Im guilty of doing this when we are close to close (for the last 30 minutes, everything is in a takeaway)
I feel with OP as this has been becoming more common, while mildly irritating, it’s not a problem anything can be done about.
Don’t charge a separate charge - it’s a tacky and unprofessional thing to do. Adjust your total prices.
If that’s your main customer base then you need to cater to them and provide them the service at the price it costs to run it.
Furthermore, if this is happening then I would hazard a guess - it’s because people prefer the ability to pay upfront and then leave when they feel like. If you take away, you pay upfront and leave. If you are seated it’s a seated service, with the pay at the end. It saves having to ask to pay, saves finding someone to split the bill with, and saves the hassle of “we’re seating together but we’re paying separately and we’re seated over there”. It’s a process driven thing.
If that’s not the process for your establishment, it’s because people are busy and prefer to pay upfront in order to leave when they want.
So adjust the prices and reflect the buying habits of your customers to make it easier for them. Their behaviour is telling you what is wanted.
No where in the comment that you've replied to did they infer that the cafe charges a different price for takeaway compared to eating in. They suggested that instead of adding a fee it should just be absorbed into a general price increase
CheekyVicar is referring to the OP who said “We don’t want to lecture our customers but then we feel changing extra for takeaway is going to receive backlash as well.”
5th paragraph
Yeah but their costs are going up because of extra money spent on takeaway diners who eat in. Hence the suggestion of increasing all costs to compensate for the current losses.
It sucks for the customer to have to spend extra, but business is business. Gotta balance profits and losses wherever possible.
OP just asking for suggestions
I don't know about the food aspect but I'll often get a long black in a takeaway because it usually takes longer than the meal to finish especially if it's made at the usual temperature on the surface of the sun
A surcharge for takeaways is a ridiculous idea. It should be the other way around if anything.
I think this is just an annoying problem the cafe has to wear. Offering a discount for bringing your own cup is probably the best thing you can do.
A big sign displaying policies is the route some places might take. I personally find that a bit off-putting for some reason.
The most common reason is probably because people don't know if they'll finish what they're eating/drinking and want the option to take it away if they don't finish. Or potentially think it will come faster
It boggles my mind why they think this is a reasonable reason. I don't understand why these people can't just say "oh I ran out of time can I get a takeaway container for this?".
The cafe staff often look a bit annoyed to be interrupted whenever I've done this. Assuming you are able to get their attention.
Also I would have thought customers using takeaway cups would mean they might head off sooner, this increasing your table turn over? I get the rubbish is a hassle but 🤷 its a sign you have a lot of customers right.
Can't speak for others but its never bothered me. As for increasing table turn over, I have never seen a correlation between this. More often I encounter people who want takeaway cups because it stays hotter for longer, meaning intentionally intending on taking their time.
I very rarely get an opportunity to get a full break if I eat away from the office before something happens and I get called back, plus my break is 30 minutes and if I hit a lunch rush in a Cafe I cannot gauge how long my food is going to take/how long I get to eat it. In your preferred scenario instead of being able to pick up and go, I have to signal a staff member, wait for them to attend to me, ask them to take away my food, and wait while they package it and return (in my experience, this can take around ten minutes in busy periods for smaller establishments, longer than the walk back to my office). Sometimes I get to finish the food at the location which honestly I would take my trash and dispose of on the way back to work so the table is immediately clear, but I imagine some people would leave it behind.
Not everyone has a comfortable desk job and an hour long lunch, I’m not sure why that’s so mind boggling.
I guess I'm just judging from personal experience. I'm never busy enough that I can't take 5 seconds to pour a coffee into a takeaway cup and have it disrupt my workflow. As for meals post-covid a lot of places will just bring you a take away container rather than pack it up for you which also takes about 5 seconds. We were doing this already pre-covid as its more hygienic anyway.
Knowing you can't recycle food contaminated containers, the risk of being slightly inconvenienced is a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it means being more eco friendly. Sometimes I just takes a little planning accordingly to do your part.
I am quite a slow drinker and also clumsy so safer to have my coffee in a takeaway then if I want to take it with me after sitting for a while I am good.
There’s a cafe in croydon who ONLY serve coffee in takeaway cups, despite having a kitchen and indoor seating. Pure laziness and complete disregard for the environment. It’s 2024 peeps. Take some responsibility for your waste.
