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Steakhouse Puts Up A Sign That Asks Customers To Spend $100 Per Person Minimum, Gets Roasted Like Steak
There's currently a huge debate on social media where people are discussing how much customers need to spend at a restaurant. All thanks to Steak 48.
This high-end chain has locations in Houston, Charlotte, Chicago, and Philadelphia, and the latter two have adopted a new policy, stating that there is a $100 per person food and beverage minimum.
The restaurant says on its website that this requirement is "to ensure that each guest enjoys the total experience of food, service, and atmosphere." The $100 minimum does not include tax or a tip.
All of the Steak 48 locations also have a strict dress code. "Proper attire required for the comfort and enjoyment of all of our guests," the chain adds on its website. Banned clothing includes anything "excessively frayed", anything "emitting offensive odors", and exposed undergarments.
The majority of people on social media, however, aren't fans of the change.
Steak 48 has locations in Houston, Charlotte, Chicago, and Philadelphia
Image credits: teak48
Its restaurants in Chicago and Philadelphia have recently adopted a new policy
Image credits: OfficialTrpe
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So true. If everyone started to boycot those chain restaurants, local restaurants would thrive and everyone would have better service and better food. Win-win situation.
Steak 48 was intended as a luxury experience from the start. It opened in September 2020 and in the same month, executives told The Inquirer that it was aiming at a $120 check average, in line with other high-end steakhouses in town.
According to its website, Steak 48 serves "the finest steaks and high-quality seafood in an intimate and vibrant setting. Our diverse menu will satisfy any personal craving, as we serve the best USDA prime steaks, succulent seafood, and shellfish along with inventive and classically inspired side dishes and appetizers."
Silly woman. Why should you pay someone above the minimum wage? If they run fast enough they can make a decent income on tips. /S
But some people might not get to enjoy any of that now. Twitter user Dennis The Menace — whose Tweet we included in this listicle — hasn't been to Steak 48 prior to seeing the tweet posted showing the $100 minimum and it sounds like he's not going to.
Dennis believes the strict dress code has racial undertones. "I think, combined with their extremely specific dress code, this restaurant has made it clear that they don't want to serve people of color, and the community at large should act accordingly," he told Bored Panda. "People need to stop supporting places that are harming our communities."
Not everyone shares this sentiment. Black foodie Ernest Owens finds this current controversy a misplaced outrage. "It's obvious that faux-woke people in Philadelphia have drunk the anti-Black Kool-Aid and bought into stereotypes that suggest Black people are cheap and poor and lack taste. That is so far from the truth. In fact, we are the complete opposite," Owens wrote in Philadelphia Magazine.
"Go to any major steakhouse in Philly, and Black people are there," Owens continued. "Before the pandemic, Del Frisco's, Ocean Prime, Capital Grille, Chima, and other places along what I often describe as Center City's 'Steakhouse Row' were hot spots for Black diners. Any Black professional in town has likely gone to these places multiple times and will tell you so."
Ah, but don't forget the "experience". Oh, wait, Mom used to serve me that.
"From political networking to engagement parties, we’ve made these restaurants our idea of a good time. I’ve hosted dinner parties at them, and members of my diverse social circles paid and tipped well without a sweat. And yes, I can cook my own damn New York strip just as well — but with steakhouses, it’s always been about the ambiance and experience of going out and being dapper. Dress-code policies that call for professional attire never bothered us because — just like anyone else — Black people know how to respect the rules of engagement. While some superstar athletes and musicians may have come to these places in their super-casual fits and sneakers, many more Black customers have shown up dressed to the nines."
Steak 48 ultimately responded to the whole ordeal. "Like many restaurants in our industry, we’ve had to make some updates to our policies, like the $100 per person minimum in [an] effort to support our staff and restaurant’s operations, and provide the ability to be successful as a steakhouse designed for the full sit-down experience," the chain told Bored Panda in a statement. "Our standard 18 percent minimum gratuity also helps ensure our staff is supported, especially as our community continues to reemerge after a challenging year."
I get irritated when someone takes this argument route! Please, sit down!
That "welcome" sign kills any ambience that was there. Its got the same tone as public pool rules
Flip flops are footwear. Not the most elegant footwear, but still footwear.
Why not simply change the chain's name to The One Percent? They're the only ones who can eat there on a regular basis.
Waiter: "And sir... how did you find your steak this evening?" Me: "Well I just moved a few F*king peas over and there it was!!"
That’s not going to hurt corporate in the least. The only person it will hurt is the server who can’t turn your table and is surviving on tips. In many states, including Texas, tipped employees are paid as little as $2.13 per hour, with the expectation that tips will bring them up to minimum wage. That $2.13 has not increased in more than 30 years.
