The Brief

You often hear from restaurant people that a business or accounting degree doesn’t really prepare you for running a successful dining operation. OK — so what about that psych degree your crusty uncle ripped as a waste of time and money?

In the world of sales, there is a concept called emotional pricing. For restaurants, this translates to how much operators can charge for their dishes — especially as they see their own food and labor costs skyrocket — without turning off their cost-conscious customers.

A 2025 James Beard Foundation industry report found that 91% of restaurants raised their prices between 2% and 10% last year — without seeing a profits dip. But those that raised their prices above 15% did see reduced profitability. So there does seem to be a sweet spot.

But how do restaurants convince customers to accept even a 10% higher price, especially during these tough financial times? That’s where emotional pricing comes in. Like a film director, it’s the restaurant operator’s job to get their audience to buy into their narrative — that the meal they’re getting is worth the amount they’re being charged.

We spoke with a local restaurateur, a food influencer and a national restaurant analyst to get a sense of how restaurants do that.

Caitlin Cutler, co-owner of Ronan.

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Courtesy Ronan

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Communicate uniqueness

Caitlin Cutler and her husband, Daniel, run Ronan on Melrose, specializing in modern sourdough pizza.

She says for restaurants like theirs, this challenge is particularly vexing.

“People expect it to be cheap. But yeah — we don't serve cheap pizza,” she said.

Their best seller, the margarita pizza, costs $23.50. But they have their reasons. They use 100% sourdough, which is fermented for two days. That requires a skilled craftsman, which is obviously more expensive. In addition, the fermentation window requires extra storage space on premises, which equates to higher rent.

The Super Marionario, one of Ronan's carefully crafted pizzas

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Ezra Salkin/LAist

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Yet they’re competing with products from “the other side of the spectrum,” Cutler said.

“[It's very difficult] to communicate to guests that our product is different than another product which might look similar but is actually very dissimilar," she said. "You're not going to a pizzeria, you're going to a restaurant that serves pizza.”

Cutler said they have front-of-house staff explain to customers the uniqueness of what they’re eating. But the time and place to do that is up for debate.

“When they're here and they're hungry, they don't necessarily want to talk about fermentation,” she said. So, a delicate hand is necessary.

Cutler said rather than having high prices on the menu, many restaurants go the small plates route, which are cheaper, to give the impression that they’re offering a bargain. But that can actually be deceiving, since in reality, those small plates add up quickly.

“Sometimes you have to order 10 things to get full. [In contrast], pizza will fill you up pretty quickly,” she said. “Often, customers look at Ronan’s menu and go, ‘Oh, that’s expensive’. But when they get their bill they may be surprised, because maybe you don’t order as many things.”

She said that’s the feedback she’s got from their investors.

“They'll come eat and they'll get their check and they're like, ‘This was so cheap, you guys have to raise your prices!’ And I'm like, 'I absolutely cannot raise my prices!'"

Show and tell

Luca Servodio, host of the L.A. Food Podcast and the L.A. Countdown, has eaten at more than 1,000 L.A. restaurants, so he has a sense of food economics.

But as a proud Italian, when it comes to something like pasta, “considered an extremely inexpensive food,” he said he needs a little “psychological prodding” to pay upwards of $30 for pasta at a high-end establishment.

“My inner fat kid kind of balks at the portion size,” he said.

Luca Servodio.

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Luca Servodio/LAist

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Servodio said he witnessed one savvy way for restaurants to mitigate any potential opprobrium come bill time at acclaimed Funke in Beverly Hills. Their in-house pasta laboratory gives customers a detailed and sensory look into the pasta-making process.

“And that trick, if we’ll call it a trick, I think that made my mind feel a little bit better, because you're literally seeing it. [Usually] when you break down the cost of something, you're not thinking about the actual people [and the technical labor] behind it,” he said.

Anne McBride, VP of Impact for the James Beard Foundation, who oversaw the previously mentioned report, agrees that adding experiential factors to the meal can help get customers to open their wallets.

“When it is more expensive than it used to be to dine out, people are definitely looking at all of this a lot more carefully and [at] every aspect of the experience," she said.

The report lists several suggestions to add value to the customer experience, like creating moments of "surprise and delight" through tableside services, unique plating, and interactive elements that enhance the dining experience — like the pasta lab.

McBride also recommends finding ways to showcase the staff in the restaurant and through social media, “creating this feeling that it's not just the chef, but it's really everyone who's welcoming you in a restaurant makes a difference."

Cutler echoes this. “When you walk out the door at Ronan, every single person says thank you to you,” she said. “There are other restaurants where you walk out the door and no one even acknowledges you.”

Another effective way to connect with the customer, McBride said, is a restaurant supporting a nonprofit or social good campaign. It's for customers, especially for the more socially conscious Gen Z ones, to feel like their values are aligned with the business.

“It adds a feel good aspect,” she said.

So even if a customer is not directly supporting a particular organization or cause, she added, by dining out you can feel like you’re contributing — "so that extends your philanthropic effort as an individual in a way.”

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.