Sneaky Restaurant Menu Tricks

The next time you go to a restaurant, see if you can spot how many times the menu uses these tricks to get you to spend more: No dollar signs. More restaurants are removing them entirely so you don’t see a column of $$$. Flowery descriptions. The dish sounds so elaborate that you don’t focus on the fact that it’s really chicken with a sauce for $25. Clever placement. Some restaurants will list an expensive item (a $40 steak) after a more expensive item (a $70 lobster tail dinner) so the steak doesn’t seem so expensive by comparison. Bundling. Some restaurants may offer a prix-fixe (fixed price) meal. It may be a good buy, but the cost of individual items is hidden and you’re also likely to get food you wouldn’t normally order.