I love restaurants that allow you to order certain items à la carte. I see this with Mexican restaurants in particular, but also with breakfast houses and others. The beauty of the à la carte section in a menu, is that more often then not, there's a flaw in the pricing structure.
A common mistake on the restaurant owner's part is this: If you order a 2 item combo plate that comes with 2 tacos, beans, and rice it might cost $9.99. If you order the exact same items à la carte it might be $2.50 for each taco, and $3.00 for a side of beans & rice. Total it up à la carte and it only costs $8.00.
Now I gotta warn you, sometimes they'll question you when ordering à la carte. Usually they're just trying to be helpful. Sometimes, they know the pricing flaw and are trying to bump the bill for a bigger tip!
"Are you sure you don't want the combo plate? We offer that as a combo plate."
"You're darn right I'm sure!" Don't really say that, simply say, "yes" or if it makes you feel better and you're with at least one other person, tell them you're going to share the items.
Professional Tip: With small groups, if one person orders for the whole table, ordering a combo à la carte never even gets questioned. This ordering method generally catches the waiter or waitress off-guard at most places.
Something to remember: Do us all a favor, never "clue-in" the people that work at the restaurant! Menu pricing flaws like this often go unchanged for years!
deal·rat, n. Slang. A person in constant search of great deals.
Are YOU a deal rat?
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