The Top 5 Biggest Restaurant Rip-Offs

The prices on restaurant menu's keep going higher with every new printing. With a tough economy, it's a battle between what they can charge and what you're willing to pay. A new survey just came out with the top restaurant rip -offs and most of them are classic dishes and items you have been ordering for years. Now maybe the time to reconsider are they worth it.

The irony is that although the price of going out to a restaurant continues to climb it doesn't stop us from going out pretty much every week and for some folks, more than once.

It’s one thing to go out to grab some fast food or pizza where the prices are higher than ever, it’s not nearly as expensive as going out to a restaurant.

If you order an appetizer or two before your main course you can expect to see the bill jump up. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of mark up on apps. A cup of chowder can run you up to 10 dollars and a bowl could exceed upwards of 15 dollars.

If you're looking to save some cash the next time you dine out, here are some very overpriced menu items you should always avoid:

1.  Chips and salsa.  This used to be free at every Mexican restaurant, and now you see places charging way too much for it. If it ain’t free, stay away from ordering them.

2.  Egg dishes. The price of eggs, which are at a national average of $6.22 per dozen.  But a three-egg omelette dish can run you upwards of $20.  Unless you are sure that the egg dish will be excellent, order something else.

3.  Simple sandwiches like PB&J . . . or grilled cheese.  These can be made for next to nothing at home. For some reason restaurants tend to way overprice these.

4.  Wedge salads.  Iceberg lettuce is 96% water . . . and at New York's Delmonico's restaurant, a wedge salad costs $28.  You could buy at least a dozen heads of lettuce for that price.

5.  Baked potatoes.  As long as you have some sour cream and other fixings you should make them at home. You can buy a half dozen of russet potatoes for under 7dollars.