French cafe fed up with rushed customers begins charging more for rudeness

News Limited
December 12, 2013

A FRENCH café fed up with rude customers has started charging people more if they forget to say please.
The owners of Petite Syrah café in Nice have introduced a new pricing system to bring back basic politeness.
A coffee costs 7 euros ($10.56), while a ‘coffee please’ costs 4.25 euros ($6.40). However, greeting the barista with a friendly “Hello, a coffee please” and you’ll pay just 1.40 euros (2.11).
“It started as a joke because at lunchtime people would come in very stressed and were sometimes rude to us when they ordered a coffee,” Petite Syrah manager Fabrice Pepino told The Local.
“It’s our way of saying “keep calm and carry on’. I know people say that French service can be rude but it’s also true that customers can be rude when they’re busy.”
Mr Pepino admits he doesn’t actually enforce the higher prices for rudeness, but says the pricing scheme has helped improve the atmosphere in the café and is a hit with customers.
“People are more relaxed now, and they’re smiling more. That’s the most important thing.”