Trendy Hamptons Restaurant Duryea's Is Charging $97 For Its Lobster Salad
There's a popular saying that any publicity is good publicity. That seems to be the case for Duryea's. Love it or hate, the longtime Montauk, New York, institution is getting all kinds of attention this summer for its lobster salad. However, it's not the dish itself that's creating the buzz, it's the price — a whopping $97. The salad features your typical ingredients like lettuce, bacon, hard-boiled egg, celery, cheese, cherry tomatoes, and avocado, but then deviates from the norm by topping it with lobster meat. Intrigued by this, self-proclaimed snack enthusiast TikTok user @dzaslavsky decided to find out what all the hoopla was about.
Her verdict was that while it was good, it wasn't groundbreaking and certainly not worth an almost $100 price tag. It didn't take long for the comments on her post to start rolling in, with the majority of followers agreeing they would be hard-pressed to justify paying that amount for a lobster salad, no matter how good. One social media user even invited the original poster to head north for a real Maine lobster salad and several others mentioned they could make the exact same meal at home for about a third of the price Duryea's is charging.
You get what you pay for
To understand the pricing, it's important to look at the primary ingredients. Duryea's shared with Parade that its seafood version of the Cobb salad contains the items we listed previously and also more specifically, sharp cheddar, housemade tarragon dressing, and eight ounces of lobster meat. However, while most of these ingredients can vary in price depending on where you shop, it's really the crustacean portion that largely tips the expense scale. On average, a 1.5-pound lobster will yield six to eight ounces of meat. The retail market price today in Montauk for a 1.5-pound lobster is about $18 per pound. So, we're looking at $27 to $36 to get the requisite half-pound of lobster meat.
@dzaslavsky My honest review of the Duryeas $97 Lobster Salad…5/10 its a good salad but the price doesnt justify, the vibes are nice though. 🦞#duryeaslobsterdeck #lobstersalad #hamptonsfood
And as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. If you're sidling up to an ocean-view table at Duryea's, you're already well aware that you'll be paying a premium to enjoy your pricey salad in a spectacular setting. Another TikTok user @kitkeenan said she's perfectly okay with paying the hefty fee telling her followers, "I would die very happy eating this as my last meal."