Union Square

We knew this place was geared toward tourists but went here anyway because we were right next to it with two hungry kids in tow and it was 1:40 PM. We also went here because it has 4.5 stars on Google.

I'm giving it one star for shady business practices, the actual quality is three stars. They have a huge sign out front that offers a three-course formule, or prix fixe menu, for 13.95 Euros, which is very cheap. This is not why we went here and I was the only one in our group that ordered more than a main dish.

However, I was surprised to find that if you order exactly what is included in the formule but don't look the waiter in the eye and specify that you want the formule, they will charge you the à la carte full fare for those items, which is around 30 Euros. The waiter won't ask if you want the formule either; it's a you snooze you lose situation.

This is not at all the way formules work in France. There is no 'mini 'or 'no frills' version of the regular menu fare that you can get for less. Even if there were (I've never seen it), it would be specified on the menu. Typically, if you order what is in the formule, you get the formule price, and you can only get that price if you order exactly what is in the formule. What they do at Union Square is not typical; it's misleading and intended to trick people. I write this not as a tourist, but as someone who has lived in Paris for over 20 years and I own a restaurant here.

The food: The burger was actually not bad, 3.5/5. The fries were clearly frozen and were dry but edible, 2/5. The French onion soup was not good, weak flavour, wrong cheese, avoid, 1.5/5. The fried chicken was the frozen stuff and also overcooked and dry, 2/5. The roast chicken looked better. The hot dogs were OK, 3/5. Desserts were good, 4/5. The waiter was amiable (4/5), though he allowed the situation to play out as it did. I was clearly not the first person to be caught off guard by their 'no tell don't ask' formule policy. We were comped a couple coffees.

It's unethical for the owner to operate like this, not just for the unwitting customers who feel duped, but also because it compromises the employees.

If the food in the formule is less than or different than the same items on the à la carte menu, this should be specified on the menu and by the waitstaff, especially given that the formule is what gets a lot of people in the door. Otherwise you have a lot of people getting a good deal, and some other people subsidizing that good deal by falling victim to a ridiculous gotcha scheme when they don't mention upfront that they want the items they've ordered that are in the formule to be included in the formule.