Certain eateries within California have begun charging an additional cost to those who spit in the public space after having consumed more than a few mimosas at brunch. Breakfast.
The restaurant that is located on the streets of San Francisco was the first to inform customers of the cleaning fees by posting an announcement inside the bathrooms, according to a report on SFGate. In the message, the popular brunch place that serves an unlimited mimosa for 60 minutes – urged customers to drink responsibly before explaining the guidelines they must adhere to if they don’t wish to be charged a fee.
“Dear all mimosa lovers,” the sign says. “Please be responsible and know your limits. The cleaning fee of $50 will automatically be added to your tap if you drink the trash around in one of our areas. Thank you so much for understanding.”
In an interview with SFGate, Kitchen Story owner Steven Choi specified that the sign had been on the premises for more than two years because staff members had spent many hours cleaning the vomit of customers.
“This was still during the pandemic and it became a very sensitive issue for customers and staff having to clean up,” he explained. “But this isn’t a unique situation. It’s meant to make customers think about others.”
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Chaiporn Kitsadaviseksak, Kitchen Story’s co-owner, said that the sign was able to prevent people from becoming sick in the public areas of the restaurant. While he can’t remember the last time a customer was charged a cleanup cost, there were numerous instances of people vomiting before the sign was put up.
“People were afraid of Covid. It was happening frequently. My employees don’t want to do this,” he said. “It has improved. Customers now know that they must pay. They are aware.”
Another restaurant located in San Francisco, Home Plate, has a sign similar to that of Kitchen Story and warns patrons about the cost of cleaning when they vomit. The wall of the restaurant said: “Please Drink Responsibly. $50 cleaning fee for any accident that happens due to intoxication.”
In an interview with SFGate, Teerut Boon, the owner of the restaurant, stated that vomiting by customers after drinking was a problem in 2021. This is why he implemented “pretty much the same policy” similar to Kitchen Story.
Although customers expressed their displeasure with the sign, which led to the character being removed at the end of July, as it stands today, the price remains in effect. The exact warning on the poster is found at the lower part of the Home Plate menu, just below the cost of bottomless cocktails per person. The menu also states that customers could only enjoy unlimited mimosas for 75 minutes.
Although it’s not a similar policy that applies to Home Plate and Kitchen, the gastropub within San Francisco, The Sycamore, is unique in its method of ensuring that its patrons consume alcohol responsibly. According to SFGate, the restaurant’s co-owner, Liz Ryan, said that although The Sycamore doesn’t have any fee for customers who urinate at the restaurant, there’s one employee who monitors how much alcohol is consumed by patrons.
“We have an employee who is mimosa fairy. They have a pitcher to replenish glasses,” she said. “There’s a [mimosa] station and it says this is for staff use only so please do not help yourself,”
Additionally, she noted that throughout the two-hour brunch,” the “mimosa fairy” goes to the dining area once every 15 minutes or to serve more drinks to customers. In the meantime, staff also check on how the customers behave.
“Our team is educated to ensure our clients don’t go overboard. Everyone doesn’t want to see anyone throwing up. It can ruin the atmosphere we’re trying to build,” she said; she was referring to the responsible Beverage Service training from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
As stated by the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, the program “teaches servers to responsibly serve alcoholic beverages for on-premises consumption and mitigate alcohol-related harm in California communities.”
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In the conversation, Ryan added that there were “ways to cut people off” from drinking without even realizing it.
“This is the type of thing they’ll teach you. We engage in eye contact when we walk in with a glass of water,” she said, after which she acknowledged that there are people who leave to urinate and go back to the restaurant after having drank excessively. “People can get carried away.”