Costs are largely fixed. Revenues are not, especially if gullible, insecure diners.
Seafood items…can often be very variable, though available almost always.
And, if you print the menu once a year…the “market” changes a lot.
lobster/crab fluctuates wildly throughout the year, even during the season you can see drops.
I agree. So, a special dish should not be highlighted exceptionally as MP.
MP is different from a “special”…I think.
In Maine where seafood is king/queen…certain items fluctuate a lot. Clams cannot be harvested after periods of rain (they ban it because of runoff to the clam beds of pollutants); lobster prices vary according to lots of things, including weather periods. So…“MP” is a common note on menus. But, the items are almost always available…unlike “specials”.
can’t say i see too many “special” courses listed as MP. Usually don’t see them listed at all if there is a special of the evening.
I happened to talk to a friend of mine who is a chef at a nicer French restaurant in the Chicago area and asked him what he thought.
His view was that M.P. was appropriate on some items where price can fluctuate greatly – caviar, truffles, dover sole, etc. At his restaurant, he says that the waiters are instructed to give the price when offering the dish. It’s his view that he doesn’t want customers to be surprised and not come back to the restaurant.
Seems eminently sensible.
Yeah…I don’t think it’s all that controversial.
As sexist as that remark is, what happened to growing a pair?