Montclair Chef Thanks Customers By Letting Them Name Their Own Prices

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Eating can be costly, but one New Jersey restaurant is giving customers a break.

As CBS2's Tracee Carrasco reported, the menu doesn't have any prices, instead customers can name their own.

Zod Arifai, owner and chef of Blu, and its more casual adjoining restaurant called Next Door in Montclair wanted a unique way to thank his customers before the restaurants close on August 29, when their lease expires.

"Everyone said, 'Don't do this. People are going to take advantage of you,'" he said.

But Arifai claims it's been the opposite.

"As long as they try some good food and get to eat something as opposed to eating junk food, I'm fine with that, and coming in and that's all they can afford, that's fine," he said.

Entrees at the restaurant usually cost $28 to $35, but have been sized down to smaller portions so people can try out several dishes. Most customers have been paying accordingly.

"Even if I was to cut the $30 entree to $15, they are leaving somewhere between $12, $13, $14 per dish which is really good. We have had a few customers who came in and actually left, had maybe four or five dishes and only left $4 or $5, and we've had a few customers who had four or five dishes and left $200," he said.

For most diners the toughest decision wasn't what to order, but how to make sure they were paying fairly.

"I wish they would give us a bill, I feel more comfortable that way," Arlene Soberman said.

"It's great, you can really decide whether you like it, and what you want to pay for it," Cecilia Pollak said.

The chef told CBS2 that the concept has been so popular that he's considering extending the lease on the restaurant for another month or two.