Restaurant raised prices for Mother's Day?!

[SteveO]

My Mother -in -Law likes the Pancake House near her place so we all meet up there for Mother's Day brunch every year.It'sa a chain restaurant,probably 30 or so stores,mediocre foods but fairly expensive for what it is.Today they had a "Special Menu" which meant fewer choices and higher prices.I'm talking about 20% higher which pushed the price of an omlette from $10.50 to $14.00 and a cup of coffee to $3.I will give them a break on the horrible service(my wife finally got her (cold) food well after the rest of the table was done eating) and the 40 min wait for a table ,as they were obviously slammed.When I went to the counter to pay the bill,I nicely explained to the Hostess that I found it quite predatory to hike the prices so drastically for the day and that if they were going to do that they should have removed the regular menu from the window. I also told her that because of this,we would never return. Just had to let it out

[Brad Pittiful]

there is a chain of hoagie places where i live called...primos...when the gas spike happened a few years ago when we were paying $4 plus for the first time they raised prices and said once the gas goes down so with the prices

well the price of gas went down but the sammich prices did not...and the few times ive been back the sammich does have the girth they once used too

sad isnt it

[Slow Reflexes]

That's incredibly lame - at least make the menu substantially different so the prices aren't just higher for regular items, right?

Oh, and he said "girth."

[Kyluckyman]

I used to work in restaurants for about a decade and often we would plan to do buffets on heavy volume days as it eas easier to prepare and cook in bulk when demand was high.

I absolutely detest poor service in a restaurant. I'd write a letter to the management of the place you visited. Often the upper management of chain restaurants use this type of input to drive change in the organization. This type of input is what they want to know because it often the type not picked up during regular supervisory inspections.

[studio1087]

$14 for an omelet?

If your mother in law generally loves the place then you did a nice thing........but $14 for hearty eggs at Pancake House! Yikes.

It's done man....you can't take it back. Just resolve that you'll vote with your wallet and not return.

We stayed home, had the inlaws over and I grilled a whole tenderloin. I've gotten to a place where I really believe that staying home and cooking on Mother's Day, Thanksgiving and New Years is easier and tastier.

You did a nice thing in looking after your mother in law even if it got funky. You're a good man.

[MandyMarie]

During SXSW the $5 Little Ceaser's Hot and Ready pizza becomes a $14 rip off.

I understand supply and demand...but come on! Had you known that omelette was going to be $14 you would have gone elsewhere!

[63dot]

This happens to gas prices and it happens to gold/silver in very short term trends. Just think of this holiday as a one day trend with guaranteed business/buyers/customers. It's supply and demand and if they hike the prices up too high, then they won't have business and that's our way of voting with our money. This is not the prettiest face of capitalism but if you don't like it, as long as the prices aren't hiked up too far, then somebody will be there to take your seat.

This gouging is not as heinous as other things I have seen in business and it would pretty much make me go elsewhere next time, and for a year or two, but probably not lose my business forever.

I live in a small resort town so the merchants and restaurants take advantage of the people who don't have anywhere else to go so I guess I am used to this. It's an amazing thing to drive a half an hour away to a populated area and look into a Target or Wal Mart. The prices at the big box stores seem similar for what I used to pay in my town more than ten years ago. The worst part is the gasoline and when the national news talks about an all time high, it's still fifty cents lower than what locals have to pay.

[DrumBob]

Just do what I do. Write a review of this restaurant on TripAdvisor.com. Tell the entire world about your experiences. I have something like 75 reviews up there now, and have at least one local Italian restaurant owner pissed at me for trashing his food. Too bad. The pasta was mushy and there was too little sauce on it.

Don't get mad...get even.

[TeleTim911]

This is crap - I'd never go there again, don't care what MIL wants. First of all, price gouging is a totally stupid thing to do, especially with prices of regular menu in the window? And then one person not getting their order same time as others? No way I would have paid for that.

I was a cook in a restaurant for 2-1/2 years, we never sent a partial order to a table, it was all prepared and cooked at the same time. Totally unacceptable in my book.

Complaining to the person at the register is not good enough, I'd have called the manager to the table at the time it happened.

