DiningBuzz! - cost of ice rising - $2.50 at Morton's in Manhattan

Good times!


Cost of Ice Cubes Rising Too, At Least at Morton's Steakhouse (http://gothamist.com/2009/04/21/cost_of_ice_cubes_rising_too_at_lea.php)

We've gleefully chronicled such gilded age menu items as the $25,000 dessert and the $81 hamburger, but former NY Mag dining critic Gael Greene is reporting what may be the most hubristic example of restaurant chicanery yet. She has it that Morton's The Steakhouse recently tried to charge financial columnist Dan Dorfman $2.50 extra for ordering a cocktail on the rocks. His beverage was served with five of the sublime little frozen delicacies, translating to 50 cents per ice cube. He objected after noticing the charge on his bill, and Greene writes, "If you know Dorfman you know his protest was not pretty." Morton's ultimately waived the fee, but Dorfman says, "I bet they get away with it more often than not since that's a place that attracts a fair-sized Wall Street crowd and I'm sure many of them say nothing.

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My understanding is that the restaurant response for charging for ice is that you get a larger pour on the rocks than you do "up." Something about bartenders at least partially covering the ice cubes with alcohol or something?

Thoughts?

Is this ice made from mineral water..??????

If the amount poured is greater than the amount poured for a neat drink, then the restaurant has every right to charge more. If it isn't, that's just stupid.

If the amount poured is greater than the amount poured for a neat drink, then the restaurant has every right to charge more. If it isn't, that's just stupid.

arent pours electronically controlled nowadays..???

arent pours electronically controlled nowadays..???
umm..they could be but that varies by location, i don't know if Morton's does but i highly doubt a place like that would have electronic bartenders.

umm..they could be but that varies by location, i don't know if Morton's does but i highly doubt a place like that would have electronic bartenders.

why not.... is it because a bartender can give a more generous pour to a regular patron in exchange for higher tips...???

why not.... is it because a bartender can give a more generous pour to a regular patron in exchange for higher tips...???

at a high class establishment it's classier to have a real live, experienced bartender than a machine. a trusted bartender won't pour more for extra money. maybe it's different down there versus up here.

and I thought there was a price "freeze" in effect.....:p:D but I guess that is slowly "melting" away....

This is silly, but sounds a little less silly when you ask it the other way: why should product A (a drink with no ice) cost the same as product B (a drink with ice) when product B costs more to make?

Ice is pretty cheap, but there is the capital cost for the freezer -- which is probably an insidious electricity-sucking, chemical-coolant-filled, carbon-belching monstronsity that occupies a couple of square feet of pricey Manhattan floor space -- and I wouldn't be surprised if the ice is made from bottled, or at least filtered, water.

It plays both ways - in Singapore if you ask for some drinks without ice they charge you more, because you get more drinks for the buck. :D

Note that drink in question is usually fresh fruit juice.

at a high class establishment it's classier to have a real live, experienced bartender than a machine. a trusted bartender won't pour more for extra money. maybe it's different down there versus up here.

..........?????? :rolleyes:

..........?????? :rolleyes:

don't be so sensitive, it was merely meant to highlight what could be a difference in customs between argentina (to the SOUTH of Morton's) and the USA (where Morton's is). :rolleyes:

Just Thursday night at a hotel bar in Houston, two of the people I was with ordered a shot of Jack at the end of the night and got two shot glasses worth in a little glass (sorry, don't know the names)

Somebody else came in and ordered a Jack on the Rocks. He got four shots of Jack to cover the ice.

Not a clue if Mortons is doing that or not (and in the Houston case, all three drinks were the same price even though on the rocks had twice as much Jack), but if they are it makes perfect sense.

I would be annoyed not by the $2.50 itself, but by the feeling of being nickel and dimed. I know a restaurant is a business, but it should strive not to give its guests the impression that they only exist to be separated from their money.

Just Thursday night at a hotel bar in Houston, two of the people I was with ordered a shot of Jack at the end of the night and got two shot glasses worth in a little glass (sorry, don't know the names)

Somebody else came in and ordered a Jack on the Rocks. He got four shots of Jack to cover the ice.

