# Weird restaurant policies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2012, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696 "2012-05-22T07:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/41 "2012-05-22T19:05:04Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > A few years ago my Mom went to a local restaurant; when she paid her bill they gave her the currency change, but not the coin change. They said it was “policy” to keep the coin change. I’m assuming the police would have been interested in this fraudulent practice… ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/42 "2012-05-22T19:08:06Z")
I never quite understood weird restaurant polices. Is it because restaurant profit margins are so thin that managers look anywhere to save money, or is it because the industry is inherently greedy? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/43 "2012-05-22T19:12:13Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > A few years ago my Mom went to a local restaurant; when she paid her bill they gave her the currency change, but not the coin change. They said it was “policy” to keep the coin change. She said she would never return. (She eventually did.)… Wow. That’s quite literally theft - the food was advertised at x price per serving, and they were basically charging more. I’m sorry she went back at all, and I sure hope she said “well, my policy is that when you do that, that serves as the waiter’s tip”. I actually had a waiter shortchange me one time - brought back only the bills, not the coins. Net result: we left no additional tip. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/44 "2012-05-22T19:15:22Z")
Missed edit window: I’ve also noticed that establishments owned by immigrants tend to be a lot more strict with policies like this (especially not offering free refills), any idea why? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/45 "2012-05-22T19:15:37Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > I never quite understood weird restaurant polices. Is it because restaurant profit margins are so thin that managers look anywhere to save money The restaurant business is one of the most competitive and cutthroat there is. There are always a huge number of alternatives to eating at any particular restaurant. The vast majority operate on razor-thin margins. Restaurants come and go out of business like clockwork. > [@](#): > > , or is it because the industry is inherently greedy? What does that even mean? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/46 "2012-05-22T19:32:21Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > One time we went for all you can eat fish & chips. We had a couple of plates of fish & chips, but when we asked for another refill, the waitress told us that their policy was that “all you can eat” meant one free refill. Say WHAT!? [“You been here four hour. You go NOW!”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdwuiyO7hOU) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/47 "2012-05-22T19:34:28Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Another time, a woman whose daughter was a high-school classmate of mine, went into a local Thai restarant, alone, for lunch. They said they would not seat single persons, only even-numbered parties. She asked to speak to the manager, saying that if that’s their policy she’ll go outside and invite a passerby to have lunch with her for free! The management relented and let her come in and eat alone. That happened to me. I went to a restaurant by myself and they had a couple of empty tables. But those table were four-seaters. They told me I’d have to wait until a two-seat table opened up. Turns out a restaurant down the block was able to seat me right away. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/48 "2012-05-22T19:40:00Z")
Not a restaurant policy but there’s a local book store that has signs in its children’s section saying “These books are collectibles. They are not to be purchased for anyone under the age of 12.” Now these are just old books not priceless and unique works of arts. And I certainly can understand them forbidding young children from handling books in the store. But a no-purchase rule? If I want to buy a book and use it to patch a hole in my roof, it’s no business of theirs. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/49 "2012-05-22T20:01:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Not a restaurant policy but there’s a local book store that has signs in its children’s section saying “These books are collectibles. They are not to be purchased for anyone under the age of 12.” > > Now these are just old books not priceless and unique works of arts. And I certainly can understand them forbidding young children from handling books in the store. But a no-purchase rule? If I want to buy a book and use it to patch a hole in my roof, it’s no business of theirs. I’ve never seen a sign like that, but I’m guessing it’s a recommendation, not a requirement. If you’re looking for a book for your child and you were looking there, you might be annoyed by how the books cost more than you were expecting, and maybe are more fragile if they’re supposed to be collectibles. You are free to buy one of the books for your kid, but if you’re looking for a book that’s not too expensive, that your kid would like, and that it wouldn’t be a big deal if juice was spilled on it, you should go to another book store and look in their children’s section. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/50 "2012-05-22T20:12:37Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Missed edit window: I’ve also noticed that establishments owned by immigrants tend to be a lot more strict with policies like this (especially not offering free refills), any idea why? I would bet it has to do with different cultural expectations where they come from. In Europe, you’re not likely to find free refills at restaurants. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/51 "2012-05-22T21:28:54Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > The restaurant business is one of the most competitive and cutthroat there is. There are always a huge number of alternatives to eating at any particular restaurant. The vast majority operate on razor-thin margins. Restaurants come and go out of business like clockwork. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That happened to me. I went to a restaurant by myself and they had a couple of empty tables. But those table were four-seaters. They told me I’d have to wait until a two-seat table opened up. > > Turns out a restaurant down the block was able to seat me right away. Yep, I can easily see how the policy of turning away paying customers is going to fatten up those margins. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/52 "2012-05-22T21:59:19Z")
That was some clever mixing and matching. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/53 "2012-05-22T22:27:22Z")
