Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

$29 ham and cheese sandwich a total rip-off — so why are NYers eating it up?
nypost.com ^ | April 14, 2023 | Jeanette Settembre

Posted on 04/15/2023 10:36:25 AM PDT by lowbridge

A ham and cheese sandwich at Eli Zabar’s E.A.T.  on the Upper East Side now costs $31.57 — $29 plus tax — and Gothamites are experiencing intense sticker shock over the cost of what was once a working-class staple.

It sparked outrage among eaters when a Reddit thread with a photo of the sandwich captioned “$29 Ham and Cheese sandwich” drew more than 600 comments and 2,000 upvotes on Monday.

“The first time I bought that sandwich I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ ” an Upper East Side psychologist who lives in the neighborhood told The Post, declining to give her name. 

“It’s not the best ham and cheese sandwich, it’s not the worst, but it’s just fine. I absolutely would not have picked up the sandwich had I looked at the price,” she added.

The luxury lunch item is actually two sandwiches made from ham, Gruyère cheese, mustard and four slices of seven-grain “health bread.” But even then, it’s fairly small.

“The idea of a ham and cheese sandwich selling for $29 is ridiculous – even if it serves two portions; no matter how good the ingredients are or where they are from; or how tasty the sandwich is,” Phil Lempert, editor of SupermarketGuru.com, told The Post.

When The Post went to purchase the sandwich on Friday, an employee at the Madison Avenue eatery was so embarrassed by the price, they offered to charge us a mere $22.

-snip

“Some people complain, but a lot of people who live around here, they know the prices, and they don’t complain because they like it [the food].”

We persisted with the $29 sandwich purchase — and found it to be reminiscent of an airport sandwich.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Food
KEYWORDS: bidenflation; food; ham; newyork; newyorkcity; nyc
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last

1 posted on 04/15/2023 10:36:25 AM PDT by lowbridge
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

Because it’s discounted down from $39?


2 posted on 04/15/2023 10:37:04 AM PDT by albie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

Some people actually enjoy overpaying for stuff, because it’s a status symbol for them.

If they sold that same sandwich for $6, a lot of New Yorkers who have an elitist attitude might turn their noses up at it. But slap a $29 price tag on it and they have to have it.


3 posted on 04/15/2023 10:39:41 AM PDT by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

Sack lunch or picnic from home. This has become our solution to price gouging. Takes a little extra effort but we have become to enjoy it.


4 posted on 04/15/2023 10:40:30 AM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Procrastination is just a form of defiance.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

Who cares?

NYC is a foreign country.


5 posted on 04/15/2023 10:41:57 AM PDT by doorgunner69 (Let's go Brandon)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Boogieman
it’s a status symbol for them...

Just for them, the new and upcoming iPhone 15 - $3000.

6 posted on 04/15/2023 10:42:41 AM PDT by C210N (Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge; Larry Lucido; SaveFerris; Gamecock; dfwgator
Bologna sandwiches are much cheaper.


7 posted on 04/15/2023 10:42:42 AM PDT by PROCON (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

These are the ham and cheese sandwiches Alvin Bragg is indicting.


8 posted on 04/15/2023 10:45:22 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (America is now Nazi Germany circa 1935. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

You can make better with the right ingredients.


9 posted on 04/15/2023 10:45:28 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith….)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

You can make better for less with the right ingredients.

Sheesh, it’s not like making a ham and cheese sandwich and packing your lunch yourself is such a big deal. It takes less time that ordering it from a deli or restaurant and going to get it.


10 posted on 04/15/2023 10:46:59 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith….)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PROCON


🎵 Who Made the Egg Salad Sandwiches 🎵
11 posted on 04/15/2023 10:47:00 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

Because the cheese is imported all the way from Mexico, and is actually from dog milk. The ham is even more rare and imported from Saudi Arabia.


12 posted on 04/15/2023 10:47:13 AM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EQAndyBuzz

lol


13 posted on 04/15/2023 10:49:49 AM PDT by Hieronymus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

If we keep printing money and borrowing trillions of dollars, that sandwich will cost $100 before too long.


14 posted on 04/15/2023 10:50:49 AM PDT by Deo volente ("When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation." Pres. Trump)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: metmom
Or with a bit of creativity.
15 posted on 04/15/2023 10:50:52 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (Follow the money. Even if it leads you to someplace horrible it will still lead you to the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

I recently bought a whole sprial cut Ham for 14$ . I cut it up and froze most of it. It tastes just fine after it thaws.


16 posted on 04/15/2023 10:53:12 AM PDT by Nateman (If Mohammad was not the Anti Christ Mad Moe definitely comes in as a Strong second..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge; hecticskeptic; gundog; Alberta's Child

For $29 USD I think I still might be able to swing a whole mess of home-cooked liver and onionswith bacon, and if not a full two-four, at least the better part of one. Or, to go fancy, several family sized Polish-Kashub poutines and at least a half-dozen Warka. That’s good cultural food.

Thank God I don’t live in New York. Or Toronto.


17 posted on 04/15/2023 10:54:04 AM PDT by Hieronymus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hieronymus

It’s Zabar’s.

You pay it to say you’ve stopped there.

My bet is that most of the folks shelling out that 29 bucks ain’t repeat customers.


18 posted on 04/15/2023 10:56:18 AM PDT by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

No wonder they can’t pay on their student loans.


19 posted on 04/15/2023 10:56:31 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (It's time to indict the Dung Beetle Party's token affirmative action chubby cheeked shyster lawyer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lowbridge

I’ll pass on it.


20 posted on 04/15/2023 10:58:11 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson