split plate fee? wtf?

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
More to this story than meets the eye.

LMG, you were being cheap, so you took your date to a mexican restaraunt, but came with little money. You ordered the big man Taquitos, then split it up.

Those seats should bring in a certain dollar per hour. If you wasted their time, and made them work for you, then made them make much less money than they are entitled to, then you should pay. Some restaraunts would kick you out for that.

Quit biching, you cheap ass!

Usually, when dad steps in and tells it like it is, these threads tend to die. 😉

What if he was drinking alcohol?

I many times go into a restaurant to get a small amount of good, and a good amount of booze.
I know when I'm drinking alcohol the restaurant is making more off of me than any other patron in the place. I wouldn't be too happy if they charged me an extra 3 bucks for an appetizer while I'm sitting there guzzling 5-10 dollar drinks.
On top of the fact that it's an appetizer, which is supposed to be shared.

If he just ordered one appetizer and sat around for a hour or two, then I can see why they would charge him that extra 3 bucks.

 

[TommyVercetti]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
More to this story than meets the eye.

LMG, you were being cheap, so you took your date to a mexican restaraunt, but came with little money. You ordered the big man Taquitos, then split it up.

Those seats should bring in a certain dollar per hour. If you wasted their time, and made them work for you, then made them make much less money than they are entitled to, then you should pay. Some restaraunts would kick you out for that.

Quit biching, you cheap ass!

Usually, when dad steps in and tells it like it is, these threads tend to die. 😉

You make no sense. How are you wasting their time? Are people who go in just to eat cheap items also wasting their time? Shouldn't they be charged a fee too? What about people who order water, they are also wasting their time. Also, what about people who send their plate back because they didn't like the food. Isn't that wasting the time too? So, just for splitting a plate, there is a fee, but not for any other thing.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: jteef
quit being so cheap!

every restaurant i've been to that isn't fast food has this policy

Cheap? They charge you 3 bucks just to put one meal on two plates, that's ridiculous!!!

 

[exar333]

i could see it for entrees or the like....but isnt the idea of an appetizer that you often share it because you dont want a lot of food....or you eat it b4 your full meal? sounds stupid to me...

 

[Ikonomi]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
Well, I've never been to a restaurant with that policy. Honestly, I can understand it for a meal, but for appetizers that's just stupid. Don't people usually share those anyway??

As another has stated, the restaurant expects a certain sale/seat.
Appetizers do not heavily add to the bottom line. some more of a come on in type loss leader.
Being cheap and ordering just the appetizer and no entry, then sharing the app is being very cheap.
Also, no way to impress/treat a lady. Look up the old Helen Reddy song on this.
Next time just order it to go.

The way I read the OP is that they both ordered entrees after the shared appetizer...

I thought that's what happened too... Perhaps I'll re-read in case I was wrong. 😛

Edit: I think I just assumed.

 

[dolph]

Originally posted by: TommyVercetti
Why would they charge a split plate fee on appetizers? Appetizers are usually shared by the whole table.

that's a really good point.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Dissipate
Restaurants are a rip off. They overcharge.

Well really, they have to. Since we don't use the gold standard anymore, they have no idea how much the money you pay them with will be worth tomorrow. In fact, you don't even pay them with money, you pay them with pieces of paper (it's more like cloth than paper, really) that have arbitrarily assigned values. So what are you complaining about, they give you food in exchange for paper.

Restaurants don't overcharge, they charge what people are willing to pay for their SERVICE.

 

[Murphyrulez]

Originally posted by: Ikonomi


Edit: I think I just assumed.

He said his meal was $6.50 plus tax. I'd say he didn't order any entree.

Also if I am sitting with someone at a table, but not ordering any food, how can I be wasting the restaurants time or space? They can't expect a certain $ per seat. If I was there alone, would they seat another person at my table with me? No. There would be 3 empty chairs.

 

[DaiShan]

Originally posted by: jteef
quit being so cheap!

every restaurant i've been to that isn't fast food has this policy

Pay an extra fee to split a plate of appetizers? I've never had to pay extra to split a plate of appetizers, I *think* I've seen a split plate fee for a regular meal one time at a crappy restaurant like fridays or something like that, but if you dine at nice restaurants there is no such thing (of course most people don't split a plate there, but still)

 

[DaiShan]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1
More to this story than meets the eye.

LMG, you were being cheap, so you took your date to a mexican restaraunt, but came with little money. You ordered the big man Taquitos, then split it up.

