A few years ago I would have echoed similar sentiments to yours as a consumer until I learned more about the restaurant industry up here and having friends that helped me paint a better picture of their pain points and the sake industry/supply chain (where I also have a few friends there). While this doesn’t apply to everyone, I can see things from the other side to an extent.
But another thing is that these are also extraordinary times where a little empathy or a sake purchase in this instance, really goes a long way. It may seem insignificant, but it adds up where it counts.
Far be it for us to tell someone else or criticize how to run their business, let alone judge their pricing models. Not everyone/business owner will be willing to share your view of upping the price of food for takeout, as the demographics differ (as do perceptions). Up here the first selling point for a sushi bento priced at $80 ish or more for takeout is perceived value, and thus the better it is, the more customers are drawn in, even if customers don’t buy alcohol.
By raising the baseline food pricing, a restaurant could easily alienate a larger target of people it was trying to attract (and this goes for whether it is a Michelin restaurant or a very high end respected one without a star but could pass off as one). And this is for e.g. a 16 piece sushi combo that sells for $100 or less, all containing high quality fish (putting aside the fact that seafood and other ingredients have different price tiers and some customers can tell the difference between $30 or below per pound kinmedai vs $50 per pound kinmedai, and some chefs unwilling to compromise for quality even if it eats into overhead so not to dilute the brand/quality). So the approaches are to either do volume and turnover, or do fewer quantities/very few/limited and raise the price.
In the case of orizume bento, and lunch bento at Hayato, quantities are limited for very specific reasons. They could sell more if they are able, but they cannot. The amount of time that goes into both are tremendous (and far greater for orizume). I think you may have forgotten to factor in how the lunch bento came to be (I’ve never had it but I remember how it started and why Brandon chose to do this) and I would be surprised if this broke even or recoup their basic costs. I get it, people’s perceived values are different, but once you realize the amount of work that goes in, it may shine a better light for some.
Second, when one pays for a bento at Resy, there is no (obvious) means to leave a tip/gratuity. Whereas if you buy a sake to go, chances are on the receipt you can unless it’s a straight up single transaction and the receipt doesn’t include the option (or if it is done through a software on a tablet or phone like Square, like at your typical boba shops which has the ability to add preset values in % for tips). There are people who want to tip extra and chip in to help, so this is a less obvious means. Dine in at certain establishments that levies a service charge and typically those do not cover gratuity.
Last but not least, sake is not like wine where you can find other means to acquire a certain bottle as easily. There are no K&L auctions for example for sake, and some wine shops don’t know how to handle/store sake properly (there were a couple in LA that would make my hairs crawl), and you guys don’t have a True Sake like shop like we do up here in San Francisco.
I can tell you that unless you know someone who can get you sake at wholesale, chances are 80% or more of the sake from Hayato’s menu you cannot get locally and a few that are not available even direct retail nationwide. I can also tell you that I know his sourcing and storage of sake will beat many retailers or other restaurants (I’m actually really impressed with what I learned of their sake storage temperature, it’s literally matching the most ideal conditions like certain places in Japan). Sure you can mail order, but you have no idea what will happen in transit. The sake list is picked by them for specific reasons (whether it pairs or not is subjective). It’s actually a very broad and well thought out selection, and the more I think about it just by looking at photos of the orizume bento by @J_L and @NYCtoLA I firmly believe the variety of flavor profiles contained from each compartment in the orizume bento will provide a fantastic range (and combination) of sake pairing experiences even for just one bottle alone, and it’s not just because of the different number of bites.
I get it, we all have limited resources, and who we want to throw our support around 100% to 200%. I’m sure I’m not alone, but I want Hayato to make it through and I believe in them, in addition for their support of sake which I’m sure you know by now is something important to me and my friends (so I’m seeing this in a slightly different way). You are entitled to your opinion, but I firmly believe this all needs to be said to clear the air, so that people are more informed, and they can trust, should they choose to show support for sake in addition to Hayato. Not sure if you also realize, but the sake industry is hurting like a MFer now in Japan…
So while I hear you loud and clear, applying the wine analogy to sake (in this instance) is actually apples to oranges on a deeper level.
