by Stephen Popoff

$18 for a bowl of Ramen? Are You Kidding Me?

Bay Area customers are getting ripped off at restaurants these days and nowhere is this more apparent than with what they are being charged for a bowl of ramen. Many restaurants are charging $18 and up for a bowl of the modest dish. This is an absurd rip-off and it needs to stop.

Here’s a little background and how I know it’s a rip-off. I used to live in Japan where you can find the best ramen in the world and the average cost is between 500 to 700 yen for a generous bowl.  You get about 140 yen to a dollar now so that’s about $3.60 to $5 for a fantastic bowl of mouth-watering goodness, way tastier and better-made than any ramen you’re going to find here in the Bay Area. The last bowl of ramen I had in Tokyo was last October from a ramen-ya in Shinbashi near Ginza, an expensive part of Tokyo. I paid 700 yen ($5) for a bowl that was flavorsome and filling. By the way, Ginza is known for having some of the most expensive real estate in the world but the shops still manage to keep their ramen prices affordable. Post WW2, ramen became an essential part of Japanese urban culture and to this day it is considered a quick way to get a filling meal at a reasonable price. 

Why can’t we have 5 dollar ramen here? The answer is we could. Bay Area customers have a reputation as suckers and over-pay for just about everything but $18 ramen is the ultimate absurdity. If you’re willing to pay it, they will never lower their prices. 

Restaurant owners should heed this warning:  Pay your workers a fair wage. Don’t raise prices 40% and blame it on 5% inflation. And for chrissakes, don’t charge more than $6 for a bowl of your mediocre ramen.

Bay Area restaurant customers should take this advice: If you think you are overpaying for something in a restaurant, you probably are. The only way to get prices to come down is to simply not order over-priced dishes. It’s like an auction. Eventually they will lower the price if no one buys it at the current price. Finally, never ever ever ever pay more than 6 dollars for a bowl of ramen. Don’t be a ramen sucker!