Those seats should bring in a certain dollar per hour. If you wasted their time, and made them work for you, then made them make much less money than they are entitled to, then you should pay. Some restaraunts would kick you out for that.

Quit biching, you cheap ass!

Usually, when dad steps in and tells it like it is, these threads tend to die. 😉

I don't think that I'd like to eat at a place that thinks of its customers as cattle that need to be herded out. If I'm enjoying the company and want to spend 4 hours there, I will.

 

[Wuffsunie]

That's messed up. I know of no restaurant here that does that, thankfully. Heck, I haven't heard of that before. Well, not on appetizers. On entrees, yes, that I've heard of, but not appetizers. Cheap ass restaurant.

From the look of the original OP's post, all they ordered was the appetizer, no entrees at all. Looks like the resturant was upset at them for not spending more and tried to gouge them for it.

As for those crying over the restaurant's bottom line, so what? They offer appetizers alone without stipulation that an entree must be ordered as well. They should thus be perfectly willing to eat any losses that such a practice may incur. Murphyrulez said it best with his seating example. Restaurants shouldn't be able to try and make up for you not living up to their bottom line expectations.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: EagleKeeper

Originally posted by: Ikonomi
Well, I've never been to a restaurant with that policy. Honestly, I can understand it for a meal, but for appetizers that's just stupid. Don't people usually share those anyway??

As another has stated, the restaurant expects a certain sale/seat.
Appetizers do not heavily add to the bottom line. some more of a come on in type loss leader.
Being cheap and ordering just the appetizer and no entry, then sharing the app is being very cheap.
Also, no way to impress/treat a lady. Look up the old Helen Reddy song on this.
Next time just order it to go.

The way I read the OP is that they both ordered entrees after the shared appetizer...

Correct - missed the meal after getting involved with the rant.

Given a review, the complaint by the OP should stand - Correcting my post above

 

[Zenmervolt]

Every nice restaurant I've been to has a split plate charge. for entres. Some have a smaller split plate charge for splitting something like a sandwich as opposed to a full dinner, but I've never been to one that charged for splitting an appatizer as long as entres were ordered subsequent to the appetizer.

ZV

 

[CountZero]

Charging a fee to split a plate of anything (assuming the wait person doesn't have to split the plate themselves) is absurd. If they want to sell a plate of taquitos for 6.50 then thats what it costs, whether one person eats it or 20.

Of course the simple solution is to not go back.

 

[Ness]

Originally posted by: CountZero
Charging a fee to split a plate of anything (assuming the wait person doesn't have to split the plate themselves) is absurd. If they want to sell a plate of taquitos for 6.50 then thats what it costs, whether one person eats it or 20.

Of course the simple solution is to not go back.

No doubt. If anyone charged me a fee like this, I would tell them to take it off, or I'm not paying the bill.

If I'm going to be paying for food between a few people, I'm sure as hell not paying a fee to eat it however the fvck we want.

If it's not profitable for them then that's too bad, that's the cost of doing business. It's not my fault you priced your menu poorly to try and increase sales and it backfired on you.

 

[Dissipate]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Dissipate
Restaurants are a rip off. They overcharge.

Well really, they have to. Since we don't use the gold standard anymore, they have no idea how much the money you pay them with will be worth tomorrow. In fact, you don't even pay them with money, you pay them with pieces of paper (it's more like cloth than paper, really) that have arbitrarily assigned values. So what are you complaining about, they give you food in exchange for paper.

Restaurants don't overcharge, they charge what people are willing to pay for their SERVICE.

I know a restaurant that takes e-gold, and I just pay them with my wi-fi enabled PDA. I don't know what you are talking about. 😛

 

[LuNoTiCK]

I've seen that before.

 

[Templeton]

Originally posted by: Ness

Originally posted by: CountZero
Charging a fee to split a plate of anything (assuming the wait person doesn't have to split the plate themselves) is absurd. If they want to sell a plate of taquitos for 6.50 then thats what it costs, whether one person eats it or 20.

Of course the simple solution is to not go back.

No doubt. If anyone charged me a fee like this, I would tell them to take it off, or I'm not paying the bill.

If I'm going to be paying for food between a few people, I'm sure as hell not paying a fee to eat it however the fvck we want.

If it's not profitable for them then that's too bad, that's the cost of doing business. It's not my fault you priced your menu poorly to try and increase sales and it backfired on you.

The fee was disclosed on the menu, you'd have absolutely no right to tell them to take it off. They didn't price the menu unreasonable at all, the split plate charge is on the menu. You are not paying for the food, you are paying for the food, the environment, and the service. If all you want is food, then get takeout.

