How much was Somni?
I don’t think he’s ignoring the realities of the costs of owning a business in the US. It seems to be the opposite. That to adequately provide everything to their employees that they provide in Europe, fine dining restaurants should be raising their pricing.
I think what Marcus and his team want is pretty ambitious when it comes to taking care of staff. The question is how to do it without alienating everyone from your food. Which brings back to the discussion of what high-end sushi omakase restaurants are charging and the acceptance of said pricing. What does western dining need to make the general public more accepting of higher-priced experiences which can then fuel better pay for the staff.
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I think 280 at the end with supplementals available for truffle etc
per your last remark, this is why I like Sushi Chitose in Redondo Beach 
best bang for the buck omakase in LA imo.
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Generally speaking, I think in California the price range for the most expensive omakase restaurants is similar to that of Michelin three-star places:
–reposting with additional charges
Wow that seems so reasonable by today’s standards. I remember my total for two with wine pairing was well over $1k and thinking holy cow that’s a lot of money for dinner but was still such an enjoyable experience that I had no regrets. No way am I willing to pay double that for a dinner regardless of how many luxury ingredients they serve.
I remember paying $175/person at Providence for their chef’s tasting menu. 
Back in the days, it was $195/person at Mori and I had about 27 nigiri + otsumami.
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I do agree that Marcus’s perspective is driven by his ambition and goals for taking care of staff, which is admirable. Fair to debate whether the price of tasting menus should increase as much as he says, though I think market forces would ultimately sort that out (sort of like what @robert said about restaurant’s judging whether their price is too low or too high based on volume).
But I’m not sure the comparison to high-end omakase spots really helps his case. A lot of the high end sushi spots are not $550 as he suggests, but closer to the $250 to $300 range: Kaneyoshi ($300, one turn a night), Takeda ($280), Shunji ($250), Kogane ($250), Inaba ($280, one turn a night). That’s on par with higher-end western tasting menus in LA that (some of which seat more folks and turn more tables): Manzke ($260), Providence ($295), Melisse ($295). Sure, there are some outliers: SGO is $400 omakase. But SGO is exceptional, as are the western tasting menus in SF that approach $400 (Quince, TFL, etc.).
So I guess I’m just not all that persuaded that people are cutting high-end omakase spots some slack when it comes to pricing but don’t offer the same grace to western tasting menus. Pricing generally seems to reflect quality, with some exceptions at the margins that are overpriced or underpriced (in the eyes of any given diner).
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Have never been, would love to check it out. $65 is hard to beat lol.
My go-to bang for buck omakase was always shin in encino, especially when it was in the $110 to $125 range. The last couple times I went, it was a bit more than that, so I wonder if the upward price creep has continued. Still fantastic quality at that price point imo
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Service is included so it’s more like $333/person before tax & tip.
I believe service and non-alcoholic pairing are still included. If that’s the case, it’s actually a “steal” compared to similar caliber restaurants.
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$150 in March
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Maybe I’m writing too loose. what I mean is in Europe things like healthcare and social welfare aren’t entirely baked into the price someone pays for a meal. Those are funded at the national level.
In the US, to provide those things a business is largely dependent on the price paid for a service.
To just say in America we’re not aware enough of what things cost is an incredibly beneficial statement for the rich here. Same as the whole universal healthcare is socialism crap that works so well.
I’ve got nothing against Chef, just find the argument over simplified and beneficial of the status quo as a whole.
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Reposting with additional charges. Some charge for water and/or coffee etc.
Generally speaking, I think in California the price range for the most expensive omakase restaurants is similar to that of Michelin three-star places:
- Atelier Crenn: $410 before supplements + tip? service included?
- Benu: $350 + 20% = $420
- Manresa: $325-365 + tip? (+20% = $390-438)
- French Laundry: $350 service included, indoor before supplements / $1200 black truffle & caviar
- Quince: $360 base + 25% = $450
- Single Thread: $425 plus tip
They charge $100 to sit outside? Must be one heck of a view.
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I guess for $450 you get a private courtyard.
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I took a group to Benu in 2012. I know it wasn’t $350 pp. 
LOL
US dining would presumably need to create a culture in which a living wage is considered something to which all are entitled, rather than a personal “responsibility” or a value judgment.
I do not think it will happen any time soon. But we shall see.
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In 2012 Benu had two Michelin stars, price was $180 + 20% = $216. On weeknights they still offered a la carte.