Perception & Value

Every so often someone will look at the case and ask, “Why is that steak $X and this one $Y if they both come from the same animal?” It’s a fair question. The short answer is that not all parts of an animal are produced in equal amounts, and not all parts are demanded equally. That’s where things get interesting. ⸻ Let’s Start With Filet Mignon Filet mignon is the easiest example. It is, anatomically, the most tender muscle on the cow. That’s not marketing. That’s just how th

Every so often someone will pick up a steak and say, “This one has a lot of fat.” The tone varies. Sometimes it’s concern. Sometimes it’s disappointment. Sometimes it’s just observation. But underneath it is usually a question about value. For a long time, fat was perceived as something that subtracts value. I was born in 1977. For most of my life, the messaging was clear and consistent. Fat wasn’t neutral. It was bad. If a steak had visible fat, it wasn’t just extra, it was

Occasionally someone will look at our case and ask, “Why is this so expensive?” Most people aren’t forward enough to say, “I can get this cheaper somewhere else.” But the perception lingers. I once had a woman question the price of ribeye. I asked her what she normally paid. She said she had no idea. That interaction taught me something. Sometimes “expensive” isn’t a comparison to a known number. It’s a comparison to an assumption. And once a small business develops a reputat