Not a clue if Mortons is doing that or not (and in the Houston case, all three drinks were the same price even though on the rocks had twice as much Jack), but if they are it makes perfect sense.

Shouldn't the charge really be for the extra Jack, though? If you order on the rocks, you get more alcohol, so why not charge more for the alcohol?

Also, what if someone doesn't want 4 shots but just likes the taste of the ice in their drink? Should they have to pay the $2.50 as well?

It's just how it is. When you order a coke without ice you get two or three times as much coke, but they don't charge you two or three times the amount. If you order a coke with no ice and a glass of ice on the side (to get the best of both worlds) you pay the same price.

One drink is one price
The other is $2.50 more.

In a place like Mortons where people willingly pay $9.50 for a baked potato, it's silly to have anybody complain about one drink costing $2.50 over another one.

I'm sorry, people who pay $9.50 for a potato that probably cost the restaurant fifty cents, if that, shouldn't be complaining about a drink that costs a couple extra bucks.

It's just how it is. When you order a coke without ice you get two or three times as much coke, but they don't charge you two or three times the amount. If you order a coke with no ice and a glass of ice on the side (to get the best of both worlds) you pay the same price.

One drink is one price
The other is $2.50 more.

In a place like Mortons where people willingly pay $9.50 for a baked potato, it's silly to have anybody complain about one drink costing $2.50 over another one.

I'm sorry, people who pay $9.50 for a potato that probably cost the restaurant fifty cents, if that, shouldn't be complaining about a drink that costs a couple extra bucks.


Sorry. I disagree. Not a particular fan of Mortons, but I dont expect to be nickle and dimed like that at someplace that charges that much. I would be furious if they did that to me.

I just wont do business with places that do crap like that. The place where I used to get my haircut ("used to" being an operative expression) either suddenly started charging for the diet coke they would give while I got my hair cut or they always did and my stylist just paid it without telling me. In any case my last time there I had a different stylist they asked me if I wanted anything, I asked for and received a diet coke, no mention of a charge. As I am paying I notice a $3 or something charge. I asked what it was for and I was told a soft drink. This was a Mortons priced haircut place. I started arguing and the poor guy at the register immediately started apologizing and saying there was nothing he could do and he spends half his day getting yelled at over this. I didnt take it out on him any more but have never gone back there (10 plus years). It doesnt make good business sense, this place, or Mortons for that matter, charges a lot, why not at least make a pretense of providing some level or product and service.

My wife and I have eaten in approximately 20 or so different Morton's locations over the years. Without a doubt, the Manhattan location in the article provides some of the worst service in the entire chain! I would strongly advise avoiding it especially as there are better steaks in NY.

We've gotten to know the staff and management at our local Morton's pretty well. Every time we come in they ask how the service at other locations has been on our travels. If we ever have a problem AT A DIFFERENT location, they call into corporate and take care of it for us. The difference in service is night and day between the locations!

Here's a solution that should please even the most annoyed and/or penny-pinching reader: Next time, skip Morton's and go to Peter Luger's.

Here's a solution that should please even the most annoyed and/or penny-pinching reader: Next time, skip Morton's and go to Peter Luger's.

Yea. Or Palm, or Sparks, or Michael Jordans or Bobby Vans or Smith and Wollensky or that place started by some ex Luger people. Well, you get the idea ;)

Sorry. I disagree. Not a particular fan of Mortons, but I dont expect to be nickle and dimed like that at someplace that charges that much. I would be furious if they did that to me.

I just wont do business with places that do crap like that. The place where I used to get my haircut ("used to" being an operative expression) either suddenly started charging for the diet coke they would give while I got my hair cut or they always did and my stylist just paid it without telling me. In any case my last time there I had a different stylist they asked me if I wanted anything, I asked for and received a diet coke, no mention of a charge. As I am paying I notice a $3 or something charge. I asked what it was for and I was told a soft drink. This was a Mortons priced haircut place. I started arguing and the poor guy at the register immediately started apologizing and saying there was nothing he could do and he spends half his day getting yelled at over this. I didnt take it out on him any more but have never gone back there (10 plus years). It doesnt make good business sense, this place, or Mortons for that matter, charges a lot, why not at least make a pretense of providing some level or product and service.

