The TMI discount
Operations gurus say it’s important for restaurants to get credit for the extras they extend to customers. Otherwise, what’s the point of incurring the cost?
Yet an Asian restaurant in California went a little too far in reminding a recent party why a quarter of its charges were knocked off the bill. The customers likely didn’t need an explanation printed right on the tab that they qualified for a “seen rat” discount.
The patrons said they’d spotted a rodent scurrying around their feet at Fat’s Asia Bistro. Yet that didn’t prompt them to bolt. Instead, they were so touched by their discount—$30.95 off a $116.80 bill—that they told friends, one of whom asked to see the tab. She, in turn, posted it on Facebook, where it went viral.
One viewer alerted the health authorities serving Fat’s hometown of Folsom, Calif., who descended on the establishment to see if it had a rodent problem. They found no indications of rats, mice or other safety violations.