# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/141 "2012-05-24T17:04:08Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That never actually happens in Georgia restaurants. Ever. > > If you order a Coke in Georgia, you get a Coca-Cola. If they don’t have it, they’ll ask you if Pepsi is okay. DEFINITLY NOT my experience. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/142 "2012-05-24T17:07:30Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > I read this entire thread and have been racking my brain to think of whether or not I receive coin change from restaurants. I mentally went through the paying the check process and realized that when I pay cash, I don’t request the coins back. If the bill is $20.43 I will either give them $25 dollars or if I don’t have the exact paper money, I will round the amount up and ask for a specific dollar amount back. “Here’s $30.00, please bring me a five back” I would never say bring me $5.57 back. That would be odd. > > I thought most people who paid cash did this. I’ve always been told that it’s rude to tip servers in change (who wants to carry around all that coinage?), so in the situation you describe I would leave with the $0.57 in my pocket, but with a $5 or $6 tip on the table. I’m thinking this might not be regional - so far no one has mentioned a region any of this happens in. ETA: It also would make me think the restaurant was keeping the change instead of the server, since people who have worked as waitstaff in the past have told me they don’t like getting coins as part of their tip. But my experience may be unusual. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/143 "2012-05-24T17:09:30Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > I read this entire thread and have been racking my brain to think of whether or not I receive coin change from restaurants. I mentally went through the paying the check process and realized that when I pay cash, I don’t request the coins back. If the bill is $20.43 I will either give them $25 dollars or if I don’t have the exact paper money, I will round the amount up and ask for a specific dollar amount back. “Here’s $30.00, please bring me a five back” I would never say bring me $5.57 back. That would be odd. > > I thought most people who paid cash did this. It would be odd, but I don’t think most people tell the waitstaff what to bring back. You pay the bill, they bring the change, you leave the tip…isn’t that what most people do? I use a credit card 99% of the time, so it doesn’t matter to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/144 "2012-05-24T17:24:03Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > Some require that you leave a credit card number as a deposit. If you keep the reservation, nothing happens. If you don’t, they charge a nominal fee to that card. This tends to keep potential losses due to no-shows to a minimum. I know of at least one local restaurant that does that during homecoming, prom and graduation seasons. They only take reservations at those times, and they don’t want a book full of reservations made by kids who may or may not have any intention of keeping them. So the restaurant requires that a parent (or someone over 18 with a credit card) make the reservation and guarantee it with a credit card. If the kids are a no-show, the card gets charged. If the kids can’t afford their meal, the card gets charged. The restaurant, therefore, has minimized its losses from kids who don’t show up, or who order meals without sufficient means to pay for them. It’s strict, but it works for them. I vaguely remember seeing an article saying that even the nominal charge for no-shows isn’t enough, that some people book tables at multiple high-end restaurants for the same night but only go to one, and just pay the nominal no-show fee at the rest of them. So the idea of paying a “ticket” for dinner seems like a good one, particularly for the sorts of places that are booked months in advance. ---
**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 24, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/145 "2012-05-24T17:31:34Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Just in case you’re not joking, it was in _Five Easy Pieces_. Post No. 99 linked to the scene. No, I wasn’t joking. And I remember it being Jack Nicholson…thanks! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/146 "2012-05-24T18:03:45Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > A friend told me that on Monday one of her coworkers baked a chocolate cake and brought it in for everyone to share. Their boss took three pieces to bring home to his family. > > Some people are really clueless. Did anyone that wanted cake not get a piece? Whenever there is cake around my office, there is always a crapload leftover. ---
**Author:** ![Sacrilegium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@Sacrilegium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sacrilegium)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/147 "2012-05-24T18:09:16Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Then we got a free round of drinks “because they spilt the water”. Then we got free dessert “because they spilt the water”. Then at the end of the meal they presented me with a beautiful floral bouquet “because they spilt the water”. And that last one is absolutely true although it sounds made up…I was getting concerned that the waiter was going to run himself through with a sword by way of apology before the night was over. Was it this restaurant, by chance? [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdzqTGmEcZE](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdzqTGmEcZE) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/148 "2012-05-24T18:09:42Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Did anyone that wanted cake not get a piece? Whenever there is cake around my office, there is always a crapload leftover. I honestly don’t know. I was picturing a round cake which gives you, what, 8-16 pieces? But maybe it was a sheet cake. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/149 "2012-05-24T18:13:11Z")
A neighborhood Thai place we used to go to a lot in Chicago had some really great specials when you ordered delivery from them. Usually free soda or an appetizer of some sort if you spent at least $12. The place was literally around the corner from our apartment and we’d call in for pick-up a lot. When we tried to get the freebies w/ our pick-up order, they refused and said it was for delivery orders only. I tried to explain that we were making things easier on them but they wouldn’t budge. I’m sure there must be some reasoning behind the rule, probably to do with the delivery fee or keeping their drivers busy, but it still seemed pretty odd. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/150 "2012-05-24T18:19:55Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > > [@Bob Ducca](#): > > > > Did anyone that wanted cake not get a piece? Whenever there is cake around my office, there is always a crapload leftover. > > I honestly don’t know. I was picturing a round cake which gives you, what, 8-16 pieces? But maybe it was a sheet cake. Either way, if someone brings in something, it should be up to them to decide what to do with the leftovers. ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/151 "2012-05-24T18:31:41Z")
