Three friends went out for dinner together and ordered steak but they weren’t expecting the bill to be as high as it was and it’s all down to a misunderstanding over how the price was listed
A group of friends who ordered steak at a restaurant were stunned when the bill came because the price wasn’t at all what they were expecting. The cost of steak can vary depending on the cut of the meat, and the restaurant you’re eating at. Venues can charge anywhere from £14.95 up to £75+ for a steak.
Three friends got a shock after venturing to a restaurant for dinner where they each ordered a steak but instead of the menu listing a price, it simply said “MKT”. This stands for “market price” and typically indicates that the cost will fluctuate.
This is because the price is based on the current market price of the ingredients which are in flux. Rather than changing a menu listing each day, many venues choose to use “MKT” to highlight the likelihood of an ever-changing charge.
It’s a common practice among certain cuts of meat, seasonal produce and items like seafood. Diners are advised to enquire as to what the cost will be before ordering.
But the three friends didn’t know what it meant and didn’t check the price of their steaks before ordering. When the bill came, they discovered they’d been charged $52 (£38.28) for a 12oz “NY strip” of “local steak”.
Sharing their shock in a light-hearted Instagram reel, the girls shared a video of their reaction after opening the bill. Each of them burst into laughter while also putting their hands over their mouths to highlight their surprise.
Over the top of the footage, the original poster – Belle – penned: “POV: You didn’t know what ‘MKT’ meant on the steak menu and now [you’re] paying for it”.
In the caption accompanying the humorous clip, she simply added: “Clown me”, with a silly face emoji.
In the comments section, many people didn’t think the price was unreasonable. One person said: “I have to say for a steak dinner that’s actually really cheap”.
Another said: “$160 for three people? That’s a pretty good deal”, but a third commented: “In a good location, the waiter would tell you the price and ask if you still want to order”.
Someone else shared: “Market price babe [crying face emojis] I thought they only did market price for seafood so I just learned something new too”.
Another confessed: “I have done [this] with lobster a few times…. I’ve learned to ask now”.
And another said: “I have never seen this in a good restaurant in Europe, and I travel extensively. It sounds like a rip-off to me.
“Who is supposed to verify this fairly? Of course, one can inquire about the individual prices beforehand. I am more familiar with prices per 100 grams.”
Someone else spotted the $28 salad (£20.62) and said: “Compared to a $30 salad, $50 for a nice steak is cake work”.
But another was baffled by the amount of people who thought the cost of the steaks were cheap. They said: “People saying a $50 steak is normal… are you ok ? In a very expensive restaurant sure, but no, it is NOT normal”.
And another, from Germany, commented: “It’s a lot in comparison to other countries. Here in Germany you pay like 25€ for a steak”.
Someone else spotted the extra 3% credit card charge on top of the bill and added: “The credit card surcharge is the true crime in this bill”.