PRIX FIXE, WHAT DOES/SHOULD IT INCLUDE?

[Delucacheesemonger]

This past weekend my GF and l had dinner at a top American restaurant. Touted as one of the best in America and it did not disappoint, it was wonderful. But something stuck in my throat. The dinner had a prix fixe component for $225 pp and a wine pairing, we selected the 'basic' pairing, not the fancier one and that was $ 170 pp, thus we are talking about an extremely expensive meal, most expensive l have ever had. No problem ,knew prices going in and while expensive felt was worth it for the experience. Here is the kicker, on the check was an additional line charge beyond the 2 @ $225 and 2 @ $170, that was an $ 8 for something. When l called the restaurant today for explanation, l was told it was a charge for coffee for one. l feel that when you have an expensive meal one should not be nickeled and dimed for additional charges, if there are extras hide them in the basic charge or even increase it. This establishment, by the way, did include bottled water in the prix fixe.In the meal for whatever reason , one theirs and one mine, two courses were not eaten and they asked if we would like a replacement, we deferred, maybe l should have said give me a coffee at the end of the meal. Am l fighting windmills or are others miffed as well?

[Delucacheesemonger]

When ordering, we were told the water, regardless of which we wanted, was complimentary. Were not told coffee was complimentary or not. The meal was past memorable, of of the best in my life in all ways, including service and decor, as well as food. It just chafes me that whenever l think of the great meal and occasion, somewhere in the back of my mind is the freaking $8 pot of coffee. By the way, GF got a pot of hot water with lemon with cup of course, there was no charge for that, as there never is.

[PhilD]

It is an odd one, quite strange to charge for coffee on a menu at that level. But that said I am always cautious about extras and even then I get caught out.

My downfall is usually the extra glass of wine in the latter stages of the meal, a few weeks ago we had a good meal, and chose interesting wines at $50 a bottle. I ordered an extra glass of red, the wine were drinking wasn't available by the glass so I just specified "Shiraz". It was a nice glass of wine, but a big surprise to find it at $20 on the bill. This isn't the first time I have been caught out, I still remember a £20 glass of pinot on London, when the set menu was £29.50...! OK I should ask to see the wine list again, but I also feel the restaurant should advise me of the price if it is so high. And don't get me started on the "specials" scam, the menu has main courses between $30 to $40, the specials are read out without prices, you order and find they are all priced north of $50...!

On coffee, I often find it is the thing to watch when out for lunch specials. Gordon Ramsay at Claridges lunch special was only £30 but coffee was £5 a cup.....in this case I can understand the extras subsidise the meal.

[Vetter]

That is so lame of them. I'm in a service business and I make a point not to do that to my clients. In my field it's routinely dismissed as a lame practice that people naturally resent. I'm not sure why restaurant marketers haven't figured that one out.

I hope the food was absolutely splendid.

[sockhead]

I spend $30/pp at a local bistro, and even that will include a coffee/tea.

Of course, I don't think the city I'm from even has a restaurant offering prix fixe @ $225/pp... That's exorbitant. And $8 for coffee? Is that per cup? Because at that point, you're basically throwing money out the window...

[Miss Needle]

I don't think $8 for coffee is outrageous, especially if this is a place that probably sells a glass of rose for $40. There are different grades of coffee just as there are different grades of wine. You can buy a bottle of two buck chuck or spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on some vintage Burgundy. The restaurant probably uses high-end coffee and the serving pots and cups can be expensive. I recently got a paper cup of Kona coffee at a coffee shop in NYC that was $5. The coffee was freshly roasted when I ordered it and brewed to order. It was fabulous and worth every cent.

To the OP, I never assume that coffee is included in a prix-fixe, even at those prices. I also don't assume that bottled water is included as well. It's a nice touch that the restaurant you went to did.

[AngelSanctuary]

I don't know....they're not really obligated...and those prixe fixe that includes coffee of whatever, they probably already included that in the price and didn't say anything.

Restaurants actually don't make that much money from food so I guess everything must be meticulously calculated. If they give free coffees so often it could really add up.

[alanbarnes]

Seems to be a recent trend that the more high-end the establishment, the less likely it is to offer complimentary goods and services to its customers. For example, wireless internet is typically free if you stay at a middle-of-the-road hotel, but $15-20 per day if you choose more luxurious digs. Frankly, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

When I worked in white-tablecloth restaurants, it was unheard of to charge for coffee or tea. Admittedly this was around the dawn of time, long before it was expected that a place would have a barista making exquisite patterns in the foam on your mug. But it was considered declasse to appear to nickel and dime the customer, so the stuff that came out of the Bunn machine was included in the price of dinner.

