Fewer restaurant patrons, more recession dining specials: If you've dined out at all in the past year, it's been impossible not to notice the impact that the economy's had on the restaurant industry. The latest development? Establishments have begun charging patrons for bread.
Restaurants such as Momofuku Ssäm Bar in Manhattan, Fog City Diner in San Francisco, and Spring Hill in Seattle are pairing artisan bread with specialty olive oil or butter and charging anywhere from $3 to $8 for bread as an appetizer.
I'm not surprised by this gutsy restaurant move; it makes sense.
The bitter reality is that many restaurants are on the verge of financial collapse, and this strategy may be one way to stay afloat. It's also an effective way to cut down on wasted food. Do you agree with my argument? Would you mind paying to have bread at your meal?
Lanvin
Superdrug
Energie
I don't want to pay for second-rate little white-bread dinner rolls. I don't mind paying (and paying well) if its good artisan bread with quality olive oil (pref. flavored with herbs). Food is a good investment but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $8 for bad bread.
1maybe! sometimes i just eat the bread cause its there, i don't really want it or need it. if the restaurant had really good bread and dipping oils or something i'd consider paying for it. as long as it wasn't TOO expensive! but i'd pay a few bucks. i wouldn't want to pay just for regular bread and butter though.
2If it's really good bread, not plain old white bread, and it's not too expensive, then yes, I would. I love bread!
3I follow the French Women Don't Get Fat philosophy and never eat bread when it comes.
4I definitely would not pay $8 though.
5I don't usually eat the bread in restaurants that just placed on the tables (the olives yes-bread & butter no). But when I go out for Indian/Pakastani food I order and pay for Naan, so if it was a specialty bread that I was having with a meal then I would pay because I ordered it.
6Hell no! They charge for bread in Spain and Portugal and butter too and that's so lame. i hardly eat it when it's there anyway and i certainly would pay that much, $3-$8 could get you a whole loaf of of really great artisan bread, and I'm guessing you couldn't take the bread bought at a restaurant home in a "doggy" bag.
7i wouldn't mind the price of bread, especially because it would keep me from eating it. most people don't need the bread basket and can then focus on the meal. i guess i'm saying that i wouldn't pay for the bread, but that's not a bad thing!
8I wouldn't pay for boring bread, but for good bread with nice butter/oil/dipping sauce, it wouldn't be any different than ordering an appetizer for me.
9Yeah I agree about nice bread/bad bread. But I still don't like paying for it because then I'd feel like I have to eat it all.
BTW, we were just at a restaurant during the holidays and our server came up randomly and said "do you want some rolls to finish up your appetizer?" (We were eating sauteed crab claws and it came in this sea of buttery garlic goodness). So we all smiled and said sure.
Check comes and he charged us for the rolls. That was a bit sneaky as the rolls were not listed on the menu. Oh well, no biggy, but it would have been better had he said "would you like to order some rolls?"
10I like it--if it's not plopped down in front of me I'm less likely to eat it. It's the last thing I need! I would rather eat the delicious food that I ordered than fill myself up on bread.
11no, but not bcuz im cheap its because i hate bread
12Bread itself is very inexpensive to start off it, so offering it for free isn't an extreme idea, but neither is charging for it. I went home for the holidays and was charged 10 cents for a glass of tap water at a local restaurant! That's ridiculous!
13Whats the French Women Dont Get Fat philosophy?
14I might if I really, really like the bread. But I probably wouldn't order an appetizer anymore.
15Where I live in northern Cal, restaurants are closing every week because of the economy. I think they should charge for good quality bread and oil. They could also save (if they do not charge for bread) by asking the customer if they want the bread. I rarely eat it so I will usually tell my servers not to bring it.
16If the restaurant is known for its good bread that is free, I think it should stay free. Other than that, I don't expect bread and if I want it, I'll pay for it. I agree that $8 for bread is a bit much.
17Even our fav Mexican place charges for chips and salsa now!
18no - i don't think that i should have to pay for bread at a restaurant. it's not something that i would typically order, so therefore it shouldn't be something that i have an additional charge for . there are places that i've gone to that have a special bread that they put on the menu for a fee - but that's entirely different.