> [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](#): > > I also saw a pizza place with some promotion that offered a free topping if you bought a side dish or large drink or something like that, but excluded extra cheese from the free topping topping offer. If you price extra cheese the same as you price anny otehr topping, why would it be exculded here? > [@kayaker](#): > > Cost would be my guess. A pizza shop owner once told me that cheese was his biggest cost in sending a pizza out the door, and that the box was the next costliest component. Yup, cheese is frakkin’ expensive. But when priced as a regular topping (i.e. “extra cheese”) its margin is balanced out by the diced onions that are dirt cheap but cost _you_ the same as the extra cheese. Toppings are all priced the same because it would simply make the menu too complicated if each individual topping was priced according to its cost. But giving away the most expensive ingredient for free isn’t balanced by anything else. And that leads me to a stupid policy of one restaurant owner I worked for. It was a small diner, and the owner I originally worked for had turned the place into one of the most popular breakfast spots in town. Then she died, and her husband (who was not a restaurant person) sold the place. The new owner took over and soon discovered that, while regular pancake syrup came from our supplier in 1-gallon jugs, _sugar-free_ syrup came in small squeeze bottles and thus cost more. Solution? Charge everybody who asked for sugar-free syrup 10 cents extra. Oh yes, and while she was at it, give the customers their syrup (and ketchup, and steak sauce) in 2-ounce Solo cups instead of handing them the bottle, so that they don’t use too much. It probably never occurred to her that those Solo cups and their lids were costing her more than any “extra” syrup/sauce the customers would use if she just gave them the bottle. Amazingly, she’s still in business, but the place has never been as busy for her as it was for the previous owner. Same cooks (aside from me), same food, totally different level of service. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/54 "2012-05-22T22:31:33Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > I was at a restaurant last night (an old favourite that’s recently become much bigger) and was told that it was their policy to only serve tap water on the ground floor. If you were seated either in the basement or on the first floor, you only got bottled water. I was rather annoyed, but not enough to wait 20 minutes, move tables, and get my damn tap water. Total WAG, but that wasn’t Psycho Suzi’s in Minneapolis, was it? They do that and frankly are kind of rude. They refused to let us combine tables for a bachelorette party. There was no where else for us to go in the totally packed bar so we all sat separately. They also won’t make virgin drinks and don’t really have any options without alcohol. I was pretty crabby about the whole thing, being in my first trimester and pretty crabby about everything. ---
**Author:** ![woodrowjween](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aca169/32.png) [@woodrowjween](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodrowjween)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/55 "2012-05-23T01:26:50Z")
Pizza place in Atlanta. Asked for ID when I ordered a beer, fair enough. Brought it several minutes later. Waitress insisted that I now wear a wrist band even though not planning to order another. I’m over 50 by the way. Told her I am not wearing anything I don’t want to. Argued for 5 minutes. Finally had to play the religion card…Nazi’s forcing Jews to wear yellow stars of david. What are they thinking in this place? Afraid that roving bands of underage kids are not going to sneak a sip of my beer and make them lose their beer license? ---
**Author:** ![Bleach23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bleach23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bleach23)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/56 "2012-05-23T03:07:34Z")
I love BBQ and when I first moved to NC I went to a small family owner restaurant that came highly recommended. The owner was older and sat at the front register taking guest money. The restaurant is small, only open Monday through Friday 11-3 and closes for a month each summer for “vacation”. When I went up to pay I handed him my credit card and he said “we don’t take credit cards, you can just pay me next time you come in.” What? Someone so trusting (this was 2007). I asked him if he did that all the time and he said “yes” and “only a few people didn’t come back at some point to pay”. I guess he figured it was cheaper to give away a few meals than pay credit card processing fees. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/57 "2012-05-23T03:43:54Z")
There was a vegetarian Indian restaurant in the town I went to college that had gender-divided seating the first few years it was open. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/58 "2012-05-23T03:44:22Z")
> [@woodrowjween](#): > > Pizza place in Atlanta. Asked for ID when I ordered a beer, fair enough. Brought it several minutes later. Waitress insisted that I now wear a wrist band even though not planning to order another. I’m over 50 by the way. Told her I am not wearing anything I don’t want to. Argued for 5 minutes. Finally had to play the religion card…Nazi’s forcing Jews to wear yellow stars of david. What are they thinking in this place? Afraid that roving bands of underage kids are not going to sneak a sip of my beer and make them lose their beer license? As inconveniences go, this one’s trivial. Some restaurants and bars that serve alcohol require patrons to wear wristbands so the server/bartender/bouncer/whoever can tell quickly if the person is OK to be served/underage/a designated driver/whatever. It just saves everyone (including the customer) the hassle of being carded over and over, or a server making a mistake and serving someone they shouldn’t. That being said, the server should have respected your lack of desire to wear a wristband after the first beer. But by the same token, you were kind of disrespectful to her when you pulled the Nazi yellow star thing. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/59 "2012-05-23T04:04:40Z")
I don’t know that I’d call it a restaurant as there is no seating inside just a counter to order and pay, but Charlie’s original black pudding is the only place I have ever been to where the clerk seemed worried about selling me their food. I had to assure them I knew what I was buying first, as if I randomly walk into places and order random things. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/60 "2012-05-23T04:39:19Z")
I’m an American of Pakistani origin. A few years ago, I went into an Indian restaurant in an Atlanta suburb while on a business trip and ordered some chicken tikka masala. It is the least authentic thing on an Indian restaurant menu. Damned if the waiter didn’t refuse to take the order, and insisted that I order something authentically Indian. He starts talking to me in Hindi (I’m not exactly fluent) “That is a dish for American customers, sir.” “I am an American.” “No need to be too clever, sir.” “That’s what I want.” “It’s not a real Indian dish.” “I’m not a real Indian.” Manager comes over. I though, oh good, at least this will end this. No such luck. He tries to convince me to try something else as well. It was late, I was tired. I thought bugger it, and ordered something else, and asked for it to be prepared mild. What they brought me was inedibly spicy. To be fair, I am a disgrace to the race when it comes to eating spicy food, but damn it, I am the customer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696.md?page=4)