I decided to go out with a few friends tonight for dinner. Pretty mundane stuff, right? Well, with med schools and all such dinners have become quite rare so I tend to jump on them whenever I can.
We went to a place we were all familiar with: nothing too fancy, supposedly, and prices that were acceptable, supposedly.
We were given the menus. I looked at my go-to item and it seems since I visited that place last back in September, prices had taken a hike.
That same hike also happened last year across many of the country’s restaurants. And then the year before that. And the year before that. And we can go on for several years more but the sentence would become too wordy and tedious.
As we made our way back home, my friends and I wondered: when will Lebanese restaurants realize that it’s unacceptable to have these yearly price hikes that come in like clockwork when there are very few reasons (read none at all) to warrant them?
Lebanese restaurants don’t exist in vacuum. They exist in a country where salaries have not increased since last year and where the economic situation has become very tough for many people who used to frequent such places.
Have they seen their business take a dip over the past year? I doubt. And I doubt they’ll be affected this year as well. But we’re fast reaching the point where burger joints will stamp the word gourmet next to their names and cater only to select clientele because, you know, Lebanese love their exclusivity.
I’m not saying restaurants shouldn’t open a charity-esque business or not work for profit because that defeats the purpose of their existence. I’m just saying there comes a time when the price of a French fries platter that doesn’t contain that much fries almost hitting $5 is way too much.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
I paid $15 for a shawerma and falafel sandwich plus 2 small bottles of water yesterday. Don’t come to London!
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Prices aren’t that different from that at some places here. Gourmet shawarma is in. 🙂
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I payed 7500LL for a bottle of Soha water the other night! Seriously it’s ridiculous. For that price it could have at least been in a glass carafe.
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Some restaurants sell the little bottle for 2000. Because a 200% is not enough, 400% is better.
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i payed 7000LL for a freakin glass of lemonade at republic restaurant wtf ?
they r making ALOT of money 500% profit they make excuses that the tourism season is dead w medre shu, the restaurants r ALWAYS full!! bala 7ejaj and IFF they lose customers because they r too damn expensive
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Precisely. Inflation doesn’t account for the exorbitant prices they charge. Case in point: restaurants serving MUCH bigger portions in Tripoli charge much, much less.
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Let’s call the restaurants by name: roadster and Crepaway. I’m not going to those places again… Seriously overrated for what they offer!!!
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Didn’t want to name names because it’s not just them.
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If these restaurants keep increasing their prices and stay in business, it means one of two things. The first is money laundering is keeping them in business, something we as consumers cannot control much. Two, they have loyal customers that will keep them in business no matter what they do. The Lebanese care about their prestige and social life more than they care about standards, quality and value for price. Why else would al sanyour sarba always be full with hummers and shiny cars you would not even see in LA? Why would crepaway charge 12,000 for a juice and still open branches all over the country. A revolution starts within. Ifwe do not boycott money-sucking businesses and support ethical local businesses, then we have no right to criticize.
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