But did either or both Hooters and Chili's have prices on their respective menus?

David

Hooter's = no prices at all

Chili's = no prices for drinks (including soda)

I could have almost starved in Texas recently if I had followed this advise. It was very common, even in some small taquerias. This is why I think we're going to see a lot more of it.
And as I said, I don't like it at all.

I mentioned airport pricing in the OP, but I'm wondering how people feel about this. I'm guess I'm glad I only had one $27 bloody Mary.

Possibly. But there are just so many things that could go wrong, and I would rather not sacrifice my security just because a restaurant has the misguided belief that they're making a difference by saving a few sheets of paper.

If they want to make a difference, deal with the food waste that they generate. The plastic waste they generate. They would be doing a lot more environmental damage control dealing with stuff like that vs saving the printing costs. And even that can be mitigated in a variety of ways.

The other thing to consider about not having prices on the in-store menu.... it's dishonest. It does not allow a customer to make an informed decision about the product they're getting. For Hooters and Chili's.... I can understand if they (the chains) don't want to put pricing on the "national" menu... prices can vary from location to location even within the city. But to not put pricing on the menu at that location? That allows the operators to vary the pricing as they see fit and you have no idea what the criteria is. "That guy looks rich because of all the elite tags on their laptop bag... let's add a bit for him"... "That's my college buddy over there, let's lower the price there"... And for the wait staff unable to quote a price? That means the price is HIGHLY variable and you can't really trust it. I would not patronize such places (I'd be more likely to report them to the BBB or if a chain, the head office).

You want to make a buck? I get that. But be honest about it.

(As a side node, I also refuse to use uber or the delivery services of door dash or skipthedishes as well... I have only used door dash once as I was gifted some credit... and I did pick-up due to the dis-ingenuous setup of these services)

I disagree with this as well. Airside, they have a captive audience... that doesn't give them the right to jack up the prices. I will note, for "common food" (eg, not bars) I find in Asia (I can't speak for the other regions) the prices aren't too far off the mark airside vs. landside. Although who is to blame for airside prices, I don't know.

I will give a shoutout to Tim Hortons at YYZ International airside though. Their prices are the same airside and landside (give or take a dime or so)

Can you imagine walking into Nordstrom to buy some clothes and not having prices on the items or expecting people to scan a QR code to find out the price. No way.

Not sure about Nordstrom but I used to like to go to Macy's, grab a bunch of stuff, and take it to a price scanner to see how much the real sale price was.

You have to scan tags at Macy's because their pricing system and faux sales are so untrustworthy it's ridiculous. There's the tag price, which only someone in a desperate hurry would pay, and then there's the sale because it's Saturday, or Tuesday, or Leap Year, or whatever, plus the "Bonus Buy!" discount, and maybe another discount or two if the salesclerk feels like it.

I don't want to play that game, especially not in a restaurant. No prices on the menu, I'm out of there, and frankly I doubt refusing to put the price in writing is legal in most states, and I know failing to answer a customer's question about the price is illegal in any state I've lived in. Scan a QR code for the price? What game are they playing? Again, not happening for me.

Now that sounds like JCPenney...

Back on topic, even if they write up a menu board of the day (with or without prices), most folks either won't see it nor be able to read it from any specific location a restaurant.

David

The board is usually where they put either the specials they want to push or the high markup stuff they want to push (at least that's my guess)...

But maybe it's a cultural difference... Most of the menus I know of that don't have a price are usually those chain restaurants that have the same menu nation (or province) wide... but when you get to the location, the prices are on the menu. It does make me wonder if it's sanctioned by their respective head offices and if not, what they would do...

But a gourmand like you would not be caught dead in a Cheesecake Factory.

The calorie counts scare me into ordering cucumber dishes

Lol
I am not a restaurant snob! I love me some Popeye's fried chicken sandwich and Sabrett's hot dogs from a cart and all kinds of un-gourmet places. I do actually like CF. Their avocado eggrolls are the best.

Haven't eaten in a Cheesecake Factory for >25 years. Is it as good as this leads one to believe?

I last went to the one in The Grove (LA) near the aapl store and the late Dominique Ansel. I have loved that bang bang chicken & shrimp for decades.