Top 15 ways restaurants are sneaking in cost savings

kellys — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:21:44 +0000

So I ran across an article on AOL about how restaurants are cutting food costs this week. Great minds think alike, because Karen noticed her grocery store doing the same thing. So I did a little research and here is what I found. There are lots of sneaky ways restaurants are cutting costs without passing on the savings to you. I understand that food costs are going sky high and the bottom line is going with it. But I want restaurants to just say, “we had to raise our prices because our costs went up.” Just be honest. So here is what I found:

Cutting back on portions – I think we eat too much anyway but if less food is going on the plate, the price should be less as well.
Redesigning the menu to make it harder to match price with food item.
Using a cheaper meat such as a cheaper cut of meat or swapping chicken for beef.
Using frozen for fresh vegetables or getting larger quantities which means the veggies you eat aren’t as fresh as they used to be.
Use the left overs for a soup or make croutons from old bread. IMHO this should be done anyway as long as you aren’t eating the leftovers from someone else’s plate. YUCK! We throw too much food away anyway.
Not geting the same buzz? Drinks are getting weaker to save on alcohol expenses.
Using cheaper brands instead of those high quality top shelf brands.
You might find your take out boxes aren’t as cute as they used to be. That doesn’t bother me at all.
Recipes get fewer of the called for ingredients. You might find only 3 oz of chicken in a soup instead of 5 oz for the same sized bowl. Also, your fruits might have more of the parts you normally don’t see like the tops of the strawberry.
Prices are getting raised more often. They are tricky about it though. They raise prices from $6.95 to $6.99. This might not be a lot but it adds up.
They are using smaller plates to make it look like you are getting more food.
Happy hour is getting shorter and less is offered to eat during those times.
There is no more water being automatically to your table anymore to cut down on water consumption and dishwashing needs.
Offering a “Happy hour” with just one of two reduced priced items but promoting several at regular price to make you think you are getting a good deal.
Last but not least, Watch your check for added gratuity for smaller parties. Usually the gratuity is added for parties of 8 or more but more and more they are adding gratuity for every person regardless of the number at the table.

Just be careful and be wise with the money you work so hard for.

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Top 15 ways restaurants are sneaking in cost savings