Father's Day Price Gouging at Golden Corral

We went to a Golden Corral in Cincinnati on Father's Day and likewise
noticed that the price was higher than normal. However, we didn't
complain (although we thought about it) and it seemed to me like they
had a few things on the buffet that they didn't always have. We
enjoyed our dinner anyway. I think it's rude of some of the posters
here to criticize the original poster's choice of restaurant. These
restaurants, like many others, vary from place to place and some are
better than others. There are two here locally and one's very good
and the other is not very good at all.

Also, note: there is NO SUCH WORD as "anyways." The word you're
looking for is simply "anyway."

you should eat at somewhere better than golden corral. nasty place
anyways. but if it is the price angle maybe you should try mcdonalds

Okay, where I live in PA, they NEVER raise the prices at the
restaurants for special holidays or anything unless it's like
Christmas, New Years, etc. - certainly not for Father's Day! So I
would be upset too, I've never heard of that happening. In fact, most
places here run SPECIALS for Mother's Day & Father's Day to attract
more business, so it's cheaper! Also, I think the manager treated the
OP very unprofessionally.

And I have to ay, as nice as it would be to say "Suck it up and pay
the extra", do you know the OP's financial circumstances? Some people
live on a tight budget, paycheck to paycheck and maybe the OP had
planned ths ahead of time, budgeting in using the normal prices. MY
father wouldn't have been upset if I questioned the pricing - in fact,
mine probably would've gotten fed up before I did and made us leave to
go elsewhere!

Bottom line, I think the OP has a valid complaint, even if "price
gouging" is a slight bit overdramatic.

Just about every restaurant I've ever been to on a holiday raises
their prices that day because they know people will still eat there
and they'll make money. There's a local Asian buffet here that
advertises $12.95 each on weekends for lunch. Last Father's Day
(2006), I took my father there for lunch - the price was $26.95 each
because it was a holiday. Management knows what's up. They want to
make money and they know people want to eat.

Keep in mind they're serving much more food and therefore must earn
more money to purchase replacements for what they've cooked. Holidays
are big business for restaurants.

These are privately owned establishments that have the right to set
any price they wish for any food item they wish on any day they wish.
If we don't want to pay these prices, nobody is forcing us to eat
there!

In response to several posts below, I'd just like to say that there is
no federal law requiring employers to pay employees overtime
pay/holiday pay of any kind just for working on a
government-recognized holiday (and Father's Day isn't one). It's up
to the discretion of the employer. (Of course, you're entitled to
overtime pay if you meet the government-mandated criteria, but it has
nothing to do with federal holidays.)

Buffets like Golden Corral are already to high. For the same price (or
just a little bit higher), I could go to Applebee's or Friday's.
Granted, you don't get all-you-can-eat, but the food quality is
somewhat better. I recommend going to a restaurant like Friday's next
year. They don't change their prices on days like Mother's or Father's
day.

I agree with your letter.

Next time... "gouging" should stay home though. It isn't quite the
right word.

Bleh.

I personalized and was picturing my dad tottering along in his walker
and being all excited about getting out and going to the big buffet.

Wish I would have understood in the first place that "Dad" is your DH
and that he too was upset. I'll be over here in the corner wiping the
egg off of my face...

most of the buffet type restaurants raise their prices on days like
mother's day, father's day, thanksgiving, easter, etc. first of all,
you are lucky that there are wait staff who need a job so badly they
must work on these days and they deserve extra pay whether the law
requires it or not. i applaud golden corral and others like them for
showing caring toward their employees. if you can't afford to pay a
little extra on certain "special" days, you can't afford to eat out.

The Golden Corral in my town advertised a "Father's Favorites" buffet
- which I took to mean steak, shrimp, BBQ, etc. Basically more of the
expensive items and not as much of the salads, jell-o, soups, and
other products that they can buy relatively inexpensively equally a
greater profit. Just a thought.....

The OP is correct in that Father's Day is NOT a paid holiday for any
employees. In fact, businesses are not required to offer time and a
half pay for ANY holiday - they are only mandated to pay OT if someone
works in excess of 40 hours per week. If GC does offer time and 1/2
for their employees on FD or any other holiday, that is their
business, and not the concern (or expense) of their customers. Do
other places (like convenience stores and gas stations) that stay open
on holidays charge more because it costs more to have the employees
there? Never heard of such a thing.

