I Paid $50 to Not Go Out to Dinner

I just paid $50 not to go out to dinner on Friday night. My husband and I had a reservation at a new speakeasy-style spot in Salt Lake City, but a friend made a last-minute trip to town, and we wanted to spend time with him instead. About 26 full hours before our reservation, I called to cancel. No problem, the host said — except we’d still be charged $25 per person because we hadn’t given 48 hours’ notice. Then she asked, “Would you still like to go ahead?”