Do you think pasta dinners are sometimes overpriced in restaurants?

Pasta is relatively cheap. But restaurants use a formula to price everything on their menu to make a profit.

The percentage should be 30-35%.

Yes, sometimes. But if they have a cheese sauce that makes them more expensive. The pasta by itself is very inexpensive to buy.

On 6/12/2014 serenity4ever said: Yes, although I never thought that until my husband recently wouldn't order some at a local restaurant. He made me laugh because he isn't cheap but commented on an entree being 25.00 for basic spaghetti with marinara sauce...

$25 for spaghetti & marinara???? Goodness, what kind of restaurant were you dining at? I lived in a big city, and to me that is ridiculous. If I am paying $25 for my entree it better have some protein in it.

To answer the OP, yes I do think some pasta dinners are overpriced, but it's all about covering costs. A restaurant is going to make different profits on different meals...obviously it costs them more to produce the steak dinners, or fine seafood dinners, so if they increase the price on basic meals that are top-sellers then it helps even out the costs. JMO

Everything at Olive Garden is overpriced.

Ya think?!! Cheese sauce expensive? Unless the milk to make the cheese is from clover fields where monks milked the cows & certified organic, no...cheese is inexpensive.

I think they have always been overpriced.

Generally speaking, yes, but there are restaurants and there are restaurants. Sit-down places have lots of expenses to cover, not the least of which may be rent, union labor, utilities, an endless supply of bread, possibly a salad bar, free refills on soft drinks, etc.

On the other hand I've seen carryout places charge $12 for spaghetti with clam sauce, which undoubtedly comes out of a can. That's a little much.

Yes, I think they're overpriced and don't seem to be as filling as they used to be. Seems like the amount on the plate is dwindling while the price is increasing.