Not so much. And there is usually the "prices may vary" added in if they do state prices.

Commercials? Do those even work anymore in he days of PVRs with fast-forward and skipping? Seriously, can't say I've paid any attention.

That's why I said I'm not so familiar with commercial TV these days, BUT I still watch sports from time to time, including nationally broadcast contests. Subway, McDs, TB, Pizza Hut, etc always seem to be focused on some sort of deal. Yes, I realize there is often some sort of "prices may vary" disclaimer in tiny print at the end of these ads, but wouldn't you feel like a dufus if you had to tell customers that your location doesn't participate in that? I mean, you might as well terminate your franchise agreement if it comes to that because non-participation means that you're not deriving full value from one of the largest expense items that you're paying to be in the club.

Well, I have certainly been told many times over the years at many places including McDs, KFC, and others that "we" or "this location" are not "participating" in this or that offer. Also, if you look at menus online from many chains such as Texas Roadhouse, Pappadeaux, and many others, you have to specify location to get prices. I have experimented, and those prices do vary widely depending on location. Often even the menus are different.

We had dined there before, but only off the menu. None of the five courses were on the menu. My wife did the pairing, I did not.

I wasn't saying it was a new concept. Several people, including me, had raised the issue, in this thread, of ordering food without knowing the price, and how a value judgment can't be made in that situation. There are two data points in the value equation, product and price. If one data point is missing (in this thread, the price) I didn't think I would eat at that restaurant. But then I did exactly that, without knowing the product, I agreed to purchase a meal. Now, I'd suggest that price may be the more important data point, in the fact that you have to actually have the money to pay. But in reality, I took the same risk when ordering this blind tasting menu. I could have been very disappointed with 4 ham sandwiches and a cookie.

Our neighborhood is south and north of several chain fast food restaurants. The prices at the north busier interstate locations are 8% more for the same items than the south non interstate locations. I noticed the price difference using the chains mobile app. The same is often true with the price of gasoline.

Part of this whole current exercise is one component of branding: Reputation. The chains (seems most of the cited references above apparently are) are counting on customers trusting their brand reputation enough to order food without knowing and making a decision to order or not based on price, trusting that the brand will supply them a product at a fair and acceptable price. With technology, one wonders whether the customer can be unknowingly identified by the chain with degree of acceptance of price when presented with bill post-consumption as a basis of pricing in the future (so basically a customer will be marked for how much they are willing to pay in the future after a few dining experiences).

As for the single-establishment restaurant, I imagine it must be both customers and proprietors counting on reputation of the establishment so that both expect that a fair meal will be served at a fair price, and that the customer will be impressed enough to come back. As a customer, I certainly wouldn't trust this model especially where the proprietors know that you'll likely never ever return to the area (think remote one-visit check-list destinations).

Back to the lack of data points on price and product, I've certainly made a conscious decision when one of the two are lacking, and sometimes even both. One memorable instance was chancing upon a somewhat run-down country bar restaurant in a poor neighbouring village to Pomerol (FYI, th village of Pomerol is too small to have any visitor facilities). Ordered lunch (no menu/carte let alone price but everyone in the establishment appeared to be eating that) and when I asked for the bill at the end, the proprietor's accent let me to believe the meal was €27 p.p.which I thought was pricey but within range, but it turned out to be that much for 2. The other instances, as anyone who's been to Cyprus knows, are meze meals. Sit down, order your drinks, and the food keeps coming out....