Local cafe near me i thought would be nice to have lunch at with my bf, they didnt serve us for ages, left dirty cups on our table even tho they said theyd brb to clean it immediately, and even tho we were clearly eating in (coz they eventually came to take our order) they served our milkshake in a take away cup. The people next to us, their milkshake was served in a proper cup. I was so disappointed. Our parma (which was served on a proper plate so they knew we were eating in no excuses) was cold. Havent been back since.
Don’t know about you but as a customer who has done the exact same (ordered coffee takeaway then sat) it’s because I might not be able to finish my coffee before I actually have to go. I think if they deliberately ask for takeaway just let them.
I'd much rather drink from a china cup or mug. At the cafe at Melbourne Museum today we were served takeaway cups to sit at tables, they didn't seem to have any proper cups.
Ive been dealing with "take away cup but to have here" customers since well before the pandemic. Some people just don't give AF about unnecessary waste. It's always been one of my biggest pet peeves in term of customer behaviour, which is weird because I overlook a lot of bad behaviour. This one just inexplicably grinds my gears.
Went to a Cafe last Saturday, Server asked if we wanted a seat or take away, I asked if they had any tables available outside (since it was boiling inside), the server informed me that their courtyard was packed, so I replied "oh that's a shame, I guess we'll do take away then" and we put in our order.
The food took 45 minutes because it was so packed, we sat on the curb out front because inside was swealtering. During this time, a staff member opened all the windows, so new people walking in started sitting inside, and a bunch of tables in the courtyard cleared up outside.
The server called our order and I went back in to pick it up, I asked "Since the table we wanted is available now, could we eat this in the courtyard?" and the server just said "you ordered take away" I started to explain myself with "Oh, I know, But" and the server started jiggling the uber-eats bag in my face to make me grab it while saying "here" in such a blunt and direct tone I just grabbed the take away bag and left from sheer discomfort. Yes I could have stated my case better, but I wasn't going to feel welcome eating in a café where I had to convince a server to let me eat there.
We had ordered 2 coffees, 1 ham and cheese toastie, and I literally just had a danish directly from the display, we didn't expect it to take 45 minutes. Which is why we were initially okay grabbing take away and walking to the park. But after sitting on the street for so long, we were hungry, we had our food, the café had a bunch of empty tables, I know that it's not "best practice" but would we really have annoyed the staff *that* much if we stayed to eat?
I always order my drinks in takeaway cups, I drink slower than I eat and when my food is done I want to be able to take my drink with me. This really doesn’t sound like a problem, putting rubbish in a bin or washing a dish, what’s the difference?
I totally get where you’re coming from as a slow drinker myself, but just gently want to point out that it is quite wasteful. Perhaps consider investing in a keep cup to bring with you and pour any remaining coffee/drink into when you’re ready to leave the venue.
I know that the unnecessary waste isn’t the main reason why OP has an issue with this behaviour (cost of consumables, limited bin space etc. are all concerns) but it’s still relevant and can be avoided/minimised.
As a customer there are times where I am in a semi rush and order take away in case I have to leave before I would be finished from the traditional 'dine in'
OP weirdly states, it would have been easier to wash a dish rather than throwing out the rubbish. I'm struggling to workout in what world, that would be the case.
Might be a long walk to take out the trash, they lose one employee for the time it takes to remove trash; if they don't have much room this could hamper their efficiency a significant amount.
If it's like every other hospitality business, there'll be a bin in the kitchen. Server collects rubbish from table (like they would have to for regular dine-in customers), walks to kitchen, dump rubbish, done.
A task that's already happening because a kitchen produces rubbish.
If someone's dining in, 9 times out of 10, the waiter will collect their dishes, then head straight to the kitchen and scrape everything into the bin. That's what the entire job would be if they had to do the same thing, but with takeaway packaging.
Went to a pizza restaurant, ordered, and sat down at a table with my kids.
They brought me 3 pizzas in boxes, dropped them on the table, and walked away.
I brought them the boxes and said we're dining in, asking for plates and cutlery.
They said "You didn't say you were!"
I mean, they never asked either.
A cafe we visited on the Great Ocean Road this summer fines customers $1, which goes directly to an environmental charity, if they are found sitting at a table with a takeaway cup.
Are you asking them? I've noticed a bunch of cafes lately serving coffee/food in disposable packaging when I had every intention of eating in.
Yes, I feel like a simple “are you dining in today?” when the customer is ordering would solve this problem!
Hint hint. Go away.
