What is seemingly one of the most inexpensive treats to produce is often one of the most expensive appetizers on a restaurant menu.
Pizza will always be near and dear to my heart. However, I am also a lover of pizza’s cousin – pretzels. I’m not talking about the bag of Rold Gold from the local convenience (though they are good). I’m referring to the hot, thick, salty, doughy delights made popular in the land of Bavaria, aka, Germany.
Over the past year or so, pretzels have been popping up on appetizer menus everywhere. Keep in mind, unless we’re at an Oktoberfest, we’re not talking talking about imported real German treats. Some restaurants make them from scratch, but most rely on frozen, distributor-supplied versions. Either way, it’s hard not to notice that these simple snacks, made from little more than flour, water, and salt are often priced between $9 and $12, with some restaurants charging as much as $15 for an order.
It’s expected to pay inflated prices at a concert or sporting event, where expensive food is just part of the experience. But, seeing the same kind of markup in restaurants is harder to justify and accept. While the cost of everything has gone up, charging $10 or more for a simple pretzel feels a lot like paying $4 for a single slice of toast at a breakfast restaurant. It’s hard not to wonder if you’re getting your money’s worth.
Let’s say a loaf of bread has 20 slices. If a restaurant charges $4 for each slice of toast, that’s about $80 in sales from a loaf that may have cost them only a dollar or so. Seeing as how pretzels are also bread products (thus, my comparison), it is a HUGE markup that just doesn’t seem right.
I understand restaurants have overhead, labor costs, and the convenience of having someone else prepare and serve your meal all factor into the price. However, it’s hard to ignore insane profit margins like that. As long as customers are willing to pay high prices, there’s little incentive for restaurants to charge any less. Honestly, many aren’t even that good – especially if they’re just reheated frozen pretzels.
Would I want that kind of profit in my pocket? Of course I would, but I just don’t agree with it as a customer. I’m not calling for a boycott on bread products. That would be horrible! But I would love it if someone could explain to me why pretzels are commanding such high prices.
I don’t want to take out a bank loan to buy my pretzels…
~ Marty The Pizza Guy ~
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