This Is What Is Wrong With Us.

Sticker shock, lawsuit threat force change at Cheesecake Factory

It’s a pet peeve of many a restaurant diner — cocktail or daily specials menus that don’t list prices, leaving them in the awkward position of having to ask how much each one costs.

But thanks to Newton attorney Ross Mitchell, that won’t be the case at the Cheesecake Factory. The Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based restaurant operator has agreed to change its menus at its seven Massachusetts locations to include prices by March 16, according to Mitchell.

Mitchell had threatened to sue the 156-restaurant chain for alleged unfair and deceptive business practices in violation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act.

This. This is what is wrong.

Look, there's a simple and elegant solution to restaurants that don't put their prices on the menu. Don't patronize them. Send letters to the management company explaining your decisions, and if enough folks complain, they'll change the way they do business. Threatening them with a lawsuit because they don't put prices of their cocktails? Seriously? Even if they win, they lose - they still have to devote corporate attorney time (which ain't cheap) to mounting a defense, not to mention the negative publicity.

Here's what really gets me, though:

He took on the case on behalf of friend and fellow Newton resident Alan DeCew, who visited the Cheesecake Factory in Chestnut Hill in November only to find the cocktail list had no prices, and the server only could give him a range of prices. That left DeCew with sticker shock when his bill listed $11 for a margarita.

$11 for a margarita in Chestnut Hill? Are you freaking kidding me? That's practically bargain basement price for that location. Hell, I paid $8 or $9 for a margarita in a North Shore town back in the early 1990s. They list another example of a guy who got hit with a $275 bill for pasta with truffle sauce in New York, which - absent all other context - seems excessive, certainly.

But look, here's the thing. There is nothing deceptive about not listing prices. The old saw about "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" applies here - part of the appeal of places like these is that stuff is 'spensive. It's a status symbol - you're a mover and shaker if you can buy a drink/meal/etc. in a posh restaurant without worrying about the price. If you don't like that they don't advertise their prices, don't eat there - it's just that simple. It's not like they list the meal for $20, then throw in a $200 "meal preparation fee" or something like that.

Instead, we go right to the nuclear "lawsuit" option - we can thank McDonald's coffee lawsuit award for that...

That is all.