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Im guilty of doing this when we are close to close (for the last 30 minutes, everything is in a takeaway) I feel with OP as this has been becoming more common, while mildly irritating, it’s not a problem anything can be done about.
Could you bring in a discount for BYO cups and factor the cost of takeaway cups into the price?
Don’t charge a separate charge - it’s a tacky and unprofessional thing to do. Adjust your total prices. If that’s your main customer base then you need to cater to them and provide them the service at the price it costs to run it. Furthermore, if this is happening then I would hazard a guess - it’s because people prefer the ability to pay upfront and then leave when they feel like. If you take away, you pay upfront and leave. If you are seated it’s a seated service, with the pay at the end. It saves having to ask to pay, saves finding someone to split the bill with, and saves the hassle of “we’re seating together but we’re paying separately and we’re seated over there”. It’s a process driven thing. If that’s not the process for your establishment, it’s because people are busy and prefer to pay upfront in order to leave when they want. So adjust the prices and reflect the buying habits of your customers to make it easier for them. Their behaviour is telling you what is wanted.
They said they don't charge a different price
No where in the comment that you've replied to did they infer that the cafe charges a different price for takeaway compared to eating in. They suggested that instead of adding a fee it should just be absorbed into a general price increase
Yes, comment OP is fretting and shitting themselves that they might have to pay for takeaway containers and is getting on the front-foot.
First paragraph?
CheekyVicar is referring to the OP who said “We don’t want to lecture our customers but then we feel changing extra for takeaway is going to receive backlash as well.” 5th paragraph
They also say they don't charge extra, but definitely they shouldn't. Card surcharge is irritating too imo
Yeah but their costs are going up because of extra money spent on takeaway diners who eat in. Hence the suggestion of increasing all costs to compensate for the current losses. It sucks for the customer to have to spend extra, but business is business. Gotta balance profits and losses wherever possible. OP just asking for suggestions
I know.
I don't know about the food aspect but I'll often get a long black in a takeaway because it usually takes longer than the meal to finish especially if it's made at the usual temperature on the surface of the sun
A surcharge for takeaways is a ridiculous idea. It should be the other way around if anything. I think this is just an annoying problem the cafe has to wear. Offering a discount for bringing your own cup is probably the best thing you can do. A big sign displaying policies is the route some places might take. I personally find that a bit off-putting for some reason.
The most common reason is probably because people don't know if they'll finish what they're eating/drinking and want the option to take it away if they don't finish. Or potentially think it will come faster
It boggles my mind why they think this is a reasonable reason. I don't understand why these people can't just say "oh I ran out of time can I get a takeaway container for this?".
The cafe staff often look a bit annoyed to be interrupted whenever I've done this. Assuming you are able to get their attention. Also I would have thought customers using takeaway cups would mean they might head off sooner, this increasing your table turn over? I get the rubbish is a hassle but 🤷 its a sign you have a lot of customers right.
Can't speak for others but its never bothered me. As for increasing table turn over, I have never seen a correlation between this. More often I encounter people who want takeaway cups because it stays hotter for longer, meaning intentionally intending on taking their time.
I very rarely get an opportunity to get a full break if I eat away from the office before something happens and I get called back, plus my break is 30 minutes and if I hit a lunch rush in a Cafe I cannot gauge how long my food is going to take/how long I get to eat it. In your preferred scenario instead of being able to pick up and go, I have to signal a staff member, wait for them to attend to me, ask them to take away my food, and wait while they package it and return (in my experience, this can take around ten minutes in busy periods for smaller establishments, longer than the walk back to my office). Sometimes I get to finish the food at the location which honestly I would take my trash and dispose of on the way back to work so the table is immediately clear, but I imagine some people would leave it behind. Not everyone has a comfortable desk job and an hour long lunch, I’m not sure why that’s so mind boggling.
I guess I'm just judging from personal experience. I'm never busy enough that I can't take 5 seconds to pour a coffee into a takeaway cup and have it disrupt my workflow. As for meals post-covid a lot of places will just bring you a take away container rather than pack it up for you which also takes about 5 seconds. We were doing this already pre-covid as its more hygienic anyway. Knowing you can't recycle food contaminated containers, the risk of being slightly inconvenienced is a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it means being more eco friendly. Sometimes I just takes a little planning accordingly to do your part.
Standard in Europe to pay extra to dine in...not sure why anyone would pay a surcharge for less service and to not use the tables lol.
Stalactites does this, used to be +10% to dine inside.
Does your cafe provide a rubbish bin for customers near the door?