I guess I never paid that much attention to it. We ate at Ruby
Tuesday's this year and I didn't notice any difference - It looked
like the same menu I've always seen.

That's kind of crummy, though - cover the increase they have to pay to
their wait staff (OOH, a whole $3.18!) to work Father's day.

I wonder, though, are GC's franchises or corporately owned? If they
are franchises, there may be little the corporate office can do to
make this right.

At any rate, please let us know what the outcome is - I'm very curious
what they have to say for themselves.

I'm with the writer on this one. I don't think she over-exaggerated,
I don't think she was greedy for not wanting to pay the extra money,
and I think that her letter is appropriate.

My father / husband wouldn't want to be taken advantage of (even if it
is a few dollars) just because it's 'Father's Day' which in reality is
a holiday abused by anyone trying to sell anything.

In reality, were I in that situation, it's possible that I would have
just paid the extra money and been done with the topic, but I think
that the letter writer has every right to react the way that she did.

And Bravo! for not getting bent out of shape by everyone telling you
that you blew things out of proportion or embarassed the Man of the
Day.

I agree 100% with you Allison. Its very greedy of Golden Corral (or
any restaurant) to raise their prices when they expect more customers.
I think Golden Corral is already overpriced and to want MORE money
from their customers is ridiculous.

Until I read this complaint, I had no clue Golden Corral did this and
I'm glad you exposed them, Allison. Please update us if you hear back
from them.

Because Fathers Day is not a traditional "eat out" day like Mothers
Day is. Mother's Day is a huge eat out day so she can actually RELAX
and not have to cook, clean up or cater to her family (which is what
she does every other day of the year)

Fathers Day (at least the way I know it) we all let dad go fishing at
4am, come home and have a huge steak on the grill, play football...
etc all without having to take out the garbage or fix a toilet or hear
us quibble.

You would think Golden Corral would be starved for patrons on dad's
day!

I replied to posts earlier, but I just wanted to reiterate the fact
that I fully agree with the writer on this one. There is absolutely
no call for raising prices on Father's Day. It would be a different
story if they at least tried to beef up their menu some. Whether or
not they pay their employees time and a half on Father's Day is
irrelivent. The increase in traffic on Father's Day should pay for
the extra money going out in salary. You don't see Outback or other
sitdown establishments raising the price of steak because they may
sell more on Father's Day. It's in bad taste and I will not be going
to Golden Corral in the future due to this among other reasons.

I've never heard of raising prices on what they normally sell just
because it's a "special day". It sounds like the manager is pretty
darn ignorant if he states that the employees get paid time and half
for Father's day. Either he's a dope or he lied thinking you were a
dope.

Like you mentioned, if they had offered something a bit different
(i.e. a better grade of meat) then maybe I could see their point. On
Mother's day you have a lot of places that set up buffets that, I
think, are priced a bit high but at least the buffets are not part of
their normal menus and you can always
order from the regular menu.

I took my mother out to Outback for Mother's day -- same menu, same
prices.

There's 100% no excuse for what they did and "GOUGING" is the correct
word for what these dopes did. I'm with you.

I can understand your feeling this way. I do know a lot of places
(especially buffet style restaurants and some diners) do raise their
prices on certain holidays. I've usually factored in the increase vs
the hassle of going someplace else that's also busy and waiting a long
time to be seated. If it's a matter of a few dollars, I don't mind
much paying the extra if it makes my dad happy Especially if I know
the food is good.
I think what did it for you (and would for me as well) was the
attitude of the workers laughing added to the insulting way the
manager handled the situation. He could have gone about it more
tactfully.

As an owner of a small restaurant, I think the poster has every right
to be upset. Their reason for the increase is not valid. It seems
they are trying to take advantage of their customers for the almighty
dollar. Take Chik-Fil-A for example, they never open on Sunday no
matter how it affects their bottom line and for Golden Corral to
increase their price on a holiday, is just greedy. If that is their
company policy, people should stay away from them.

Tony

I seem to be in the minority, but I agree with the letter writer. I
have never eaten at a resturant that raises thier prices on the
holiday. At the very least, I wasn't aware of the price change,
because they actually had menu's (or changed the signage) to reflect
that.

To tape a paper to the sign seems sketchy to me and I would not have
stayed either.

Just as I wouldn't shop at a store that raised thier prices before a
sale, I wouldn't eat at a restaurant that so blatently raised thier
prices for a holiday.