:confused:

Never heard of having a diet coke while getting a haircut... wouldn't hair get in the drink as its cut?

As for the ice debacle... perhaps it was the so called 'heavy ice' :p

One drink is one price
The other is $2.50 more.

In a place like Mortons where people willingly pay $9.50 for a baked potato, it's silly to have anybody complain about one drink costing $2.50 over another one.

I disagree - it looks to me as though Morton's is taking the unbundling cue
from the airlines, and that's just totally ridiculous.

:confused:

Never heard of having a diet coke while getting a haircut... wouldn't hair get in the drink as its cut?


Not if it is in a sippy cup. I've seen children have drinks while they get their haircut, but not adults

:confused:

Never heard of having a diet coke while getting a haircut... wouldn't hair get in the drink as its cut?

As for the ice debacle... perhaps it was the so called 'heavy ice' :p

I havent been to a place for a haircut for longer than I can remember (20 years plus) where they didnt offer you a coffee, tea or soft drink while waiting to get your haircut. There is a counter to sit it on during the haircut itself so you dont have to hold it but can take a sip periodically.

I disagree - it looks to me as though Morton's is taking the unbundling cue
from the airlines, and that's just totally ridiculous.

Yea, I expect to be hearing about ice charges on US Air within weeks ;)

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One drink is one price
The other is $2.50 more.

In a place like Mortons where people willingly pay $9.50 for a baked potato, it's silly to have anybody complain about one drink costing $2.50 over another one.

I disagree - it looks to me as though Morton's is taking the unbundling cue
from the airlines, and that's just totally ridiculous.

+1

if you get more alcohol sure.

but if not, id only pay for professionally frozen / cut ice, like in japan :cool:

This reminds me about an incident in San Francisco in the late 1970s. The Hyatt on Union Square had just opened, and a friend of a powerful newspaper columnist had a Caesar salad at lunch at the hotel's main restaurant. When the bill came, it includes an unspecified charge for $1.50. When the patron asked, he was told that anchovies were 30 cents extra (per anchovy). The customer pointed out that anchovies were part of the original Caesar recipe, but to no avail.

The patron told his newspaper friend (Herb Caen), who raised a big stink about it in several of his columns. The restaurant finally gave in, and removed the extra charge from the menu.

I havent been to a place for a haircut for longer than I can remember (20 years plus) where they didnt offer you a coffee, tea or soft drink while waiting to get your haircut. There is a counter to sit it on during the haircut itself so you dont have to hold it but can take a sip periodically.

Maybe it's a NY thing or a premium salon thing.

Out here on the Left Coast, a beverage at your neighborhood barber or standard hair salon might, at most, consist of a self-serve cup of coffee from a coffee machine in the waiting area (and even then, that's rare).

And you're usually seated much too far from the counter thingy that holds the barber's/stylist's supplies to effectively use it while you're getting your hair cut. Your hands are tied under the cover they wrap around you, too, so it's not like you can just reach over and get your cup.

But a haircut for me usually takes all of 15 minutes, so even if I bring my own soda or coffee in, I don't usually have a problem stopping my sipping for those few short minutes and resuming drinking afterwards...

Out here on the Left Coast, a beverage at your neighborhood barber or standard hair salon might, at most, consist of a self-serve cup of coffee from a coffee machine in the waiting area (and even then, that's rare).
The place where I've been going lately in PDX offers "two Widmer beers on tap, wine, premium coffee & tea, juice, bottled water or soda." I believe the limit is 2 on wine and beer, but all the drinks are free. Haven't asked for any ice.

Great cuts as well.

http://www.hairmgrooming.com/about_us

The place where I've been going lately in PDX offers "two Widmer beers on tap, wine, premium coffee & tea, juice, bottled water or soda." I believe the limit is 2 on wine and beer, but all the drinks are free. Haven't asked for any ice.

