Restaurant sparks debate over controversial new €15 charge
Topics: Restaurants and bars
Rachael Davis
Featured Image Credit: SouthWorks/Getty Images
Topics: Restaurants and bars
Inflation has sent the cost of food in supermarkets and restaurants shooting up, and unfortunately it seems like we aren’t out of the woods yet.
When you dine out, it’s become common practice in the UK to for restaurants to include a standard gratuity to each bill, usually at around 12.5%. This rubs some diners up the wrong way, especially if they found the service lacking, but it’s become essential to ensuring costs are covered and profit can be made.
A restaurant in France has taken this practice a step further, and it’s ruffled a few berets to say the least.
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Restaurant L’îlot based in Amboise, France, is a small twenty-seat venue that’s started adding a hefty charge for booked seats left empty by missing diners. When people arrive with more people than expected, the charge applies to each additional person too.
A flat rate of €15 (£12.79) is applied to each offending person, either absent or additional, in a bid to protect the small eatery’s profits.
“From now on, if you do not show up for the number of guests you reserved, you will be charged €15 per missing or additional person,” said a post to Restaurant L’îlot’s Facebook page signed by the restaurant’s chef Olivier Vincent.
It’s also taped notice of the charge to its front window.
The move was taken after the owners grew frustrated with inaccurate reservations, per France Bleu’s conversation with chef Vincent.
“Everyone has their phone on them, 24/7, in their pocket, on their nose. If we are able to reserve, we are able to call to say if we will be less, or more, or that we are not coming,” he reportedly said in French.
The post has attracted over 300 comments at the time of writing, with many commenters saying the restaurant was taking a cold approach to customers’ reasons for becoming unavailable or joining the party at the last minute.
“Emergencies exist,” said one user, while others noted the ‘bad publicity’ the move had stirred. The former clearly wasn’t touched by Vincent’s comment around people having the means to call ahead when plans change, while the latter missed the memo around there being no such thing as ‘bad publicity’.
“A bit of a limiting business practice if there are only one or two people missing from a large table,” said another who hadn’t noted that the restaurant only has 20 seats.
“Even if abuses exist, you are going a bit far,” chimed another. “Imagine an on-call doctor who can’t join their family for dinner, or someone who has a family emergency.”
Other commenters took the restaurant’s side, however.
“For a small establishment, every table matters,” said one.
Another added: “Everyone should take responsibility. It’s called respect.”
FOODBible has approached Restaurant L’îlot for comment.