Comments on: A man walks into a bar…then pays what he wants

By: ilegirl

ilegirl — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:22:00 +0000

I think this might work in a number of US cities, depending upon just where in the city the restaurant was located – must be in a good neighborhood with crime levels typically lower than the seedier neighborhoods.

I doubt it would work in most suburbs. People are too busy with shuttling their children here and there, and I suspect would find the thought of having to decide what the food is worth … well, stressful.

By: ilegirl

ilegirl — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:22:00 +0000

By: Ritwik Banerjee

Ritwik Banerjee — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:30:00 +0000

There was such restaurant opened in New Delhi, India sometime in 2007. The last I heard, they were enjoying huge profits because almost every customer ended up paying more than what they should. I think the novelty factor together with a really good customer service team (waiters, waitresses, managers, etc.) make all the difference in such ventures.

By: Ritwik Banerjee

Ritwik Banerjee — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:30:00 +0000

By: Common Sense

Common Sense — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:02:00 +0000

Why do people tip? They don't have to and logically it makes sense to not bother as you have already received the service and can't be penalised for not tipping yet all but a sad minority tip at least ten percent.

By: Common Sense

Common Sense — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:02:00 +0000

In London Waterloo they had a problem with newspaper theft, people would not queue for 5 mins for a 50p paper so were stealing them. They put an honesty box next to the paper stand and thefts dropped dramatically. Despite what the Daily Mail tells us, most people in this country want to be honest. While there may be some people who will take the place for a ride, social norms will dictate that people pay what is due or maybe a little more.
Why do people tip? They don’t have to and logically it makes sense to not bother as you have already received the service and can’t be penalised for not tipping yet all but a sad minority tip at least ten percent.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:51:00 +0000

Actually, the owner of this restaurant is getting overpaid now he's launched this new tactic.

When I spoke to one of the waiters while visiting it myself,he told me that most people leave at least what the official pricelist used to be, so while there's a few taking advantage, even more people are overpaying, which averages out to even greater profits than before.

Mainly because the waiters actually have to work hard for their wage – sure, tips are usually optional in Britain anyway rather than being automatically added in, but think about it: if there is rubbish servicem, the customer wouldn't pay much, and the waiters couldn't even collect their regular wages either!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:51:00 +0000

Actually, the owner of this restaurant is getting overpaid now he’s launched this new tactic.

When I spoke to one of the waiters while visiting it myself,he told me that most people leave at least what the official pricelist used to be, so while there’s a few taking advantage, even more people are overpaying, which averages out to even greater profits than before.

Mainly because the waiters actually have to work hard for their wage – sure, tips are usually optional in Britain anyway rather than being automatically added in, but think about it: if there is rubbish servicem, the customer wouldn’t pay much, and the waiters couldn’t even collect their regular wages either!

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:40:00 +0000

Actually, there is such a place in Seattle. It's been around for a while. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstec...

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:34:00 +0000

This wouldn't work in small towns in the US because there's no market for high end food and drink there – and there are just as many lowlifes and bored teens (if not more per capita) in small towns as in the metropolis.

This is based on the premise that people in a place like this are hyper-conscious about not underpaying, and so will typically overpay. This will only work if the location and atmosphere attract the type of people whose perception of "fair market value" provides reasonable margins.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:34:00 +0000

This wouldn’t work in small towns in the US because there’s no market for high end food and drink there – and there are just as many lowlifes and bored teens (if not more per capita) in small towns as in the metropolis.
This is based on the premise that people in a place like this are hyper-conscious about not underpaying, and so will typically overpay. This will only work if the location and atmosphere attract the type of people whose perception of “fair market value” provides reasonable margins.

By: Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:50:00 +0000

HAHA, as said above this would never work in any major US citys.

Maybe in some small towns but never in big citys.

Although I like the idea, odds are I would overpay often just because I like it!