Hidden gem in Charlotte’s Oakhurst neighborhood where the menu is as creative as the food
June 25, 2026
Q&A: Are menu prices really that bad, under-the-radar eats
Each week, we answer reader questions about food and drink in Charlotte
Q: There have been a bunch of articles and posts recently about the rise in menu prices. But how true is that? I can recall similar pieces over the past 20 years or more.
Tom: Well, in some ways no and some ways very definitely. According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the average cost of a meal out consistently rose about 2.9% per year from 2000-2019. Then came the tidal wave. From 2020-2025 the cost of a meal away from home skyrocketed 31%. Over the past year, that has settled back to about 3.9%. The sticker shock mostly came not so much from fine dining but on what was typically referred to as “cheap food,” franchise drive-throughs and low-end casual dining. When the $3.69 burger became $7.99 seemingly overnight, consumers suddenly took notice.
However, restaurants didn’t suddenly decide to charge more just because they could. Ingredient costs surged, rent and insurance climbed, and delivery apps introduced yet another layer of expense. At the same time, somewhere during and after the pandemic, the industry also began reckoning with something many had argued for years: restaurant workers deserved to be paid more fairly for notoriously difficult work. For an industry long built on thin margins and historically low wages, those labor increases were both inevitable and, frankly, overdue. In reality, restaurants have always raised prices. What changed is that for decades Americans became accustomed to food, especially fast food, being artificially inexpensive. It’s sounds a bit harsh, I know, but the real story isn’t that dining out has suddenly become outrageously expensive. It’s that consumers are now paying closer to what food service actually costs to operate. So yes, prices are up. Nobody loves paying more for lunch. But if higher menu prices mean better ingredients, fairer wages, and fewer restaurant owners losing sleep at 3 a.m. , well, maybe that extra two bucks on the burger isn’t the end of civilization after all. Also, it doesn’t hurt to check our daily food specials list.
Q: I want to go off the beaten path a bit. Who’s doing really good under-the-radar eats?
Tom: Sure. I tell you. You tell your friends and my favorite under-the-radar spots now have a bright spotlight on them. But, okay, just between us, I really love what Roger Kongkham is doing at R+D Bar, the after hours cocktailery and eatery located inside Thai Taste in Dilworth. You’ll have to wait until 9 p.m. (sometimes 9:30) to dive in, but dive in you should. Those who remember Kongkham’s Hibiscus will recognize many of the Southeast Asian dishes, along with some weekly specials. The food is really good (I guess I need to start on that review) and the drinks created by Kongkham and bar partner Daniel Villa can go toe-to-toe with any bar in the city. Also, I talk about Teal Turnip a lot, but few others are. This Oakhurst gem is quietly turning out seriously good food, with enough creativity and whimsy to keep you coming back curious about what’s next. Finally, the new PostScript, in the the former Letty’s spot in Plaza Shamrock, may be a little under-the-radar now, but I wouldn’t count on that lasting much longer.
