Buyer beware at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

SWMBO and I spent Labor Day weekend at Universal Studios in Orlando doing the rollercoaster thing and basically just playing tourist. We didn't drive all weekend because for one we were staying at one of the hotels on the property - and two, I was beer or cocktail in hand most of the weekend. Anyway, adjacent to the Universal theme parks is big restaurant and entertainment area called City Walk and it has a number of places to eat and drink and make fun of the drunken fools etc. So we go to The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for dinner and they have the usual suspects on tap - BMC dominant with Stella, Guinness and Yuengling as well. I happen to like Yuengling as a cheap tasty commercial brew and buy it quite often at the local grocery for about $10.00 a 12 pack. We order our food and I order a Yuengling draft - large or small asks the waiter so of course I say large which is 22oz. So far so good, right? We finish our meal and get our check. I'm looking at it thinking damn this is kinda high for a couple of sandwiches, a soda and a draft beer. It turns out that the Yuengling was $11.50!!! I called the waiter over and advised him that I didn't want the souvenir glass and to please adjust the bill accordingly. Oh no he says, that doesn't include the glass. The glass is another $5 if you want it. I asked him in all seriousness if they were out of their f'ing minds charging that much for a Yuengling draft.
He says no, BG considers Yuengling an "ultra premium domestic" and proceeded to tell me that he agrees that it is a ridiculous price for a draft and marks it down for me to the 16oz. price of $6.50. He obviously saw his tip growing wings and made a smart move to protect it. As it turns out the 22oz. draft is a scam anyway given the price of the 16oz. Of course I realize that they are in it to turn a profit and Orlando is gonna be pricier than most places because it is a tourist mecca but Jesus criminy!! I filled out the comment card with the appropriate derogatory remarks and a vow to never return. Just for comparison sake, a domestic 16oz. draft at Margaritaville is $4.25 and the "ultra premium" varieities are $4.75 - still too high for what it is but more in line with what I expect at a restaurant.

You are right to complain if you think it is a rip off.
I don't know how it works in the US but in the UK all establisments bust have a price list in clear view.
So it is buyer beware but IF you don't check then it's your fault.

Still no reason to rip the customer off.

What you can do is state the product is not worthy of the price and offer to pay a fair price. If the vendor can prove you are paying for product plus service then they can argue the toss.

A lot of the time, you will find that if you don't ask to see a beer list at many US restaurants, you will not see the price of the beer. I hope you hit Bob Marley's while you were there, very tasty food.

I feel your pain, brother.

I complained to the manager at Mike's Sports Bar in Lawton, OK after seeing Shiner on the IMPORT side of the menu and charging a premium price for it.

Shiner is an import? Is Texas a foreign country then?

That's another very common tactic used in the industry - labeling beers as imports - Sam Adams, Blue Moon, Shiner - anything that isn't BMC. Finnegan's Pub at Universal Studios has Killians as an import. Huh?

I do agree about asking the price - which I did not - so I was at fault in that context but I still am gonna squeal when they try to put it in my backside.

If I don't see a price list, I ask how much and how big is the glass. That beer would have cost you $8.50 in an airport bar and that's getting screwed, but at least it's lubricated.

$11.50 for glass of domestic pee pee wasser is more than getting screwed. It's practically criminal IMHO since you do not know till you get the bill. It's not hard for me to toss back 3 of those big beers, but my jaw would have dropped to see a tab of $34.50 plus tax, plus tip bringing it up to $40 for 3 freaking beers.

I know folks will say, "Well, don't drink there". No problem, post the prices and see how many folks order water. Bottom line, I would not visit an establishment that gouges customers on beer.

$11.50 for a glass of beer, thats discusting..................

billtzk said:

Shiner is an import? Is Texas a foreign country then?

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If you live in Utah, everywhere is a foreign country.

that place sucks anyway. i went to one in san francisco, will never go again. food was lame, everything was overpriced and their beer selection was lacking.

