I believe the question was whether the new prices match the “market rate” as determined by CT or WS Pro.
It seems like they just did a reset and update on their price list to bring it up to market price. Most restaurants do this regularly, but occasionally they forget and you can snag a deal.
While it’s a bummer for us, none of this should really surprise. Berns is, after all, simply a business. Many of its wine list prices on matured wines were dramatically sub-market. By comparison, their younger wines were priced at the higher end of market. I was at a dinner there with clients, and while we ordered a bunch of mature wines, one of my clients wanted a 2003 Pontet Canet. It was $500. The writing was on the wall that this would happen. And I do not think that it changes their business or the revenue one iota. That place is packed to the gills every single night of the week, rain or shine. And most guests are ordering things like new releases of Caymus and Silver Oak, not 1947 Haut Bailly.
I think Bern’s is a great steakhouse. I’d be surprised if there was a better one in town. I probably flew to Tampa 15 times to dine at Berns and would eat there two nights in a row. I never had any main course except steak and four of us would order 2 steaks for three as our main course ( with the second one served about twenty minutes after we finished the first).
I didn’t go there for the steak but might not have returned (or ordered something else) if it wasn’t very good.
![[head-bang.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/b1cd199e4b2b2988b5107c3c9598fd28dc92a776.gif "[head-bang.gif]"){kind=small}
where’s the $10 for Broccoli at Berns thread??
This is them saying “F you” to the customer?
Surely you don’t mean that.
Well that sucks, though I’ll still happily go to Bern’s next time I’m in Tampa.
With 40 cases of Caymus sold per week, at a tremendous profit, I agree with some of the others posting above that it seems clear Bern’s realizes that’s a much more profitable and manageable business model for the near future. If the Caymus fever dies, who knows…maybe they go back to pandering to the ‘wine geek’ crowd once again.
Our property taxes tend to be higher than other states as well. They get the money somehow!
Oh please. Broccoli is like $20 (or more) in Singapore!
So, based on a screen shot of 6 wines (of which 66% are from the same state/region) there are now calls to never return and that it’s over at Bern’s. I’ve been going for years and all I hear is that “it isn’t what it used to be” or “the wine list is thin”, etc… yes, prices have gone up over time (obviously bound to happen) and the list has been drunk through on some of the older wines (this restaurant regularly has north of 1000 guests a night, the older wines on the list are bound to be thinning over time) but it still is the best restaurant in the US for older wines that have been stored and purchased properly. Also, a note on service - I’ve never had a wine related service issue there - even the hint of a problem with a bottle and poof, it’s gone, another once magically appears. One can always find value in a list if you are a little flexible. I’m not sure I’d base my dining decision off of the prices of 6 wines - now, that said, if the prices have gone up across the board as the OP said by 200-500% that is a different story but no proof has been given on that.
Well their prices were so absurdly low before… I will definitely go back and do like I have always done.
Going to guess that price increases are to help offset the slow down of business for the last year + due to Covid. Only sad thing is that once prices go up, they rarely revert back down. I think we will see quite a bit of this across the restaurant industry and it won’t be just a Bern’s issue.
I’ve never been but have heard such epic stories of this place for the last 2 decades. What started as a ‘don’t post anything because the deals are so good’ started to break down to ‘visited Berns 4 times in 3 days and had XXX and XXX and XXX’ etc.
Their popularity led to lots of wines being picked through by those on this board and others - and it sounds as if most if not all wines showed exquisitely.
Here’s the deal - where can you even FIND some of the wines that are on their list in another restaurant setting?
If I’m in the area, I would still visit and support - and probably just get 3-4 wines off their BTG list, which still sounds amazing . . .
Cheers.
Good points, Michael. The ‘it isn’t what it used to be’ mantra has been expressed in frustration for many years over the course of the last 20, as the restaurant is no longer a ‘best kept secret’ among the wine world. Same happened with Lotus of Siam, although, in their case, they just ran out of wine in the stash.
It used to be way below market, with some really interesting older wines. Still seems relatively inexpensive, but no longer worth making a special trip.
There is no anger whatsoever; Bern’s did what any prudent business should have done years ago, and that is raise prices. If I am near Tampa, happy to go, but I have enough interesting wine here that I don’t feel the need.
No comments on the BTG selections and pricing? I always found it as interesting as the bottle program.
I can’t fault them for charging what they think they should. I do wonder if (a) there will be a period when wine enthusiast customers arrive and are surprised and disappointed to see the pricing changes, and (b) how well those old wines will move at the new prices. But that’s for them to decide.
No ill will here, though I do wonder if it’s still worth flying to Tampa to go to Bern’s. I would love to know how widespread these increases are. Prices had been going up for the past several years before this. Mainly, I hope Bern’s continues to be successful and to be able to employ some of the best sommeliers I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with.
Me as well. And probably with you.
Even with substantial price increases, there are still interesting wine selections on that very deep list.
I can’t say as interesting, but there have been BTG offerings that we’ve happily bought bottles of, and have enjoyed more than some of the more expensive and prestigious wines we’ve ordered off the bottle list.