Because here’s the thing no one wants to hear: Restaurant food is too cheap.
Our bowl of Momofuku ramen should cost $28. That would cover the true cost of
the “food” plus a reasonable (and not remotely greedy) margin. I put “food” in quotes
because every tiny part of a restaurant is in the cost of that dish, from dripping faucets to
broken plates. But you know what? I sell that ramen for $17, because if I charged $28,
people would say it’s too expensive. It’s on us, as restaurateurs, to get better at running our
businesses (and break fewer plates), but the bottom line is that food needs to get more
expensive for you, too.