Krista Walter – Oil and Gas Professional | Innovation Enthusiast

In 2007, I went to a restaurant in Sydney for a Cajun meal.  New Orleans cajun/creole type food is rare in Sydney, so I was looking forward to the experience.  The restaurant was fairly new and had done a good job using the local restaurant review websites to increase awareness and provide coupons.  We arrived to the restaurant and noticed people had roses on their tables and most seem to be there for special occasions.  There was even a piano player in the eating area.  The whole atmosphere was great and the decor was cool.  We started looking through the menu and noticed good food, good drinks, and a footnote.

The footnote got our attention as it mentioned that we should ask the waiter to explain the pricing scheme.  Further pages had notes explaining the ordering rules and surcharges.  For example, if a plate was shared, there would be a 30% surcharge.  Also, if only mains were ordered and not an entree or a dessert, a surcharge would apply at the manager’s discretion.  On certain nights, there was a 10% entertainment surcharge.  Yes, we started getting confused and discussing whether it was cheaper to be surcharged for sharing a dessert or to order two desserts and throw one away.

How awful that a night that was meant to be enjoyed turned in to a night discussing a new style of restaurant pricing.  The owner of the restaurant overheard our discussions and came over for more conversation.  His belief was that this new pricing scheme was better for customers as they could see what they were paying for.  He was also of the mind set that people should have food left on their plate because they just were so full, therefore sharing was unacceptable (and a drain on owner resources).

Well, my feeling is, if I don’t see it , I won’t notice it.  Incorporate all those charges in to the price of the meal.  And, if we are great customers and order a lot of drinks, then comp us a bottle of wine or give us a 10% discount.  Our goodwill will go a long way to word of mouth and repeat business.  As it stands now, the restaurant is doing everything right with sending follow up coupons for birthdays, advertising, and having roses and wine for anniversary’s complimentary.

And yet, it’s empty.  I guess that goes a long way to say that people aren’t quite ready to pay for all the costs that go in to a night out.  Let me enjoy my night and make my dish price high and I will have no issue paying the bill.  Hit me with surcharges I am not used to seeing and I start to get annoyed.  What do you think?  Is this an innovative pricing structure or the demise of customer experience?