The fact of the matter is, that if before you were seated you told the host at a busy restaurant that all you planned on ordering was an appetizer between 2 people, they probably wouldn't seat you. If you both ordered entrees and split an appetizer, then the fee would be unreasonable, but just splitting an appetizer warrents a fee.

 

[da loser]

i've never seen this before. as a family, we've always shared from one another's items.

are these chain restaurants or local?

 

[Ness]

Originally posted by: Templeton

Originally posted by: Ness

Originally posted by: CountZero
Charging a fee to split a plate of anything (assuming the wait person doesn't have to split the plate themselves) is absurd. If they want to sell a plate of taquitos for 6.50 then thats what it costs, whether one person eats it or 20.

Of course the simple solution is to not go back.

No doubt. If anyone charged me a fee like this, I would tell them to take it off, or I'm not paying the bill.

If I'm going to be paying for food between a few people, I'm sure as hell not paying a fee to eat it however the fvck we want.

If it's not profitable for them then that's too bad, that's the cost of doing business. It's not my fault you priced your menu poorly to try and increase sales and it backfired on you.

The fee was disclosed on the menu, you'd have absolutely no right to tell them to take it off. They didn't price the menu unreasonable at all, the split plate charge is on the menu. You are not paying for the food, you are paying for the food, the environment, and the service. If all you want is food, then get takeout.

The fact of the matter is, that if before you were seated you told the host at a busy restaurant that all you planned on ordering was an appetizer between 2 people, they probably wouldn't seat you. If you both ordered entrees and split an appetizer, then the fee would be unreasonable, but just splitting an appetizer warrents a fee.

Yes, I realize that I am paying for the service, environment AND the food, but that should be factored in to the price. I'm sorry, but a menu to me is not a means for passing off a disclaimer. By reading a menu, you aren't required to pay jack squatt. Just like when gratuity is automatically added in to parties of 8 or more... I don't care how many people are in my party, if I get piss-poor service and they try to stick me with their 20% tip... I'll tell them to remove it or I'm not paying.

I would happily walk into a restaurant at the peak dinner hour and tell them I will just be getting an appetizer. I've gone to places before when I haven't been too hungry... I see no problem with that.
Around here, any guest is a customer, no matter what they order.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: ZePHyRaNTHeS
I think it's weird that you got charged a split plate fee for an appetizer. I can understand for a regular entree but don't people usually share appetizers?

Yes but they usually get an appetizer plus entrees

Semidevil and date split just an appetizer, no entrees and apperntly no drinks ("$6.50 total bill") while loading up on free chips and salsa and drinking water.

Charging $3 should help the restuarant recover the cost of the chips, salsa, dishes, service that the one cheap appetizer won't cover. Seems reasonable to me.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: Semidevil
so me and my gf went to a mexican restaurent today, and ordered 1 appetitizer.....

The meal was 6.50 + tax, but the way the restaurent works, is that if you split a meal between 2 people, they have a "split plate fee" of 3 dollars.......so my total price for one apetitizer was about 10 dollars(and it was for some taquitos).

now, this is definatly a first for me......................................I've never seen this at other restaurents......is it normal??

Stop being so cheap. A resturaunt is a business and they have tables available to make money. Why would they want to seat you if your gonna split an appetizer with your girlfriend....not even an entree, AN Appetizer. They have those fee's in place so they wont lose as much money when they give up a table on your cheap a$ses. You should have went to Taco Bell.

 

[TechnoKid]

I guess since that the appetizer was an unlimited type of chip and salsa type of thing, $3 isn't too unreasonable, but say if it was like a "set" 6-8 pc chicken strips, and they charged you $3 extra to split it between two people, that is rediculous.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

If they charge a split plate fee, tell them you will pay the normal price or you won't pay at all. They can print something in the menu, but they can't charge you for a fee with out upfront telling you. It is a strong arm tactic and exstortion.
That's like buying a car, and the dealer saying, well if someone else is going to drive it on occassion we are going to charge you more.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
If they charge a split plate fee, tell them you will pay the normal price or you won't pay at all. They can print something in the menu, but they can't charge you for a fee with out upfront telling you. It is a strong arm tactic and exstortion.
That's like buying a car, and the dealer saying, well if someone else is going to drive it on occassion we are going to charge you more.

Isn't the menu where you would expect to be told prices and fees? It's up to you to RTFM before you order, not whine later "I wanted lobster for $2 not the $20 on your menu!"