How much are you willing to pay?

I was dining at a new restaurant yesterday looking for a "fish dish". The only fish offered on the menu was tilapia. I seldom (ok, almost NEVER ) eat tilapia because it often tastes like mud or dirt or stinking silt. Yuck! I asked the owner if they considered adding some other option and he heartily responded that he had in fact looked into adding fish locally sourced from a lake in La Grange but felt the cost would up the menu price above what he could ask. He asked me what I would be willing to pay for such an offering. (I.e. Locally pond raised - not fish farmed in those concrete troughs- fish. )

(Shrugs) I've grown abhorrent of what's happened to our food supply - citrus trees watered with oil plants refuse water, chickens raised in unsanitary mass farms then shipped to China for goodness knows what kind of processing, and the aforementioned nasty fish farms. I eat at home a great deal just so I can control what I eat and where it's sourced from. I buy local and organic whenever possible. I've simply stopped eating chicken altogether. I hate throwing all that carefulness out the window by dining out and eating who knows what. But I do. Because I know , at least at this time, it's unreasonable to expect a restaurant to source the way I do at home and still make a profit. But gee I wish they could. How much more would I be willing to pay if they did? Good question. For me, maybe twice as much for my meal. I'd have to cut back or eliminate my alcohol consumption with that meal, but I'm ok with that.

What about everyone else? I know to some it's just not that important. For many it's more important to be able to get out, let someone else cook and enjoy the ease of it all. I pose the question not as a lecture or even a cautionary tale, simply curious as to where we are as a society in this balancing act. What do you think?
(Maybe Robin could do one of his poll thingys.)

(Apologies for the long post.)

I don't think enough customers care to find out where the food is coming from so it's not a financially sound move for most restaurants. However, I do think there is a demand from it from some diners so perhaps there's still a market for some restaurants to open based on that general theme. If I were to go to a place like that and order fish I typically will eat Salmon or Trout. Maybe Tuna or Cod occasionally.

Anyway, I would be willing to pay roughly 75% more.

Ugh. Hate tilapia. Not a fan of any 'raised' seafood.

he had in fact looked into adding fish locally sourced from a lake in La Grange

.....Sunuvabit**...errrr I mean gun....I just blew beer out my nose I was laughing so hard. Next time warn people when you are going to tell a joke like that, I coulda drowned.

he had in fact looked into adding fish locally sourced from a lake in La Grange

.....Sunuvabit**...errrr I mean gun....I just blew beer out my nose I was laughing so hard. Next time warn people when you are going to tell a joke like that, I coulda drowned.

The name of the place was Crystal Bridge Farms. Here's an article mentioning them (near the end).
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/louisv ... -style.htm

So sorry about your nose.

The name of the place was Crystal Bridge Farms. Here's an article mentioning them (near the end).
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/louisv ... -style.htm

So sorry about your nose.

Carla,

While I've personally never been there, I've had the "fish farm" at Crystal Bridge Farms described to me as a "tax write-off" consisting of three or four muddy ponds...Which may help explain my reaction to the thought of a local restaurant actually serving fish sourced from said farm.