And to miss that the food you've got served wouldn't even cost $25 in any other family run restaurant who'd let you in, even if you hadn't $100 to spare.
Because you'd have to be blind to not see you're paying $100 for a $15 meal.
To paraphrase from Pulp Fiction: that better be one good ducking milkshake!
Not where I come from, I pay 30-50 € and take the test home for the next day
Who the hill brags about eating in a chain restaurant? That s is embarrassing
Note: this post originally had 34 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
$100 is average for a night out at a nice place but for a chain and with this pretentiousness? F off! Food looks appalling!
It wouldnt be so bad if it wasnt per person. Me & hubs go out, usually get an app & a dinner each. He gets beers & i get martinis (@ $12 a pop) & we still barely spend $150. Only way we're $200 is after tax & a nice tip
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I once was with a team that was installing a large piece of sculpture in Chicago. We, being a bunch of knuckleheads decided to go to a very fancy steakhouse and try to get seated (we were prepared to spend a lot of money on our bosses credit card which he had given us permission to do, nice guy!). We Were NOT dressed accordingly. A friendly woman who was obviously employed there began speaking with us, very friendly. We explained that we were putting a sculpture in a nearby park and suddenly we were VIPs! We were sat at a beautiful table and even comped their famous desert. The whole experience was fantastic and the woman, who was a manager there gave us all her card and said if we were ever in town again she would love to have us back. We spent almost 200 per person wearing t-shirts and baseball hats. That was great service and every time I go to Chicago, I try to visit, with proper attire, these days...
HOw in the world did you manage to spend $00 per person? You all ordered prime rib and the $80 cognac?
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Sorry, 100 per person and a dress code doesn't automatically make for a classy dining experience. We have plenty of local hot spots with great food and friendly staff. I'll take them over cheap overdone steaks and pompous personalities any day.
This is so American. Chain restaurant wants to draw a better quality of diner, but instead of improving their food quality and charging accordingly, they greet you with a big, tacky sign requiring you to buy an obscene quantity of food. Based on their menu, a reasonable meal of a small steak, a vegetable side, and a glass of wine won't get you close to their $100 minimum. They want you to order an appetizer, a salad, a main course, several sides, a dessert, and some alcohol. Apparently, stuffing yourself until you are sick is part of the "total experience" they desire for you. Sadly, this attitude is common in the U.S. because we've been brought up to believe that ordering a reasonable sized meal in a restaurant makes you look poor, and that "fancy" meals should be enormous.
I don't know where you live, but I wasn't brought up that way.
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That's ridiculous, they should be glad that people are coming even in this time right now!
I'd never eat there. You don't tell me the minimum I'm spending. Go to hell. Too many other steakhouses to choose from. Hell, you don't even have to go to a steakhouse to get a good steak. Besides, there's Charlie's, Ruth Chris, and Bern's in my area; this place wouldn't have a chance in hell here.
I guess bad publicity works too, right? For the life of me, I couldn't see why the opinions turned to race. I mean, we black folk know all about expensive restaurants. Those who go to them will continue, and those who don't, won't.
I once spent $100 on a meal by myself, but that was when I was young and foolish, had a new job but was living at home. I wouldn't do it now.
At least this is one chain steak restaurant that you can easily avoid. Has anyone seen hotel prices lately? I’m surprised no one is talking about it. The prices have doubled. It seems like regular folks are being made to pick up their losses and I’m not ok with it. All of these businesses got money from the government. I hope something happens and they are regulated, but I have no hope.
Airline tickets and rental cars are going up too.
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Would the people who are stupid enough to spend $100 each on that atrocious looking food please get a decent steak from a supermarket and send the $100 to me as I know lots better things to do with it.
Never heard of them, but doesn't matter. Wouldn't eat at a place like this anyway.
Having seen the pictures of the food they should have a maximum price not a minimum. I wouldn't want to pay even half their minimum for what I've seen.
Dear Steak 48: In response to your minimum-purchase placard, I would like to make the following suggestion: Kindly apply your un-chapped lips to my rectal orifice. Thank you.
Maybe if it were for a group of people, but for a single person? If I had that kind of money, I’d use it for something I won’t regret paying for! Also, I rarely touch beef due to traumatic bowel surgery, so there’s that too! LOL. 😂
If the menu was of a high standard, the prices would make sense, but this is a load of crap!
So, by ambiance do they mean peanut shells on the floor, like Texas Roadhouse?
This is all silly. Posh restaurants usually have a cover charge -- per person. Then you know where you are. If you don't like to, don't go.
It's a chain restaurant...would you eat at Nando's if they would charge 100£ for one person? Don't think so
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So you are saying take the absurd in stride? Of course we won't eat there. But you think people shouldn't comment when they find something wrong? Then please explain you commenting on the responses. Or is it people talking about about big business that you object to? The people should walk small when their betters issue an edict? Lol
Load More Replies... $100 is average for a night out at a nice place but for a chain and with this pretentiousness? F off! Food looks appalling!
It wouldnt be so bad if it wasnt per person. Me & hubs go out, usually get an app & a dinner each. He gets beers & i get martinis (@ $12 a pop) & we still barely spend $150. Only way we're $200 is after tax & a nice tip
Load More Replies... I once was with a team that was installing a large piece of sculpture in Chicago. We, being a bunch of knuckleheads decided to go to a very fancy steakhouse and try to get seated (we were prepared to spend a lot of money on our bosses credit card which he had given us permission to do, nice guy!). We Were NOT dressed accordingly. A friendly woman who was obviously employed there began speaking with us, very friendly. We explained that we were putting a sculpture in a nearby park and suddenly we were VIPs! We were sat at a beautiful table and even comped their famous desert. The whole experience was fantastic and the woman, who was a manager there gave us all her card and said if we were ever in town again she would love to have us back. We spent almost 200 per person wearing t-shirts and baseball hats. That was great service and every time I go to Chicago, I try to visit, with proper attire, these days...
HOw in the world did you manage to spend $00 per person? You all ordered prime rib and the $80 cognac?
Load More Replies... Sorry, 100 per person and a dress code doesn't automatically make for a classy dining experience. We have plenty of local hot spots with great food and friendly staff. I'll take them over cheap overdone steaks and pompous personalities any day.
This is so American. Chain restaurant wants to draw a better quality of diner, but instead of improving their food quality and charging accordingly, they greet you with a big, tacky sign requiring you to buy an obscene quantity of food. Based on their menu, a reasonable meal of a small steak, a vegetable side, and a glass of wine won't get you close to their $100 minimum. They want you to order an appetizer, a salad, a main course, several sides, a dessert, and some alcohol. Apparently, stuffing yourself until you are sick is part of the "total experience" they desire for you. Sadly, this attitude is common in the U.S. because we've been brought up to believe that ordering a reasonable sized meal in a restaurant makes you look poor, and that "fancy" meals should be enormous.
I don't know where you live, but I wasn't brought up that way.
Load More Replies... That's ridiculous, they should be glad that people are coming even in this time right now!
I'd never eat there. You don't tell me the minimum I'm spending. Go to hell. Too many other steakhouses to choose from. Hell, you don't even have to go to a steakhouse to get a good steak. Besides, there's Charlie's, Ruth Chris, and Bern's in my area; this place wouldn't have a chance in hell here.
I guess bad publicity works too, right? For the life of me, I couldn't see why the opinions turned to race. I mean, we black folk know all about expensive restaurants. Those who go to them will continue, and those who don't, won't.
I once spent $100 on a meal by myself, but that was when I was young and foolish, had a new job but was living at home. I wouldn't do it now.
At least this is one chain steak restaurant that you can easily avoid. Has anyone seen hotel prices lately? I’m surprised no one is talking about it. The prices have doubled. It seems like regular folks are being made to pick up their losses and I’m not ok with it. All of these businesses got money from the government. I hope something happens and they are regulated, but I have no hope.
Airline tickets and rental cars are going up too.
Load More Replies... Would the people who are stupid enough to spend $100 each on that atrocious looking food please get a decent steak from a supermarket and send the $100 to me as I know lots better things to do with it.
Never heard of them, but doesn't matter. Wouldn't eat at a place like this anyway.
Having seen the pictures of the food they should have a maximum price not a minimum. I wouldn't want to pay even half their minimum for what I've seen.
Dear Steak 48: In response to your minimum-purchase placard, I would like to make the following suggestion: Kindly apply your un-chapped lips to my rectal orifice. Thank you.
Maybe if it were for a group of people, but for a single person? If I had that kind of money, I’d use it for something I won’t regret paying for! Also, I rarely touch beef due to traumatic bowel surgery, so there’s that too! LOL. 😂
If the menu was of a high standard, the prices would make sense, but this is a load of crap!
So, by ambiance do they mean peanut shells on the floor, like Texas Roadhouse?
This is all silly. Posh restaurants usually have a cover charge -- per person. Then you know where you are. If you don't like to, don't go.
It's a chain restaurant...would you eat at Nando's if they would charge 100£ for one person? Don't think so
Load More Replies... So you are saying take the absurd in stride? Of course we won't eat there. But you think people shouldn't comment when they find something wrong? Then please explain you commenting on the responses. Or is it people talking about about big business that you object to? The people should walk small when their betters issue an edict? Lol
Load More Replies...