Just like any other food genre, one can charge whatever they want for food. Most vegan restaurants I know, even the high end ones, charge $15 for entrees. I'd say that's average for any mid-price restaurant. I'm guessing if a vegan place charges $26, it's for the ambiance.

Even raw restaurants which are typically more $$$$ than vegan due to cost of food (organic produce, nuts...remember grains; ie, rice, wheat, etc are not raw food) plus labor- dehydrating and sprouting can take nearly a day to make.* But we're talking just a few more dollars higher on the menu. Even at a FANCY raw restaurant like Cru (Los Angeles), $20 seems to be the highest. And that's unusually high as well.

In a nutshell: Vegan places are usually same price as other places.

*Raw is way easier and cheaper at home once you get the hang of it. My friend's great with the advanced stuff requiring dehyrdator, soaking nuts, sprouting, soaking nuts AND she has a family! Me, I'm a single gal, but I'm lazy. I'm sticking to soups, dips, juices, garnishes I can make in my Vitamix5200 for now. And trust me, that still adds A LOT to my daily raw intake.