> One thing I've never understood about menu design is the use of "market price" for certain items like crab and lobster. This happens with restaurants that ar

> One thing I've never understood about menu design is the use of "market price" for certain items like crab and lobster. This happens with restaurants that are buying their seafood fresh off the docks (in my part of the US, anyway) because the price the restaurant pays for it can vary by a lot from day to day. The restaurant effectively can't predict what the price will be, so they can't really put the price on the menu unless they set it very high. Edited to add: That said, about half of the local restaurants that sell fresh seafood around here have a chalkboard visible from the street or lobby that says what the market prices currently are. If you know what you're getting, or have a good memory, you don't have to ask anyone.