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steak 48
Philadelphia Steakhouse Called Out Over Sign Requiring Customers To Spend At Least $100 Each
It's been said every day there is a "main character" on Twitter you do not want to be. Earlier this week, Steak 48, an upscale chain restaurant, became the Twitter main character.
A policy sign from the Philadelphia location of the restaurant went viral because of the food and drink minimum of $100 per person. The policy was mocked for everything from being a ridiculous policy to being a sign of systemic racism.
It started with a tweet from the podcast The Realest Podcast Ever.
They said no brokies #Steak48 no more appetizer dates and step photospic.twitter.com/yk2Tf64KxH— my podna nem (@my podna nem) 1622000577
The tweet shared the policy sign that states:
"There is a $100 per person food & beverage minimum for each person at your table in order to ensure that each guest enjoys the total experience of food, service and atmosphere. This does not include tax or tip."
The tweet gained a lot of comments very quickly including one person sharing their guest dress code.
Lol they aren\u2019t even a top 10 steakhouse for them to be acting this crazy.pic.twitter.com/5eAxAd1iuR— Justin Johnson (@Justin Johnson) 1622039376
I\u2019ve never heard of Steak 48 until today. And even though I could afford it, you will never see me at Steak 48 or ANY restaurant that requires I spend at least $100 on my meal BEFORE tax & tip is figured in. The pretentiousness is rather disgusting.— ForidaBoy (@ForidaBoy) 1622051594
Someone else shared the Steak 48 menu and a proposed full meal with appetizers, dessert and drinks to demonstrate it doesn't equal $100.
So... Philly\u2019s Steak 48 requires each diner to spend $100 on food & drink before tax. Below is the menu. I could order:\n\nShishito peppers ($10)\nChopped salad (13)\nSteakhouse meatloaf (34)\nFries (9)\nSweet corn (9)\nGelato (11)\nGrayson cab (12)\n\nThat\u2019s $98. Am I getting arrested?pic.twitter.com/sFnPJxdb3z— Ed Greenberger (@Ed Greenberger) 1622050580
So, if Steak 48 is going to charge a minimum $100 per person, then does this mean they will be raising wages for the employees too?— KT (@KT) 1622045651
Price isn't that high but it's completely low-class and tacky for them to put that out there— Scott Coleman (@Scott Coleman) 1622046457
The Scottsdale, Arizona based restaurant opened the newest location in September 2020.
In addition to the per person minimum, the restaurant has a very restrictive dress code. While for some areas this might not be surprising, it's fairly rare among Philadelphia restaurants.
The dress code forbids workout or athletic clothes, with an exception for collared "Polo style" shirts, hoodies and t-shirts with large images, clothes that show midriff or cleavage, or excessively frayed or torn clothing among many other items.
And this is before getting to the menu.
Many commenters struggled to find a meal combination they wanted that added up to $100 without just picking the most expensive items or filling up on cocktails.
And that's assuming you even want the food on the menu.
LOL... they are priced like a Texas Roadhouse and expect a $100/person minimum? I would expect a Texas Roadhouse experience— Dane Elshof (@Dane Elshof) 1622129357
Steak 48 said $100 per person minimum but got a mac and cheese on the menu with "a touch of velveeta" in the description lmaoooooopic.twitter.com/Ca8BgKH0Bu— Recky (@Recky) 1622060838
Soilent green in a family pack.— George Psofimis (@George Psofimis) 1622057415
Some commenters defended the practice, saying it's really easy to spend $100 at an upscale restaurant. Ernest Owens, the Editor for Philadelphia magazine, felt the $100 minimum was justified.
Owens says the average per person check can be around $120, and if you're going to a place like Steak 48, you're going for the experience of a fancy dinner and getting enough to really make it worthwhile. He also wrote this would help servers dealing with lower tips due to the pandemic.
However, the source he cites for the average check is actually just a statement of what the restaurant owners were aiming for as a goal for their per person check average. And lots of commenters found it difficult to hit the $100 minimum without stretching on their food choices.
As for essential workers, maybe it's time to just pay them living wages and benefits, rather than relying on tips.
In the meantime, online commenters are going to keep making jokes at the restaurant's expense.
Steak 48: WHO ONLY PAID $99.99 \n\nMe:pic.twitter.com/GjjsGsauVr— Jake Loehr (@Jake Loehr) 1622045635
*tab is only $99.99*\n\nSteak 48:pic.twitter.com/eCw5ygcXeH— Agent00Sutton \u2122\ufe0f \u2696\ufe0f (@Agent00Sutton \u2122\ufe0f \u2696\ufe0f) 1622048620
How steak 48 wants people to dresspic.twitter.com/0LlJxhCbwN— Unproblematic Baby Father (@Unproblematic Baby Father) 1622041777
How Steak 48 takes your order.pic.twitter.com/gQvw8XuFOx— Nurrrrrrrrrd. (@Nurrrrrrrrrd.) 1622048665
Walking up to Steak 48 like:pic.twitter.com/mfUdwgLan2— @Limon33 (@@Limon33) 1622051815
If you would like to go out to an upscale restaurant for the evening but struggled to find $100 of food you want at Steak 48, it appears your option is go elsewhere.