While buying groceries adds up way too quickly, going out to eat isn’t much cheaper. The pub near my apartment charges $16 for a basket of (admittedly delicious) sweet potato fries, and if customers want to enjoy a few drinks at pretty much any given restaurant, they’re going to spend more than they want to. But have you ever had to pay more for a cocktail because someone had to make it?!
The answer is probably no… but TikTok user @blondeswhoeat had this baffling experience at a bar in Dallas. She read out the items on her bill: a Lalo Blanco Spicy Skinny Margarita, which was $14. Okay, that sounds reasonable. But each cocktail had an extra $3 charge for “prep” — aka shaking the margaritas. Why?! As the TikTok user pointed out, just say the drink is $17! While that might not be the most affordable margarita around, it’s a lot better than this strange “prep” business.
It gets worse, though! One drink had a $13 prep fee, another had $15, and another had a shocking $22 fee. She said that when the fees were added up, they were $75! She was told that the charges increased due to the kind of tequila, which honestly doesn’t make any sense. These sound like regular cocktails, not massive margaritas that are a whole experience, and if you want to find this tequila-based beverage on National Margarita Day or an average Saturday night, you would never expect to have to shell out so much money.
People in the comments section took her side, of course, with one person comparing the bar in question to Ticketmaster. Several bartenders were stunned to hear about this practice, with one writing, “you ALWAYS shake something with citrus. Charging extra for what you’re supposed to do is wild af.” Others rightly pointed out that if these so-called prep fees aren’t on the menu, then customers shouldn’t have to pay them.
So, everyone is likely thinking the same thing: which bar did this? According to D Magazine, it was Mar Y Sol. If that is the case, then a quick look at their menu confirms that the fees aren’t listed, and cocktails range from a $14 Hibicus Dragon to an $18 Espresso Martini.
Well, if you agree that it’s strange to pay $75 for “prep fees,” what about ordering a margarita that is actually $75? According to Houstania, Arnaldo Richards’ Picos Restaurant in Houston has a drink that costs this much, but 1.) it’s a fancy, high-end drink and 2.) the full, all-inclusive price is listed on the menu. And that’s not even the priciest alcoholic beverage out there. Adalina, which is located in Chicago, has a $13,000 “Marrow Martini.”
Although no one wants to face secret charges or dip into their bank account any more than they already have to, a lot of people end up paying a lot for alcohol. According to The Huffington Post, someone who has four drinks on the weekend (two on Saturday and two on Sunday) could be paying $2,500 annually. If you kept going to bars that charged ridiculous prep fees, that number would likely increase even more!
Since charging this fee is thankfully uncommon, you don’t have to worry about this on your next Friday night out. But I know I’ll never complain about an $18 spicy marg again!