Question: My wife and I went to a restaurant near the Ward Theaters. They have a liquor and wine menu with a vast number of choices, but absolutely no prices. We asked the waitress why and she said, "They decided every time they changed prices they had to make new menus, so now they just don’t put prices down anymore." I asked her the prices of specific items and she said she did not know, but could check a specific price if I wanted. That made it impossible to do comparison shopping. Is this legal? Can you have a menu in which the prices are a secret and the only time you find out is when you get your bill?
Answer: While there’s no law that says food prices have to be posted or shown on menus — although you should be told what they are if you ask — liquor prices are required to be posted.
Roger Morey, president of the Endeavour Group, which provides training in the area of alcohol awareness as well as sales and marketing consulting, pointed to the liquor laws of Hawaii and the rules of the Honolulu Liquor Commission.
(One of his clients is the Hawaii Restaurant Association, for which he serves as executive director.)
Section 3-82-38.11 of the Liquor Commission rules says, "Current prices of all liquor and any other services shall, at all times, be posted and exposed to view of patrons within the interior of the licensed premises authorized to sell liquor for consumption on the premises. For the purpose of this rule, legible signs, menus or table tents are acceptable. If there is a price range for certain types of liquor, the licensee shall post the minimum price and the maximum price of the liquor."
The rules can be found at is.gd/yjgZ12.
You can file a complaint with the Honolulu Liquor Commission by calling the 24-hour hotline at 768-7363 (to speak to someone, call between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. weekdays).
Searching the Internet, we couldn’t find very many complaints about drink and/or food menus without prices, although apparently it does happen in some of the "fancier" restaurants.
The state Office of Consumer Protection says the prices of certain food items may not be on a restaurant’s menu because the prices may fluctuate daily, such as the "catch of the day."
"However, the wait person should provide the customer the price of the item when asked," said Bruce Kim, executive director of Consumer Protection. If, for some reason, the price is not provided and only determined after ordering, then the practice may be questionable, he said.
In that case, you can contact the state Consumer Resource Center to file a complaint. On Oahu, call 587-4272 or 587-3295 weekdays, or go online to cca.hawaii.gov/ocp/consumer-complaint.
We also contacted the state Department of Agriculture, whose Measurement Standards Branch enforces labeling laws. However, that branch does not enforce menu prices, a spokeswoman said.
Going Green
Two "Going Green" recycling events will be held in March: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Waianae High School, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 22, at Farrington High School.
Among the items accepted: computers, printers, TVs, batteries, usable clothing, household items, used cooking oil, scrap metal, appliances, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, cellphones, ink cartridges, incandescent light bulbs swapped for CFLs, used eyeglasses and hearing aids, HI-5 and beverage containers. Canned goods for the Hawaii Foodbank and pet food/items also will be accepted.
For more information or for the free towing of unwanted cars, call Rene Mansho at 291-6151 or email renemansho@hawaii.rr.com.
Mahalo
To Jerry Hackett of Hawaii Kai, who found my wallet at the Aina Haina McDonald’s.
I left my name and phone number in the wallet just in case an honest person found it. This is the third time people have returned my lost wallets. So commendable to see the integrity and honesty of people in Hawaii. — Vince
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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