19There is a restaurant where I live where you have to pay for the bread and it is worth it because of the quality (it's a tapas restaurant) and of course they serve it with olive oil.
oneprettything: My boyfriend and I just recently tried out a new "gourmet" Mexican restaurant nearby and they also charged us for chips and salsa which I hadn't seen before.
20@buzzsugar: I agree!
In case any of you were still wondering, the $8 bread is at Momofuku Ssäm, where David Chang offers a baguette with two butters: sea-salt butter from Vermont and St. Helen’s Farm goat's butter from the UK. Apparently it was so good that the NYT's Frank Bruni called it out in his review of the restaurant.
21Doubtful...
22I would appreciate this, because it would stop me from eating too much bread before the meal!
I'm from Germany, and they hardly ever serve anything for free at restaurants (no popcorn, bread or anything).
The worst thing is, not only can you not get free refills, you can't even get tap water for free.. they will charge you for it, or tell you you can't have it, because it's not on the menu, and then bring you evian.
23I personally tell them I dont want the bread, but I dont mind them charging if you do, it would drive the regular menu items prices down.
24Charging for bread is pretty standard in many European countries... most recently I was in Greece, and I don't think a single restaurant had gratuitous bread.
25No. I wouldn't mind if they asked if patrons actually wanted bread before providing it but I"m not paying a rental fee for the linens and the tableware. I'm not paying any consulting fee to the waitstaff and I don't expect to be paying for bread or condiments.
If restaurants want people to think again about dining out in tough times, they need to be thinking about how they can make people think it's an affordable entertainment. Getting stingy now is NOT the right approach.
26I really do think that having bread before the meal is pretty silly. Portions are already massive at most restaurants. I think drinks should only come with one free refill, too. *shrug* Unpopular opinion, I know.
27PPSSH I got to restaurants for the bread! From O'Charlies to Olive Garden.... I gotta have it.. I usually eat more bread that I do my entree... but I think that it should be free with entrees
28If it's good bread and I am having soup or something that calls for bread as an accompaniment-no problem paying. Or if we go to Zingerman's Roadhouse--must have it then and will pay:)
29There's a restaurant near my house that has okay bread, but the olive oils they serve it with are just divine. My favorite has roasted garlic and rosemary in it, which I would definitely pay for. I always finish that, and leave the sun-dried tomato and olives for my husband.
30Yes, probably...as long as it wasn't plain white bread. But I'd pay for a nice wheat or sourdough. I think I have before, in fact. I've gone to restaurants that charge a small amount for the bread in the past.
31We already do pay for bread at restaurants - the question is whether I'd do so once it's itemized. The answer, unsurprisingly, is maybe.
32not all restaurants give you bread...and when they don't, sometimes we order another appie
33when they DO give you bread, i almost never order an appie before an entree
so if it was good bread and i was hungry enough for it, sure i'd order it...but $8 seems steep...$8 seems like what you'd pay for a normal appie, like bread in bruscetta form
no. artisan breads and speciality oils or butter come with at the nicer rests i go to anyways so NO.
34We're turning into Europe (not that that is necessarily bad)! At a bunch of places in france and italy there's bread in a basket on the table so we thought it was like here and it was free to munch on but when we got our check they charged us for each piece we took. You live, you learn, I guess...but it also grossed me out just a little to think that same bread was probably sitting on that table getting breathed on and possibly spit on (you know some people talk with their mouths full and some spray can fly out) by previous diners.
35Nope. Generally, I don't eat the bread anyways.
36I don't want to fill up on bread before I eat the food!
My boyfriend was a waiter for 8 years and most restaurants have already figured the cost of the bread into your entree anyways...Nothing is ever truly FREE.
37I would pay for Saltgrass Steakhouse's shiner bock beer bread, but that's about it. I wouldn't pay $8 for bread from anywhere though!
38Actually, this is a God-send! I wouldn't pay any amount for bread (except Naan) in a restaurant. When I'm trying to get fit, it's usually the free bread that ruins me every time. Now if only we could just get them to get the food out a little faster, now that the bread/customer pacifier is no longer there...
39Seems kind of inhospitable to charge for something like that. It's one of those things that adds a litte special touch & charm.
I would think it would be bad PR. Dim the lights to save money, don't take away the bread!
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