Restaurants $50 Minimum Charge

Caesar salad. Did that Roman emperor really eat this salad? Photo credit: online pic.

Restaurants are fed up. They are considering a minimum charge of $50 to get a table. They are tired of losing money because we order green salad and water, and call it ‘eating out.’

Eating is a contact sport. Teeth must come into contact with something, not just two sticks of asparagus. We might think teeth are the major player but they are not. Taste buds stand up straight like a man happy to see his girlfriend.

They send messages to the brain that the food is well travelled (in the pot, grill or oven). Diners' faces lit up. Servers smile in anticipation of a constructive tip, and restaurant owners are relieved they will be able to pay the rent and the city levy.

Tired of chicken? Try salmon, it's cheaper than a T-bone steak.

Restaurants are serious about charging the $50 minimum levy because they cannot go on like this, people eating green or Caesar salad for three hours. Other diners have no shame. They ask for an empty plate so that they can share.

Logistics. How do they advertise the $50? Online of course or at the entrance, if it is a walk-in restaurant that doesn’t need prior booking. Restaurants can also give diners a seat, the server takes the order, calculates the amount on his tablet, then break the news.

There are two seating areas. One is the main restaurant overlooking a park, the ocean or mall level full of shoppers. Under $50 diners occupy the charging station, a long built-in table against a wall, facing the garbage area.

Restaurants say they mean business. It’s the only way to preserve their business. 

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.