The part about compensating thier employee's rings false as well.
Employees are generally paid holiday time through the extra money that
the patrons bring in. Holidays are very busy times and the sheer
number of people in there should be enough to compensate employees.

I didn't know Father's day was a paid holiday either.

Many eons ago, when I was in high school, I was working two jobs for a
short time: Hardee's and Bonanza (which I think is similar to Golden
Corral. On Mother's Day, Hardee's was empty and Bonanza was packed.
On Father's Day, Hardee's was packed and Bonanza was empty.

Just an observation.

You know, I could just imagine from your letter, how overboard your
thoughts were, on this "price gouging." You should have simply left,
if it was that big of a deal. Kudos to Golden Corral, for paying
(compensating) their employess, who left their father's, to help
others enjoy their father's day celebrations.

I gave up going out on fathers day years ago, as all the restaurants
seem to raise thier prices on fathers day, mothers day, and any other
day that they can.

Now I tell my grandchildren that I would rather eat at one of thier
mothers' or fathers' houses. The food is much better also.

Get over it, and prepare a real home cooked meal for your Dad, he will
like it much more.

Ryan's, East Meets West, and the Golden Corral around here raises
there prices every Mother's Day and Father's Day.

I hate going out to eat on Father's Day. We stay in, and I make
breakfast for them, grab something light for lunch, then we go to my
grandparent's house for dinner.

It's about family, not about the food.

If you saw the prices before you ordered and still stayed, ordered,
and ate, you're entitled to nothing.

Did you eat and then ask for a refund?? You saw the prices first, you
should have walked out right then.
I agree, it is wrong for them to raise prices for a holiday,
especially when they'll be making MORE business because of the
holiday. Good idea to write the letter to let them know!

Well,

Let me clarify a couple of things because it wasn't clear. When I say
"Dad", I meant the father of my children - my DH. He was more upset
about it than I was which is why we left. I did not make a scene, I
just asked questions and made a comment that it wasn't a holiday that
companies paid time and a half for.

And for the meaning of the word "gouge" - this is from Websters:

1 : to scoop out with or as if with a gouge
2 a : to force out (an eye) with the thumb b : to thrust the thumb
into the eye of
3 : to subject to extortion or undue exaction : OVERCHARGE


And, I still think that it is pathetic for a company such as this to
charge more for their product just because they expect more people to
come - WITHOUT adding more to their product - JMHO.

Allison

I hate when people use this term because price gouging is typically
referred to raising prices during civil emergencies. Like, credit
cards raising their rates during hurricane Katrina, and raising hotel
rates during Katrina, stuff like that.

Calling this "Price Gouging" is an exaggeration.

Wow, I bet your Dad was proud of you. Watching you make a stink at a
lousy buffet place. What was it, maybe $2 more per person?

My Dad is DEAD. What I wouldn't give to take him out for Father's Day.

looking disgusted at the idea of places that don't pay time and a half
on Father's Day. Businesses are allowed to add additional days as
paid holidays; I worked in places that did it for extra holidays,
including the day after Xmas and Thanksgiving, and New Year's and
Christmas Eve days. Maybe they were simply using it as an excuse for
raising prices, and maybe not, but you've jumped to conclusions
without proof.

Allison,
Supply / Demand..
BillR.

If my Dad had decided on where he wanted to eat on Father's Day and I
saw that the prices were temporarily raised at the place of his
choosing, I wouldn't make a big deal about it. AND I certainly
wouldn't point it out to him. I'd enjoy my meal with him on his day
and be happy to make him happy. If I had to complain (but, I wouldn't
in this instance), I'd do it after the fact and without his knowledge.

I thought they only paid extra for holidays like Christmas an New
Years Eve, Independence Day or Canada Day. However just because the
prices went up does not give you a right to embarass your father on
Father's Day by making a scene. I bet he felt really annoyed and
embarassed that you would complain about spending extra money for you
after all he did for you. Shame on you.

I'm curious - - how much did they raise the price? Did you have this
huge argument with the manager and demand a refund right in front of
Dad because you didn't want to pay a couple of extra bucks to take him
out to eat on Father's Day? I'll bet this sure made him feel special!

Allison,
If you think Father's Day is bad, try taking your mom to brunch on
Mother's Day. We go every year (to various places) and the price is
always waaayyyy higher than on an average Sunday. I'm talking 50-100%
price increase over the non-Mother's Day brunch price. I share your
disgust, but it just seems to be the way it is. Sorry!