Episode 49: Messy Messy Messy: Upchuck Bucks and Parental Penalties, Restaurants are serving up Extra Fees for Bad Behavior
Restaurants are not having it! In recent days, several articles have come out about extra fees some restaurants have started charging for bad behavior.
Many of us DINKs and SINKs out here love brunch, and a brunch with bottomless mimosas (or Bellinis for me) its always a good time. But what if you have one or two too many and can’t keep your avocado toast down. The next thing you know, you’ve been slapped with a vomit fee. Yep you heard that right, Kitchen Story in California has a message for you overindulgers: Dear all mimosa lovers, please drink responsibly and know your limits. Apparently the vomit accidents were happening so much they put a sign in the restroom that reads: A $50 cleaning fee will be automatically added in your tab when you throw up in our public areas. Whaaat!
Have you been a victim of boozy brunch binging? Vomited in the bathroom of the restaurant? Is it ethical for the restaurant to charge such a fee?
Here’s what I think - I'm on the side of the restaurant in this debate. If someone has to clean up after you when you've been irresponsible, it’s only fair that you should have to pay for the mess you've made. This is where adulting gets real, where you learn there are consequences to your actions.
I mean, it's not like you're a child sipping mimosas with your parents, still learning the ropes of holding your liquor. There's no Abdullah teaching Charlene the art of responsible drinking, That’s from Claudine, IYKYK. When it comes to being an adult, you're expected to make sensible choices, especially when it comes to alcohol.
It’s crazy how some overindulgers don’t care, embracing the spirit of limitless indulgence, only to find themselves in a literal mess. It's as if they believe they're immune to the consequences of having a few too many. But the reality is that we're all accountable for our behavior, and that includes managing our alcohol intake in a responsible manner.
Since adding the fee, no one has thrown up at Kitchen Story…. So I guess it’s working. The restaurant's decision to impose a cleaning fee on upchucking patrons is not only fair but also a lesson in maturity and accountability. I always say when you hit people in the pocket they learn quick. I wonder if other restaurants will follow suit. Restaurants in New York will make a fortune on this type of fee. We’ve all seen the drunk girls stumbling around post brunch, you know who you are.
Now we move on to Toccoa Restaurant in Georgia… they have a bad parenting fee! This fee is clearly at the discretion of the management because it’s listed on the menu as Adult Surcharge for adults who can’t parent, but there’s no price actually attached to it. What defines bad parenting? Noisy kids, messy kids, rambunctious kids? You know you can’t win going against with parental mafia. Some say they should just say no kids, well remember the restaurant in New Jersey I talked about in episode 46 who restricted kids under 10, they received backlash for their restriction. One diner at Toccoa said they received a $50 Adult Surcharge. They claim their kids watched their tablet until the food came, ate their dinner and waited with mom outside while Dad paid the bill. This sounds like romanticized parenting. I bet if you spoke to other diners, they would have a different story. There’s a reason those kids went outside with mom while you paid the bill….. something I’m sure you purposely omitted. Parents swear their kids don’t act crazy in public…where are the parents who tell the truth about the behavior we all witness in Target, at restaurants, on the drop off/pick up line as I drive past the elementary school. Again, I’m siding with the restaurant on this one. First, restaurants are businesses aiming to create a pleasant dining experience for all their patrons so it’s not unreasonable for them to want to maintain a certain level of decorum in their establishment. When kids are disruptive, whether through excessive noise, messiness, or unruly behavior, it can disturb the experience for other diners and if they don’t return it could be a loss in revenue for the restaurant and the kids menu won’t make up the difference.
There has to be accountability when your behavior or the behavior of those in your care disrupt the experience for those around you. Whether that is the wait staff, the cleaning staff or other diners. Of course this should be within reason, I don’t think you should be charging folk for normal, albeit annoying behavior. However, if you throw up in the restroom, making it unusable for others or your kid is running around and you’re acting oblivious or down right ignoring it, fee assessed. Like I said earlier, when you hit people in the pocket, they learn.
Some people are out there like, Tamiko, you’re always attacking parents. Well, first, I don’t care what you think, second, this episode proves I’m spreading it around.
How do you feel about these fees? Are these restaurants justified with this practice? Would these fees deter you from going to a restaurant?