<human>: Can you give me a shortened version of the text?

A good friend of mine decided to take some time off from work to recover from the massive stress his former career had caused him. It's been about six months, and I'm glad to see that he seems to be doing a lot better.

Last week he emailed me inviting me to his new pop up restaurant experiment. Thinking it would be a fun BBQ, I promised I'd buy a ticket and come out to support him.

When he finally emailed me with the EventBrite link, it turns out the tickets were a HUNDRED AND FIFTY dollars a head, and it was this weird concept dining experience where every guest had to dress in a loose light colored tunic and sandals-- not at all my scene. The menu was surprisingly meager for the huge cover charge, too.

He emailed me again this morning asking me why I hadn't bought a ticket yet and telling me to market this event to as many friends as possible, since he saw low interest and lowered the ticket price to $80, which he claims is at-cost for what amounts to bagged salad and pureed fruit.

I'm so uncomfortable about all of this and I don't want to attend, but I feel bad for him because no one else seems to want to go, either (I don't blame them). I worry that he might be short on money and this is how he's trying to make ends meet. In that case, I'd rather just give him a loan or the money outright and avoid this entire uncomfortable experience. What do I do?
<bot>: good friend is "hosting" a picnic at $150 a head. I want to help if it's because of money problems, but I and no one wants to attend. How do we move forward?