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I have a grievance this morning. Strange as it may seem this involves a chicken and bacon burger, one of my favourite restaurants, the global market economy and golf. At first glance they seem odd bedfellows don’t you think?
Yesterday afternoon I was feeling peckish and decided to indulge myself with a chicken burger. Whilst about to order the offending item I was alarmed to discover the price had increased by 125% in a matter of a week. This state of affairs caused me to question my belief that inflation was finally under control. I decided to investigate and proceed to question the waiting staff. The culprit it turns out is golf. Perplexed over the reply I decided to take myself for a stroll and think this through.
International professional golf has come to town, namely in the form of The Open Championship at Royal Portrush just a 10 minute drive from my holiday home. Along with this bandwagon has come a couple of 100,000 hungry spectators who seem to be the nub of my lunch incident.
Massive demand for the limited resource that is restaurants has caused the market economy to wake from its slumber and readjust the cost basis for food consumption in the local area. I should be happy after all I’m getting a free demonstration of the classic supply and demand phenomena in operation. Unfortunately my stomach tends to disagree with this assessment as I hurry towards the sandwich vendor further up the street. My sincere hope is they haven’t got the economic memo over prices yet!
So there we go, and if I indulge in a bit of hyperbole. A pleasant wander to get some lunch in a sleepy outpost on the North Coast of Ireland can be directly impacted by the global market economy at the stroke of a club. Keep firm control of your portfolio and finances as this simple demonstration shows anyone can be affected by seemingly unrelated global events causing sudden market imbalance and a ripple effect across global stock markets as they reprice for the new information. It’s all interconnected.
My only consolation to the chicken burger saga? Free tickets an old business associate has kindly given me for the practice sessions at Royal Portrush. I wonder what the micro inflation environment is like within the hospitality area? I should maybe brown bag my lunch and save a few dollars, after all, I am retired!
The title of this article could be a title for a book. I love it!
As we don’t know where all the HD readers reside, your message was sent around the world in seconds and maybe it was your grievance that got Ramore Restaurants attention. I give you the credit.
I’ve not attended The Masters yet, but a late friend used to do all the ticket invitation mailings every year. When my daughter was in med school in Augusta, her rental home had one window where you could see Amen Corner. And this year, my neighbor who attends every year, brought back a souvenir for me from The Masters.
Speaking of books. I was waiting for the right time to make this comment to Mark. Considering how well he writes I think he should spend some of his free retirement writing a novel.
Let’s see how many up votes we can get on this comment to see if we can push him to explore.
I just hope we don’t create a literary version of Mr. Tanner. For those of you who around my age you get the hint. For you yougin’s Google the name, and listen to a great 70s ballad.
David, that’s quite a coincidence! I’ve just completed a short, 30-page story for my 10-year-old grandson. He’s developed a fascination with scary stories. The title is “Bay Cove Nightmare.”
Good news! An update on my chicken fiasco, hot off the press. I guess social media is of some use.
A restaurant group in the County Antrim town hosting The Open golf tournament has said it is reviewing recent price increases following a social media backlash.
Ramore Restaurants in Portrush has come under fire after prices went up as the town prepares to host the tournament this week.
At the Ramore Wine Bar, the price of a chicken and bacon burger increased from £7.95 to £17.95 while a bowl of chilli chicken pasta that cost £14.95 earlier this month, rose to £27.95.
“We’ve listened to the feedback and, as of today, have taken steps to revise and adjust pricing across all of our restaurant menus going forward,” Ramore Restaurants said in a statement to BBC News NI.
That’s what you get for ordering a chicken burger- whatever that is.
Next time stick with a sausage roll and chips. 🤗
You have a sandwich with afternoon tea and you have a chicken burger at a restaurant….even that great US export McDonald’s serve them 😂
Mark, you were “peckish” for a chicken sandwich?
Oh very good 👍
OK, I’ve never heard of “dynamic pricing” for local restaurants. Hotels, airlines, rental cars, even baseball tickets—sure. But I’m guessing most restaurants would find it too cumbersome to re-do their signage, menus, and point-of-service terminals to jack up the prices just for a few days. Sounds like your chicken burger purveyor was highly motivated, though.
Having attended many venues for sporting events in my days as a sportscaster, I can vouch for the fact that local restaurants (and hotels and taxis) jacking up the prices for major events is a time-honored American tradition.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised!
I guess it’s not just American businesses which gouge their customers. There may be a large demand for restaurant meals, but the I’m sure the restaurant owner did not have difficulty obtaining as much chicken as he wished, and did not pay his staff more, nor did his business’s mortgage increase due to The Open being held nearby. It was just pure greed, not inflation which caused the price of your usual sandwich to skyrocket.
Definitely my opinion. That’s why I went for a chicken sandwich elsewhere. Voted with my feet!
Given rampant price inflation around any leisure or hospitality experience I was surprised when I saw a screenshot of the on course prices for food & bev at the Masters earlier this year. Very modest in the extreme – I guess Augusta does some things differently.
https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/tour/the-masters/masters-concession-prices/
Just over a year ago I finally realized one of my long term dreams, to walk the Augusta National golf course, referred to as,”the most beautiful place on earth.” Being an avid gardener and sports fan, and watching the Masters on TV I yearned to walk and take in the scenery in person. As I walked up the side of the first fairway on the rough (a misnomer, think of the most plush carpet you’ve ever walked on in bare feet) I was surprised how emotional I became.
BTW the Georgia peach ice cream sandwiches are one of the most delicious things I have eaten in my life.
As to the prices I can confirm they are unbelievably inexpensive. Nice that the uber rich members don’t take advantage of their patrons. They are really for setting a welcoming environment that excludes cell phones.
Can I ask why you haven’t played the course?
You don’t get to play unless you have very good connections. After the Masters is played the course is closed until the Fall. Playing Augusta National is the rarest of opportunities. I came close once but it fell apart. The member who was going to arrange it resigned
I was fortunate to attend the Masters four times and the food is modest and limited. Cream cheese, egg salad sandwiches and I think two others I can’t recall. Definitely no chicken burgers.
Sounds ideal. One of the worse trends in boutique streetfood etc is that everything has to be upspecced. This has spilled over to most food outlets.
I don’t need artisan pulled pork smothered nachos when a bag of potato chips would suffice. Sometimes you just need to eat something rather than have a “culinary experience”.
To quote Jim Nance, “A tradition like no other, The Masters”; ie traditional menu. My guess is most items sold are the same as those at the first tournament before people “required” a vast menu.