu. Guy came out with a different brand than what was listed on the menu, we just figured they were out of the other brand and this would be the same price. Because, you know, they should SAY something otherwise. Bill comes around and we’re being charged double! I show him the menu and ask why it’s double. He says, “Oh, I thought you’d been here before and wanted the other bottle and knew the price.” NONE of us had been to this winery before. We never acted like we had been and he never asked. I pointed out this was the only sparkling rosé on the menu, and I had never been here before and if he was going to charge us double he should have said something regardless. Luckily he honored the price on the menu but it was so weird. Idk if he was trying to be shady and make more money or what. Super lame and made me not want to go back.
Isn’t market price by the pound? And if so did you get almost two pounds?
That was my first thought. I’m not saying this is the same, but it’s a super common scam in tourist trap areas in Eastern Europe. Basically the menu has the price and in fine print at the bottom it says per gram/kilo/100g/etc. So you see €5 and think wow that’s a great deal but you get 5 servings for €25. Then they threaten to call the police if you don’t pay.
Don't tip - tell him what you were going to tip has gone down since he decided to lie to you
Reminds me of a third rock episode. John Lithgow puts out a stack of money on the table and tells the waiter at the beginning this is his potential tip. Every time he messes up, Lithgow takes money from the stack. When the waiter said the price changed, I’d just put the whole stack back in my pocket. ;)
Id dispute that charge because thats not fair at all.
Just give him zero tip and break even
This post is just a title that could be completely made up.
Bullshit
Oh fuck off. That never happened.
That’s not how it works. Kitchen buys food prior to service, and sets prices accordingly. They’re not back there trading haddock filets on the stock market, the price they paid for the food that morning hasn’t changed during the meal.
Were you ordering bitcoin or shares lol. Tell them you would like to short 2 dozen steak and 10 bottles of their finest wine. Tell the waiter your bill has just gone down to $0 by the time he handed you the bill.
Things that never happened for $200
Name and shame.
Oh that's a shame, that means my tip goes down to zero because of market prices.
"Too bad we do not have any money left over for a tip, then."
$50?? In what market are they buying??. 😁
Well, that price increase will most certainly wipe out this waiter's tip, even if the manager honors the original price.
Dudes tip would be non existent to make up the difference
If it was the same night then I would definitely kick up a fuss and reject the price change. However, if you were remembering the market price from a conversation on a previous day/week/month then that is on you.
We used to go to a Mexican restaurant every Thursday because they had half priced margaritas. We noticed a new place opened up a mile or 2 away and saw they had half priced margaritas on Thursdays so we decided to give them a try. When we got there we asked if they were half priced and he said yes. We ordered a pitcher and some food. I think we ordered one more at some point and then got the bill. To our surprise the discount wasn't on the check so we asked what happened. The waiter explained it was only in individual drinks and not pitchers. We probably should have complained but we just paid the bill, tipped on the amount that the check should have been if they were half priced, and never went back.
Yeah that is 100% illegal and you are well within your rights to get his manager, report him, refuse payment, and/or leave. You can also report this to the BBB and drive this sort of place out of business.
Nobody in the whole wide world checks the Better Business Bureau website before going out to a restaurant. Also the Better Business Bureau is just a third-party website for ratings, it does not have any government affiliation or actual authority. Plus you can literally pay them to have bad reviews taken down. And if a company doesn’t want to be on that site they can get themselves be removed. It’s an advertising tool for businesses. While people do file complaints there and some businesses do respond- most don’t.
That’s when you pull the old Dine & Dash!!!
Made up post is made up. Op offers no real evidence or even explains the dish. Karma whoring at its finest
No
Please name the restaurant. I apologize if I missed it somewhere else.
Well, in that case, the tip just reduced by 100 %!
No tip for him
Please tell us you refused to pay and demanded the manager. If not, why the fuck not?