Someone found an old menu from The Keg, and the prices illustrate just how wild inflation is.
The X account @oldcanadaseries, run by history buff Morgan Cameron Ross, shared a photo of what it says is a menu from one of the first Keg n’ Cleaver restaurants from the 1970s.
For those who don’t know, the steakhouse that is now known as The Keg was originally named Keg n’ Cleaver when it first opened in North Vancouver in 1971.
And the prices will certainly make you miss the ’70s.
“Not a steak over $5!” reads one comment.
The menu lists an 11-oz Teriyaki steak for just $4.75, a sirloin for $4.45, and New York for $4.95. For sides, you can get French onion soup for just 40 cents. And for dessert, cheesecake is just 50 cents.
On top of all of that, the restaurant had a free salad bar, too.
A menu from one of the original “Keg’n Cleaver” restaurant in North Vancouver in the 1970s. Now named The Keg. pic.twitter.com/gZZxPuY7f5
— Old Canada Series (@oldcanadaseries) August 15, 2024
Canadians who had the pleasure of experiencing the original menu reminisced in the comments.
“The **free** salad bar was so good it made me like salad,” joked one person.
“I remember when you could [eat] all the salad you wanted,” added another.
And others wish they could go back in time.
Makes you wanna develop a Time Machine just to go get dinner for the family.
— Simon nomiS 🇨🇦 (@Nomis97) August 15, 2024
On the present-day menu at The Keg, you can get a steak and salad combo, but unfortunately, none of them are under $5.
An 8-oz top sirloin is already $50, and a New York striploin is $60 for 12 oz.
The Keg
When you take inflation into account for the original menu prices, a New York strip for $4.95 in 1971 would cost $38.41 today, according to the Bank of Canada’s inflation calculator.
That’s a 675% increase in 53 years, with an annual average rate of inflation at 3.94%.
So, sadly, as one X user said, date nights won’t get any cheaper.
“Date night at the Keg with the wife is an EASY $200 now.”
Date night at the Keg with the wife is an EASY $200 now
— Thrillhouse (@OThrillhouseO) August 15, 2024
If you want to see how grocery prices have changed dramatically over the years, we found a decade-old No Frills flyer that’ll also make you want to go back in time.