Great cuts as well.

http://www.hairmgrooming.com/about_us


Looks like a nice place. Wish I cold get a nice brew while getting a haircut. And their traditional cut by a level 4 stylist is exactly $120 less than I paid 10+ years ago when they charged me $3 for the freaking diet coke. Hence my displeasure. ;)

The place where I've been going lately in PDX offers "two Widmer beers on tap, wine, premium coffee & tea, juice, bottled water or soda." I believe the limit is 2 on wine and beer, but all the drinks are free. Haven't asked for any ice.

Great cuts as well.

http://www.hairmgrooming.com/about_us

Any shop that has its own [well-designed] Web site is likely too expensive for my tastes... :D

(Or look at it this way: I can get my hair cut for $12...and have $13 left over for beer! ;))

What are the differences between a level 1 and a level 4 stylist. If I want a crap haircut do I get a level 1 stylist and if I want things done right I get a level 4? What does this say about the staff they hire?

What are the differences between a level 1 and a level 4 stylist. If I want a crap haircut do I get a level 1 stylist and if I want things done right I get a level 4? What does this say about the staff they hire?

And do they address each other by name or by number?

"Hey 2, get over here, this cheap ....... wants only a passable haircut. You should be able to accomplish that."

What are the differences between a level 1 and a level 4 stylist. If I want a crap haircut do I get a level 1 stylist and if I want things done right I get a level 4? What does this say about the staff they hire?

The place I mentioned had about 3 or 4 levels plus the owner. They had fancier names, like stylist, designer and stuff. You could ask for whatever level, the idea was that the more experienced, ie higher level ones, were better able to style your hair.

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=323923

Mortons told the news station they pour more to cover the ice, so they charge for the extra liquor

http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=323923

Mortons told the news station they pour more to cover the ice, so they charge for the extra liquor

I think I'm ok with this practice. Good to know so I can pace myself at Morton's.

Any shop that has its own [well-designed] Web site is likely too expensive for my tastes... :D

(Or look at it this way: I can get my hair cut for $12...and have $13 left over for beer! ;))

Well if one got a #1 and a buzz cut (which is what I typically get)... and 2 beers- not that bad :p

Back OT

If the ice surcharge covers the extra cost of liquor, that's better, but still obscure...

Yikes. Normally when I order drinks, I ask the waitress/cocktail waitress/bartender for plenty of ice in the drink. Like hell I am paying for extra ice in a drink!

The overwhelming majority of the bartenders I have seem are not too bright, part-timers in an easy to learn entry level job with little opportunity for advancement. Any customers expecting an intelligent answer to anything will be dissapointed.

MisterNice

I think I'm ok with this practice. Good to know so I can pace myself at Morton's.

Bars have been serving cocktails on the rocks for years and I don't think most of them have been charging extra over the neat or straight up version.

McDonalds is doing this too. They came out with the $.99 tub of Iced tea, and I've seen makeshift signs saying "extra charge without ice". Who wants 32oz of room temp tea? I guess there are some really cheap people in this world.

Not if it is in a sippy cup. I've seen children have drinks while they get their haircut, but not adults

I have wine when I get my haircut - not in a sippy cup.

McDonalds is doing this too. They came out with the $.99 tub of Iced tea, and I've seen makeshift signs saying "extra charge without ice". Who wants 32oz of room temp tea? I guess there are some really cheap people in this world.

Sounds like McDonalds is charging for *no* ice. It would be like Morton's charging more for a drink neat because they have a fill line and they need more liquor to reach it without ice.

I just can't help but wonder if you asked them to demonstrate that there was more liquor in the rocks glass, whether they would put some ice in a glass, dispense a standard pour of room-temp liquor, then pour everything but the ice cubes into another glass and point out there's more liquid than a standard pour. "Dude, that's water."

The barber shop I go to has a "kegerator" and they always offer a beer while you wait. Don't know if they charge because I go at lunch, so I don't partake.

http://www.professionalbarbershop.com/