THE PRICE HIKE

Eater Co-Founder Ben Leventhal is right to be outraged by $30 watermelons, but to be fair, such exorbitant pricing isn’t endemic to The Hamptons. A quick series of phone calls reveals that Citarella sells its watermelons at $1.29/lb in both its Hamptons and New York City locations, resulting in $31 price tags for 24lb melons. Compare that with my local C-Town in Long Beach (a more “blue collar” Hamptons), which is currently charging $0.39/lb, or about $10 for a 24lb melon.

So unless Citarella is selling a rare variety of Kobe Beef or Beluga Caviar Watermelons, we’re calling their price point a STRONG SELL.