Is it just me, or . . . (holiday menu pricing)

I just got an email from Quince restaurant in the City announcing their Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners . . .

Short and Sweet:

Christmas Eve:
– Seven-course Tasting Menu 295.00
– Optional Wine Pairing 250.00

Quince will be closed on Christmas Day

New Year’s Eve:
– Eight-course Tasting Menu & [one] Glass of Champagne 420.00
– Optional Wine Pairing 350.00

New Year’s Day:
– Tasting Menu 220.00
– Optional Wine Pairing 178.00

Now, I’m not specifically “picking” on Quince. I like Quince. But how many out there can afford a dinner that’s as much as $1,540 for two, plus tax and tip?

Enough that they will probably fill the place. It doesn’t take that many. Some of the patrons won’t notice the money missing. Others will be financing it for years to come, until filing bankruptcy.

Sad but no doubt true . . . at what point, I wonder, does someone say “Enough!” – as opposed to “Damn! I scored a reservation!!!”

The next stock market correction.

1 Like

Do you mean to imply that Quince is cheap on non-holiday’s?..

I feel that anyone that would not notice the usual $500-$600/meal for a single meal wouldn’t notice $750-$800.

Hell, these holiday prices aren’t even as high as Saison’s everyday price, and they’re doing fine.

In the Bay Area I would imagine tons of people can afford these prices quite easily…or else why would they bother?

I don’t think it’s just you…those prices strike me as pretty silly; hard to imagine the meal could be worth it. I remember 3 star meals in France that were superb, and cheaper than what we’re discussing. I know you can’t live in the past, but still…I think it’s the same old thing, they do it because they know they can.

New Year’s Day they’re charging the same as they do any day.

“Worth it” is all relative. If it doesn’t materially affect your budget, then it doesn’t matter. If it is a choice between “we can easily afford this luxury expense or that luxury expense, but we’re not going to do both this year” then it doesn’t matter much.

Unless I’m a guest on someone else’s vault of dimes, I’m unlikely to ever see the inside of these $1K+ for 2 dinner spots. After a TFL experience where we didn’t have a single wow bite, I’ve had enough. I’ll just slum it at Commis for my very occasional tasting menu fix. I’m not important enough nor need to be seen at Saison.

That’s more to my point. I don’t spending $$$$ on dinner, but there is a limit beyond which it just gets silly – “silly” as in having no rhyme nor reason to the pricing; it’s expensive for the sake of being expensive.

I have the same problem with $#|+ like what top wines sell for these days – who spends thousands of dollars for a bottle of wine . . . who ignites $2K worth of hundreds in one evening?

To quote the wife of a well-known chef – when speaking on a similar topic (money, menus, and at beyond what point does it simply become ridiculous?) – said, “What’s the point? I mean, all you do is poop it out anyway!” (To which the chef replied, “Yes, that’s right. All I make is poop!”) ;^)

And wait, have you ever heard one of the chefs at a $$$$ restaurant explain how they’re not making money?

In any event, the answer to why they do this is the same answer to many of life’s questions, which happens to be the same answer to the question “Why do dogs lick themselves?”