JEDDAH, 26 July 2007 — Restaurants lovers are complaining that they are forced to change their plans from simply having coffee to having dinner because the restaurant imposes a minimum charge on its customers. As they order dessert or coffee, the waiter reminds them that there is a minimum charge per person.
“It has become a trend now that many restaurants set minimum charges on customers,” said Jeddah resident Nuha Al-Amri said. “I went lately to my favorite café at night and ordered ice cream, which is the thing for which it is well known. The waiter told me that they have a minimum charge of SR75. Why would I pay SR75 for having a sweet tooth and craving ice cream?”
Restaurants owners think that this is a way to choose customers. “Through a minimum charge we select our ideal audience,” said Saeed Baaghil, brainchild and founder of Pearls Café, a popular hangout in Jeddah, which charged a SR150 minimum after 9 p.m. for seating in the family section.
“We target the elite and that is how the prices are set. We try to keep it exclusive and we are doing pretty well with that.”
But even some places known for their casual atmosphere where one can sit for a long time sipping coffee have started to impose minimum charges for this privilege.
“We used to find that policy only in fancy restaurants,” said Jeddah resident Samir Ahmed, 31. “But now it has become a trend and I don’t see why would a coffee shop or a casual restaurant should have minimum charges.”
Suzan Al-Saleh, 24, said that the only thing that is worth paying a minimum charge for is delivery.
“If these restaurants set minimum charge limits per person they should offer something extra,” she said. “Abroad, they offer music bands or other types of shows with the food. But here if they only offer food why should we pay more for less?”
Ziad Al-Afeef, manager of Le Café Restaurant at La Promonade 2 in Tahlia St., said that the restaurant offers minimum charge of SR80 after 8 p.m. for first-time customers, but drops the charge for regulars.
“When the customers frequently visits us we remove the minimum charge as a complementary for them since we remember their faces and know they are loyal customers,” he said.
La Promenade 2 restaurant offers both options to the customers. There is an area where customers can either have a dinner or coffee only with no minimum charge. The other lounge, which is the newest expansion for the restaurant, imposes a SR80 minimum charge.
Al-Afeef says that part of the reason for the charge is to shoo away youngsters who are on clandestine dates. Dating is illegal in Saudi Arabia (the unsupervised mixing of genders at any age), but many younger Saudis go around these restrictions by meeting in “family sections” of establishments.
“My concern is not to bring the upper class to the restaurant. My concern is the attitude of the customers. I don’t want to have a teenager, who usually afford to pay for drinks only, in the restaurant coming with his girlfriend and sitting inappropriately.”
He also said his establishment was becoming a hangout for young people who would order the minimum, like a sheesha and a tea, and sit for hours with their friends.
“We aim to keep the good reputation of the restaurant and target the class of people with a good attitude who would not be annoyed of the inconvenient presence of other customers,” said Al-Afeef. “The minimum charges are reasonable and suits the prices of each meal. If two people ordered two main dishes, two drinks and shared a salad and a dessert, they will end up with almost SR160, just like the minimum charge.”
