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Dumb question:
Why are these restaurants so inexpensive? (e.g. French Laundry is
$125-150/person for a full multi-course meal)
Why does a world-class meal only cost ~3x an average meal? (e.g. appy, salad, entree and dessert at Olive Garden is about $40)
World-class cars cost ~20x an average car. World-class homes homes cost ~100x an average house.
Shouldn't the best restaurants in the world cost $1000+/person???
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Your info is a bit out of date. FL now runs $175 per person for the tasting menu (plus mandatory 19% service charge, so no stiffing them on the tip).
I think there is a limit to the profit margin people will charge on food and wine. Except possibly for 'gimmick' meals involving lots of truffles, good caviar and other super-luxury ingredients you can't spend enough on ingredients, rent and service to justify a four-figure food tab.
The most painless way to get a table at French Laundry if you don't mind what time you eat is to log on the opentable.com at 12.01am exactly 2 months before you want to go. They have two tables each day that are less known about - and those that do often don't know what time they are realised. If you don't like the opentable.com times, then the best bet is to speed-dial on multiple phones from 10am 2 months to the day before you want to go. We got a table for six doing this last year (took 20 minutes to get through phoning on 4 phones).
El D et al may laugh at this way of getting a reservation, but it works if you have no contacts there.