The Food Scout

I just had the unique experiences of dining 115 stories and 35 stories in the sky in Canada. One meal was in Toronto and the other was at Niagara Falls. Now, I’m sure that it cost a lot of money to build these upscale restaurants in the sky, but it was amazing to me what you paid for a room with a view.

Prices for the kids meals (no, they wouldn’t let me order one) were $15 or more for a bowl of standard mac & cheese or cheese pizza, which cost like $3 or $4 at a casual dine or family style restaurant. But these were just baseline prices to prepare you for the adults entrees. No entree was to be had for less than $35, which is just slightly on the high side for many upscale down-to-earth restaurants in big cities. But one of these was a Hilton location, and my wife’s $55 Porterhouse had the thickness and consistency of those all-you-can-eat steaks I’ve eaten (yes, I admit it) at Ryan’s or Golden Corral.

The view was spectacular, of course, and a treat for my family. But there were a lot of empty tables at one of these sky-high locations, and I wonder if these restaurants are leaving a lot of money on the table by scaring people off with inflated prices that only has average food to match.