When you sit down in a restaurant they hand you a menu. The menu has a list of the items the chef has offered. And next to each item is a price.

At that point you look at the menu and decide whether you can afford to eat there. We are the exception, but 99.99999% of the time the menu is available on line. You can decide this before you make the reservation. Before you are seated.

I bring this up because over the past three weeks we’ve gotten several surveys that praise the food, praise the service, praise the ambiance. Then they rate the restaurant a 60% because we are expensive.

And yes. We are expensive.

But. However. Wait a minute.

Compared to whom?

In our little town we are on par with most of the other upscale restaurants. Compared to steak house serving our quality of product we are actually below market value. Significantly below market value. If we were is Boston you could 25+ more to each of our items. Plus. We are not ala carte.

We are NOT fancy like Applebees with the bourbon street steak and the Oreo shake.

We are not fancy at all. Five times a week someone calls to ask about dress code. Without fail I say formal. White coat and tails. Evening dresses. Then I explain that unless you are eating at a hotel resort no one in Maine is formal. Shorts. Jeans. Suit. Your choice. At David’s a boat pulled up once and three girls in two piece bikinis and flip flops were seated for lunch on the deck. We are fancy like Becky’s with a steak and cheese and whoopie pie.

Yes. Not everyone can afford to eat at my restaurant weekly. But we are located in a tourist town, with amazing food, stellar service, and the space looks magazine worthy. The community is wealthy. So we want to be their weekly dinner. We want people on vacation looking for one stellar meal to come to our place. And when you want to celebrate your 50th anniversary. We are your spot of choice. We also want to be your neighborhood spot for a beer and a burger.

So yes, we might be your special occasion spot but don’t give us a 60% because of that. Be grateful we ARE your special event spot.

Don’t complain that we are not fancy like Applebees. If we were you’d be at the restaurant down the street.