Hmm. Is that true? I thought the shoes thing was an actual law, at least in some places.
I wept, because my restaraunt had no shoes, until I met a restaraunt that had no feet…
Yes. There are. It’s called the Health Code. I’m not going to navigate your state’s web presense to find it, but it’s pretty damned common.
But the proprietor is the one who has to press the trespassing charge. As a patron I can’t. And if I continue to press the matter I am in violation of a law: Creating a public disturbance.
BTW, if this were the pit I’d tell you to where to put your bullshit. Since it’s not - may I suggest that you adjust your snorkel so you’re getting a little more oxygen?
You might be surprised if you tried. It’s actually extremely uncommon for a Health Code to specify that customers must wear shirts and shoes. It’s more common to forbid bare feet or open-toed shoes for food service workers.
This policy is usually up to the proprietor, although signs vaguely invoking the general authority of the “Health Code” are ubiquitous.
Personally, I wouldn’t eat anywhere that allowed shirtless and shoeless diners – it’s nasty. But the signs would be more honest if they said “If you aren’t wearing shoes, fuck off, you clueless, classless asshole. You’re stinkin’ up the joint.”
Pointing in the direction of a non-existent health code requirement makes it easier to be polite about it. “Geez, I’m sorry, I’d really love to have you wave your crusty fungus-infested toenails in my other patrons’ faces while the aroma of your stinkpits mingles with that of the soup of the day – but my hands are tied. It’s the law.”
Apart from consideration of other customers, requiring shoes eliminates a lot of potential injury suits for the owners from tiny slivers left behind from a broken waterglass, dropped items, etc.