What should a chicken Caesar wrap cost? Our present economic discomfort, in part brought on by a global pandemic that people sometimes forget, has forced a mass reckoning when it comes to food prices. Even something simple like chopped chicken breast and salad greens is enough to get mouths frothing on social media.
The trouble began on Sept. 17. A Reddit user posted a screenshot of a chicken Caesar wrap for $24.15 on the r/AustinFood subreddit. Things got heated, which is unfortunate, because a chicken Caesar wrap is best served chilled.
“This is getting crazy. $24 for a lunch wrap? I won’t buy it but are people really paying for this?” u/United_Course7684 said.
The sandwich is from The Well, a small health-forward restaurant chain in Austin. Per the menu, the sandwich features crispy chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts, organic romaine, vegan Caesar dressing, garlic aioli, black pepper, and a cassava tortilla. They’re all premium ingredients and the image that was used on Reddit reflected the delivery price. On the menu, it costs $21.
Still, that’s a chunk of change for what amounts to a chicken sandwich.
There’s a mighty disconnect between restaurant operators and their customers, and that gulf has been reflected in all sorts of awful ways in online discussions. Higher prices, operations charges, and even customary gratuity have become kindling for the flames of an ever-growing frustration with the state of restaurant-going.
The Well and its operating company Nova Hospitality did not respond to our requests for comment. It at least seems as if the sandwich is priced the way it is because of its premium ingredients and everything else that goes into it, from labor to even brick-and-mortar rent.
Also, I dunno, there was a little thing called COVID-19 that thoroughly thrashed the global financial markets and supply chain. But maybe the inflated price for a chicken Caesar wrap isn’t that big a deal for everyone.
“Likely seems inexpensive to the California transplants,” Horowitz concluded.