Wow that is awful. It's always been a pet peeve of mine when restaurants don't list drink prices...

Orlando is a beer wasteland. I was there for 10 days a couple of years back and the best any restaurant could offer up was Sam Adams. Granted that isn't all that bad. But, I do tend to like a lot of different beer. They do have a micro brewery downtown but it was in a lousy area and the beer pretty much sucked. *disclaimer* sorry to offend any of the Orlando folks. Just my stupid opinion.

cheers

sterling214 said:

A lot of the time, you will find that if you don't ask to see a beer list at many US restaurants, you will not see the price of the beer. I hope you hit Bob Marley's while you were there, very tasty food.

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Maybe I'm spoiled here in beervana, but I have *never* seen beer listed without also listing the price per glass.

mysteryberto said:

Wow that is awful. It's always been a pet peeve of mine when restaurants don't list drink prices...

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Yeah, I hate that too. I flat out refuse to buy a drink from places that do not their prices in the menu or on the beer list. The large chain restaurants are the worst offenders.

bigjohnmilford said:

Orlando is a beer wasteland. I was there for 10 days a couple of years back and the best any restaurant could offer up was Sam Adams. Granted that isn't all that bad. But, I do tend to like a lot of different beer. They do have a micro brewery downtown but it was in a lousy area and the beer pretty much sucked. *disclaimer* sorry to offend any of the Orlando folks. Just my stupid opinion.

cheers

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Thats not just Orlando. You described most of central and south Florida.

I was at a ballgame the other week and bud lights were $6.50 for a single 12oz can.

Just sayin "where" has an awful lot to do with "how much"....Of course, this didn't stop plenty of people from getting beer.

I'm not surprised they do this. It seems that there's a Bubba Gump in many tourist traps. Citywalk/Times Square. I'm more offended about the price jump from 16oz to 22oz.

Just stalked to Brewbayou who was there is weekend. He said he got a 16oz Longhammer IPA draft from the metro plex across from Bubbas for 4.50.

I was at a bowling alley near UCF, Orlando. The import list consisted of Killians, Yuengling, and Amber Bock... $8/8oz. I wanted to cry.



I did.

Yuengling is 'Ultra-Premium Domestic'?!? I've been known to throw back 2 or 20 Yuenglings, but damn! Even considering it's brewed across the way in Tampa!

Here in Gainesville one of the local Mexican restaurants has $3/32 oz. Yuenglings. Score!

I was almost as pissed when I went to Applebees a few months ago and ordered the big glass of Blue Moon - I think it was a 16 oz. Pilsener glass. Got the check, and wtf - $6.99 for that!

I charge $3.99 for a 20 oz Budweiser at the restaurant.
I have never had a complaint.

If Applebee's charges $7 for Blue Moon, that means someone, or many someones are paying that price for it.

I got caught €8.50 for a pint of Leffe in Paris Beavais airport last month...
I thought hey it is an airport I should have expected something like that...

Then I got into the city and EVERYWHERE was charging between €7-€10 a pint!!!

The worst I saw was €9.40 for a pint of Carlsberg!

It seems around me that most places catagorize both Yeungling and Sam Adams as imports and charges arcodingling. I could maybe see this with Sam Adams because it is more expensive than most but while Yeungling is more expensive than most BMC its nowhere near import price. Plus, it is VERY rare that I see a place that lists prices for any drinks (beer, wine, liquor, or cocktails)

dataz722 said:

It seems around me that most places catagorize both Yeungling and Sam Adams as imports and charges arcodingling. I could maybe see this with Sam Adams because it is more expensive than most but while Yeungling is more expensive than most BMC its nowhere near import price. Plus, it is VERY rare that I see a place that lists prices for any drinks (beer, wine, liquor, or cocktails)

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Not w/ Lager 'round me...course, this is close enough to the Yuengling epicenter that it's as common as water. SA I sometimes see listed as a "premium domestic"