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Everybody who (1) is a terrible cook and (2) doesnât have a ton of money to burn. Iâve spent a lot of time in the middle of that particular Venn diagram.
Way simpler for the restaurant, maybe. If Iâm being lazy enough to order takeout, I donât want to have to call the restaurant to find out if they overcharge ridiculously for beef with broccoli. Way simpler for me to find another restaurant that does list its prices.
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But donât you order takeout from a place nearby? Donât you pretty much know what it costs from walking in and looking at the menu sometimes? Do you only order to pick up from unfamiliar places? Whatâs the maximum delta on the price of a typical dish across several similar, nearby takeouts?
Supporting my thoughts here, may I suggest googling up, for example, the Hoteling-Downs Model of Spatial/Political Competition, which basically predicts price and location convergence.
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Obligatory:
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Though as a Winnipeger (Iâm one myself) you must know that our winters are long and boring, so you gotta do what you gotta do to stay entertained!
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Iâm with the professor. The owner first claims that he doesnât have access to the web site, then change the explanation and says that the prices vary by location. He sounds disingenuous to me, as if he were caught red-handed. It also seems to me that the professor is not worried about his $4, but about the business systematically overcharging unwitting customers.
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In my view, there are always too few places to get great food.
I 'll never understand why would anyone narc on one they liked.
I seem to come from a unique perspective here: I donât ever expect mom & pop restaurants to have current prices on their websites, unless theyâre on a PDF download that is easy for them to update when they get new menus printed. Itâs great if they are, but âprices are subject to change without noticeâ for a reason.
I also wouldnât freak out about $4, but I guess thatâs because my takeout budget isnât quite that tight.
I certainly wouldnât threaten legal action, but I guess thatâs because Iâm not an asshole.
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Friend of mine went out of her way to eat at this restaurant last night, and I have a feeling she wasnât the only one. The Bostonians I know are going mildly bananas about this.
Boston.com seems to be going TOTALLY bananas about this.
First, everyone is supporting the restaurant
Next, Edelman may have done this before
Finally, Edelman may have sent a recist email to the restaurant today
Boston.com has gotten super linkbaity of late though, so proceed with caution.
Yup - came to post this:
The owner said he doesnât have access to change the information on the web site. The web site does say that prices vary by location. They are two different explanations and one does not relate to the other.
The professor was not worried about the business systematically overcharging unwitting customers. He was obviously trying to show he has a large penis by citing a law that does NOT apply to the situation.
The owner offered the man a refund. Using the law the professor cited, the owner is completely absolved of any further punishment. Thatâs not the only area regarding the law where the professor fails to apply it correctly. It is NOT up to the lawyer to demand treble damages, a judge can CHOOSE to award treble damages as that award is NOT guaranteed. Also, the law states a $25 minimum in order for it to be applied. So, the professor either LIED or has no clue how to apply the law to this situation. It sounds like youâre backing someone who is incompetent or should be facing harassment charges (yes, what the professor did can be considered a threat).
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That seems to be unsubstantiated, and was removed from boston.com.
Thanks for the correction.
Exactly. Ran Duan comes across as so much the better person here. Maybe Harvard Business School should be asking him to teach Negotiation?
I think anyone whoâs worked a customer facing role on evening shifts probably knows a few things about negotiation. Drunk arseholes require more negotiational skills than lawyers.
Drunk arsehole lawyers mind youâŚ
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Restaurants are in the business of feeding customers, not running websites. But the world has changed dramatically, and today restaurants, like many small businesses, need to have a website. So they hire some company that knows what it is doing to make them a website, very probably using proprietary software and DRM that prevents the small business owner from doing updates themselves even if they wanted to.
Ben Edelman has behaved abominably. Clearly he is a person with too much time on his hands, combined with what is apparently total ignorance of the real world of small business (and the law, apparently).
Ben Edelman has certainly given the Harvard Business School a bad name. I would seriously discourage my progeny from attending any school which gives authority to overbearing insensitive people who bully others. Because thatâs what this is: bullying.
Ben Edelman appears to reside in an ivory tower where mom & pop restaurants do have current prices on their websites.
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I guess if you want to locate the truly awful Harvard folk, try the graduate programs.
Restaurants are in the business of feeding customers, not printing menus. Who cares if you donât know how much your food costs until you get the bill? It works for the health care industry.
To be clear, Iâm not defending Edelman or his actions, but updating your website is not any harder than printing new menus. If you paid for a crappy flash site that can only be updated by the people who built it, then you made a bad business decision. Just the same as if you ran an ad in the local weekly touting your $7.99 lunch special and then charge $9.99 for it. Even though itâs only $2 and it was an honest mistake, you shouldnât be surprised when people get irritated and want their two bucks back.
This is why a lot of small businesses donât HAVE a website. Or if they do, itâs a Facebook Page. Websites cost money and raise the costs YOU pay. Which may put the restaurant you like out of business.
I canât tell you how many people I know (including me) with out of date websites because there just isnât enough time in the day. If it bugs you, offer to fix it for them gratis.
When you place the order, they tell you what it is going to cost, you, right?
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