Then I would write a letter to corporate, go online and voice and my opinions, and so on.

[Capel]

Meh.... supply & demand - welcome to capitalism.

[Boubou]

Originally Posted by DrumBob

Just do what I do. Write a review of this restaurant on TripAdvisor.com. Tell the entire world about your experiences. I have something like 75 reviews up there now, and have at least one local Italian restaurant owner pissed at me for trashing his food. Too bad. The pasta was mushy and there was too little sauce on it.

Don't get mad...get even.

So 75 mixed reviews or 75 bad reviews?

Sent from my iPad using TDPRI

[tcadam]

I took my Mom out to lunch on Saturday this year. If how crowded the restaurant was is any indication, a lot of other folks had the same idea. Go on Saturday to avoid the over-priced brunch and price fixe menus.

[winny pooh]

Originally Posted by Boubou

So 75 mixed reviews or 75 bad reviews?

Sent from my iPad using TDPRI

Hurhurhur : )

[DrumBob]

Originally Posted by Boubou

So 75 mixed reviews or 75 bad reviews?

Sent from my iPad using TDPRI

They vary. Some reviews are excellent. It depends on the place, of course.

[Joe Baggadonitz]

Here's a novel idea. Buy the stuff from the grocery store and make it yourself. Don't know how? learn!
Screw restaurants! Capitalism? hit 'em where it hurts, in their profit. Stop going out to eat!
Whenever we go out for a meal, quite often(not always) the service sucks and the food is/was just "okay" and then they expect a tip.
We now live in an age where accountability/responsibility get passed around like a hot potato- demand quality and good service and/or politely tell the manager as your leaving I'll never come back here and I'm going to tell everyone I know not to come here.
Thankfully, my wife is a very good cook. She can cook better than a whole kitchen full of illegal immigrants.

[Freejack]

I also use Yelp to rate all sorts of places. But you also need to check it out before going. My wife and I do that a lot, "that place looks interesting..." scan yelp or trip advisor... " Woah, check out the reviews. Most give it 2 or 3 starts with one guy that looks like the owner".

Carl

[Boubou]

Originally Posted by DrumBob

They vary. Some reviews are excellent. It depends on the place, of course.

Ok good, you scared me there for a while

[getbent]

hmmm, lets see... a holiday made up to sell greeting cards and chocolate and flowers now has restaurants exploiting the folks who buy into a reason to celebrate something that only a ogre could be against (mothers, veterans, the young, the old)

and the ire comes only when an omelette is over priced? ha! that is awesome!

We (as a herd) get exploited by all this stuff so much, I'm actually thrilled that anyone even notices anymore...

Most of these things are 'paths of least resistance' for me... paying a few extra dollars for something that someone is touched by... I'm in!

But, the whole thing is just created event stuff... the good news is that human beings seem to be happier when they are involved in family activities and celebrations are good excuses to get together.. so, maybe the exploiters did a 'good thing'...

[Tred]

Ya know, it must be a trend? Here in the Kansas City, KS area, we have a place called Cinzetti's. It's kind of a Italian buffett. I was stupified when I saw the regular price had jump from $12.99 almost $20.00! I had to loan my step-son, who offered to by Mom brunch, a $100 to cover the check for the four of us. Yep, we won't do that again. (The mom-in-law was Saturday night, and that is a whole other story! Longhorn Steakhouse, we won't ever be back, either.)

[Capel]

Originally Posted by getbent

hmmm, lets see... a holiday made up to sell greeting cards and chocolate and flowers now has restaurants exploiting the folks who buy into a reason to celebrate something that only a ogre could be against (mothers, veterans, the young, the old)

and the ire comes only when an omelette is over priced? ha! that is awesome!

We (as a herd) get exploited by all this stuff so much, I'm actually thrilled that anyone even notices anymore...

Most of these things are 'paths of least resistance' for me... paying a few extra dollars for something that someone is touched by... I'm in!

But, the whole thing is just created event stuff... the good news is that human beings seem to be happier when they are involved in family activities and celebrations are good excuses to get together.. so, maybe the exploiters did a 'good thing'...

Sometimes I think the only reason I keep coming back to Bad Dog Cafe is getbent!!