Waiters in France now has power to charge customers more or less depending on how polite they are.
File: Waiter
Waiting-on is considered a profession worthy of respect in France,
so the policy of charging rude customers extra is reportedly becoming
more widespread in the country.
In 2013, La Petite Syrah in Nice became so fed up of rude customers
it began penalising them. If waiters were asked for “a coffee” they
charged 7€ (£4.90). Ask for “a coffee, please” and the price was dropped
to 4.25€ (£3.60).
The winning formula, though, was to say “Bonjour [‘hello’], a
coffee please”, which would cost you the typical price of 1.40€ (£1.20).
Manager Fabrice Pepino told The Local at the time: “It started
as a joke because at lunchtime people would come in very stressed and
were sometimes rude to use when they ordered a coffee.”
Meanwhile at L’Hamburgé in Grenoble, southeastern France, three
prices are advertised for one coffee, using the same conditions as La
Petite Syrah.
The Times (£)reports that critics believe the policy is often just
used as an excuse to charge tourists more – with holidaymakers charged
far less than regulars.
However, the policy is not completely far from the Pret A Manger
one which allows staff to give out free hot drinks and food to customers
they like or find attractive.
Adam Garah, owner of L’Hamburgé, said the idea was a joke and that
some customers had become “excessively polite” in the hope of getting a
free coffee.
