It also feels like, at this point in history, "Best steak in town!" is, even if pretty widely untrue (e.g. the steak is leathery, very few people would consider it edible let alone the best, etc etc), that's a benign kind of puffery.
People aren't basing large decisions or spending large amounts of money on the veracity of that being the best steak in town.
I think that's another reason why that stuff gets a pass. It's small-time, it's local, restaurants already run on razor-thin margins, etc. You can't systematically defraud ten thousand hotel-bookers a day with a "best steak in town" sign in your window. And to some extent, we expect everyone to have that kind of pride in their restaurant, so who cares if they say that stuff?
Taste is subjective therefore best is subjective as well. I make the "best" beef fillet steak (for me), but most people would throw it away (it's well done, I prefer it like that... but waiters often try to convince me to change my order if I order a well done steak!).
I ordered a "well done" hamburger at a bar & grill type place once and it was delivered charred. I supposed the cook was offended, but I didn't get it - it was just a hamburger.
People aren't basing large decisions or spending large amounts of money on the veracity of that being the best steak in town.
I think that's another reason why that stuff gets a pass. It's small-time, it's local, restaurants already run on razor-thin margins, etc. You can't systematically defraud ten thousand hotel-bookers a day with a "best steak in town" sign in your window. And to some extent, we expect everyone to have that kind of pride in their restaurant, so who cares if they say that stuff?