If dinner's going to be over a hundred bucks per person, I don't want to be upsold on numerous "supplements." At those prices, the damn truffles should be included in the price of dinner. And if that jeopardizes the bottom line, rethink either the menu or the pricing. But that's just a preference of mine.

Regardless of personal preference, the key is disclosure. I understand that people nowadays are fussier about their coffee and coffee-related drinks. At Alan Wong's, there's a coffee (and tea) menu that lists a variety of choices, describes the flavor profile and provenance of the beans/leaves, and sometimes comments on the growers' relationship with the chef. Oh, and it lists prices. I can live with that.

But If a waiter offers to grate fresh truffles onto my pasta dish and then tacks $25 on the bill without disclosing the surcharge, I'm going to be royally pissed off. Ditto with an $8 cup of generic coffee.

[shaogo]

Prix Fixe, to me, includes appetizer, perhaps a salad or soup, fish course and/or meat course, and perhaps a modest dessert selection.

I think I've eaten hundreds of prix fixe meals in my lifetime, and recall getting coffee gratis about once or twice. I cherish my post-dinner cup of coffee, more so if it's very good coffee. Now, it'd be nice if they included it in the price. But then again, not everyone drinks coffee. And if they give you a cup of coffee, they open the door for other (soda?) comps.

High-end dining, especially in the top 10%, can be quite daunting, especially if one's frugal. Count on getting charged for coat check on the way in, count on being charged for the champagne they come around with that "appears" to be comp -- it's not. Count on paying for sodas and for each re-fill. And count on paying for the coffee.

[sparkareno]

Wow-are you kidding? I can't believe you drop that kind of coin on food & wine and they have the cajones to charge $8 for a cup of coffee. I think that is way chintzy on their part. For $1000 I'd expect a back rub after dinner and my car washed while I am in there too. Seriously, they need to take another look at that policy.
Is there a reason you aren't divulging the name of the restaurant? Curious minds want to know.

[Delucacheesemonger]

No real reason, do not want people to dis the place. l am not sure yet how annoyed at them l am, thus no persecution until l weigh my feelings carefully. Email me directly and l will tell you the name of the restaurant

[Harters]

The fixed price will include whatever the restaurant's menu declares to be included. Some may include an amuse, or pre-dessert or coffee. Others won't.

For example, in the tasting menus from these two Michelin starred places near me (one includes coffee, the other doesnt):

http://www.northcote.com/restaurant/menupdfs/sample_tasting_menu.pdf

http://www.chestergrosvenor.co.uk/upl...

[Delucacheesemonger]

And if they had that proviso on the menu, we would not be having this chat. They did not, there was no menu, they gave a menu at the end of the meal, not before. When asked by the waitstaff if coffee/tea was wanted near the end of the meal, no mention was made of an additional charge or that it was included. When water was offered before the meal in still or sparkling with choices in each, no mention of charges were mentioned either. Since the water was included in the price, makes it even more confusing.

[Harters]

If I remember, I'll try and post after a meal we're having next week. Another localish Michelin starred place - this one, like your meal, with no menu. It's something like a 12 course tasting meal and my recollection from last time was that coffee and (very good) petit fours were included in the price. In my experience, it's rare to find inclusive sparkling water, so I understand your confusion.

[BobB]

Agreed - my initial take when I saw the title of this post, before reading the actual story, was "prix fixe includes whatever the restaurant says it does, nothing more, nothing less." I can certainly see adding extra for alcoholic drinks, but tacking $8 onto a bill that size for COFFEE? That's just self-destructive behavior on the part of the restaurant management.

[jfood]

Atthose prices, that's a kick in the rear. They need to hire someone with a little more customer focus to work on the menu and inclusions. $1,000 for two people and one of your memories is an $8 charge. Not cool on the restaurant's part.

That being said on a MUCH lower priced meal, a coffee charge if not included in the description is perfectly reasonable.

[cheesecake17]

We did a tasting menu at a fancyish restaurant. Before the dessert course, the waiter asked if we wanted coffee or tea. He mentioned that those are included with the dessert- but if we wanted a different coffee drink or after dinner drink there would be a supplement.

[DGresh]

I guess I would say that I wouldn't have been surprised for the coffee charge, but at those prices it would have been classier for them to include it. (particularly at $8 for a cup of coffee-- whew!) Problem is, there are likely *other* post-dinner things someone might order (port, or cognac for example) which clearly would be extra.