And there was me thinking it was weird that we were asked to move to another table because a big group might come in and it was easier for them to join the table we were at to another. ---
**Author:** ![bmasters1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5e925/32.png) [@bmasters1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmasters1)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/152 "2012-05-24T19:09:53Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I went to Coyote Ugly in San Antonio and there was a sign stating something like “This is not a free show” and that you had to be drinking **alcoholic** beverages in order to be in there. Apparently if you asked for “water” the servers would spray you with the water tap-hose thingy. > > (Badly sunburned and dehydrated me ended up puking into a garbage can up the street after 2 vodka & cranberries, but that was my own stupid fault.) You had to be drinking **booze** to be in a Coyote Ugly?! How utterly stupid! (Not you, the restaurant.) ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/153 "2012-05-24T19:40:03Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > People always say this about the South. But in 30 years of living down here, I’ve never encountered this one time. If I say “coke” I get coke. I’ve lived down here 10 years longer than you, and have had the same experience. I ask for Coke, I get Coke, or they ask if Pepsi is okay. They don’t ask if I want “regular” Coke; if I wanted Diet I’d say so. The Mister and I eat when the old people do (4:00 or so), we’re early birds so we never have to wait. I’d never sit for over 30 minutes waiting for a table. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/154 "2012-05-24T20:15:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I vaguely remember seeing an article saying that even the nominal charge for no-shows isn’t enough, that some people book tables at multiple high-end restaurants for the same night but only go to one, and just pay the nominal no-show fee at the rest of them. So the idea of paying a “ticket” for dinner seems like a good one, particularly for the sorts of places that are booked months in advance. I’m not arguing the ticket vs. nominal charge thing. I’m not in the restaurant business and don’t have a dog in the fight. In my town, the “good” restaurants tend to take reservations only on the aforementioned weekends, and a few also do it on other holidays, like Mother’s Day. The credit card is generally sufficient to make sure people show up, especially teenagers. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/155 "2012-05-24T22:05:06Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I went to Coyote Ugly in San Antonio and there was a sign stating something like “This is not a free show” and that you had to be drinking **alcoholic** beverages in order to be in there. Apparently if you asked for “water” the servers would spray you with the water tap-hose thingy. > > (Badly sunburned and dehydrated me ended up puking into a garbage can up the street after 2 vodka & cranberries, but that was my own stupid fault.) Have you ever _seen_ the movie _Coyote Ugly_? ---
**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 24, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/156 "2012-05-24T22:29:06Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > They also may have purchased food based on the number of reservations, and if more than a few reserved tables don’t show, they end up potentially having to throw food out. This is why, in the convention/catering business, there is a deadline for groups to “guarantee” how many people will be attending the event. In the case of my place of employment, most events are booked months in advance, and the group’s “leader” provides an estimate on the number of attendees. As the day of the event approaches, they are expected to provide an actual expected headcount no later than, I think, three days before the event. They are charged for that number of attendees even if only half actually show up. Unlike a restaurant, which keeps a stock of everything it needs to prepare everything on the menu (and if there’s too much, it will likely get used eventually), _we_ order specific stock to prepare a specific menu for a specific number of people. And that stock needs to be purchased a day or two in advance, obviously. So if you, at the deadline, say “300 people”, we’re going to purchase enough stock to feed 300 people, and you’re going to pay for 300 people. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/157 "2012-05-24T22:37:20Z")
One sports bar I go to has a great spinach dip that is served with tortilla chips (ordinary store bought chips) and a so-so salsa dip with homemade potato chips. I’ve asked for the spinach dip and the homemade potato chips together and offered to pay an upcharge, but the answer is no. Just no. I still go because my son-in-law’s band plays there but I eat before I go. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/158 "2012-05-24T22:38:13Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > DEFINITLY NOT my experience. Sorry, but your memory is playing tricks on you. Either that, or you had some misunderstandings. I’ve shown your post to over 20 Georgians, including 2 couples from Albany, and they all wanted to know what in the hell you were talking about. Not only had none of those people had that experience, they didn’t even understand what on earth “What kind of Coke do you want?” was even supposed to mean. ---
**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 24, 2012, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/159 "2012-05-24T22:54:59Z")
> [@Cub\_Mistress](#): > > One sports bar I go to has a great spinach dip that is served with tortilla chips (ordinary store bought chips) and a so-so salsa dip with homemade potato chips. 😕 Spinach dip with the corn chips … salsa with potato chips. Allrighty then. Suggested name for said sports bar: “Own Goal” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696/160 "2012-05-24T23:29:28Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > I’ve always been told that it’s rude to tip servers in change (who wants to carry around all that coinage?), so in the situation you describe I would leave with the $0.57 in my pocket, but with a $5 or $6 tip on the table. > > I’m thinking this might not be regional - so far no one has mentioned a region any of this happens in. > ETA: It also would make me think the restaurant was keeping the change instead of the server, since people who have worked as waitstaff in the past have told me they don’t like getting coins as part of their tip. But my experience may be unusual. It usually doesn’t work that way. I think it is more of a hassle to have the server give you back the .57 as they have to keep the change in their pocket. Most times servers have a “bank” and they settle out at the end of the night and keep what is left after they pay the restaurant. Therefore the restaurant can’t keep the change because the only coins they are given is the amount the server owes for the total of the night’s tickets. Maybe some run to and from the till like at Denny’s but I believe other sit down restaurants where you pay the server directly work that way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-restaurant-policies/622696.md?page=9)