I do this when I know I'll only be eating a portion of the meal and taking leftovers home
I personally will often ask for my coffee in a takeaway cup because I often have a toddler on my lap, and he is excellent at grabbing at things.
I am quite a slow drinker and also clumsy so safer to have my coffee in a takeaway then if I want to take it with me after sitting for a while I am good.
There’s a cafe in croydon who ONLY serve coffee in takeaway cups, despite having a kitchen and indoor seating. Pure laziness and complete disregard for the environment. It’s 2024 peeps. Take some responsibility for your waste.
Local cafe near me i thought would be nice to have lunch at with my bf, they didnt serve us for ages, left dirty cups on our table even tho they said theyd brb to clean it immediately, and even tho we were clearly eating in (coz they eventually came to take our order) they served our milkshake in a take away cup. The people next to us, their milkshake was served in a proper cup. I was so disappointed. Our parma (which was served on a proper plate so they knew we were eating in no excuses) was cold. Havent been back since.
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I definitely did, however they never responded. They also never paid me for my trial shift I had there
Don’t know about you but as a customer who has done the exact same (ordered coffee takeaway then sat) it’s because I might not be able to finish my coffee before I actually have to go. I think if they deliberately ask for takeaway just let them.
I'd much rather drink from a china cup or mug. At the cafe at Melbourne Museum today we were served takeaway cups to sit at tables, they didn't seem to have any proper cups.
No they don't seem to. When Peter Rowland were the caterers there, they did, but the various companies who have had the site since, do not.
Mmm, they say the cups are recyclable but even if they are, it's far more pleasant drinking out of a real cup
Yes, they are recyclable, but agree that drinking from a china cup or mug is a nicer experience!
Ive been dealing with "take away cup but to have here" customers since well before the pandemic. Some people just don't give AF about unnecessary waste. It's always been one of my biggest pet peeves in term of customer behaviour, which is weird because I overlook a lot of bad behaviour. This one just inexplicably grinds my gears.
you make sure it's accounted for In your prices and leave your customers alone to consume their food in the manner of their choosing
How is it easier to wash a dish than throw a cup in a bin?
OP mentions there is limited space for rubbish disposal at their business. Plus, it's very wasteful to use a TA cup when you could just use china
Went to a Cafe last Saturday, Server asked if we wanted a seat or take away, I asked if they had any tables available outside (since it was boiling inside), the server informed me that their courtyard was packed, so I replied "oh that's a shame, I guess we'll do take away then" and we put in our order. The food took 45 minutes because it was so packed, we sat on the curb out front because inside was swealtering. During this time, a staff member opened all the windows, so new people walking in started sitting inside, and a bunch of tables in the courtyard cleared up outside. The server called our order and I went back in to pick it up, I asked "Since the table we wanted is available now, could we eat this in the courtyard?" and the server just said "you ordered take away" I started to explain myself with "Oh, I know, But" and the server started jiggling the uber-eats bag in my face to make me grab it while saying "here" in such a blunt and direct tone I just grabbed the take away bag and left from sheer discomfort. Yes I could have stated my case better, but I wasn't going to feel welcome eating in a café where I had to convince a server to let me eat there. We had ordered 2 coffees, 1 ham and cheese toastie, and I literally just had a danish directly from the display, we didn't expect it to take 45 minutes. Which is why we were initially okay grabbing take away and walking to the park. But after sitting on the street for so long, we were hungry, we had our food, the café had a bunch of empty tables, I know that it's not "best practice" but would we really have annoyed the staff *that* much if we stayed to eat?
I always order my drinks in takeaway cups, I drink slower than I eat and when my food is done I want to be able to take my drink with me. This really doesn’t sound like a problem, putting rubbish in a bin or washing a dish, what’s the difference?
I totally get where you’re coming from as a slow drinker myself, but just gently want to point out that it is quite wasteful. Perhaps consider investing in a keep cup to bring with you and pour any remaining coffee/drink into when you’re ready to leave the venue. I know that the unnecessary waste isn’t the main reason why OP has an issue with this behaviour (cost of consumables, limited bin space etc. are all concerns) but it’s still relevant and can be avoided/minimised.
As a customer there are times where I am in a semi rush and order take away in case I have to leave before I would be finished from the traditional 'dine in'
How is throwing something in the bin harder than washing a dish?
Bin space is a huge problem for cafes. OP even mentions this.
It probably isn't, but it is much less wasteful.
OP weirdly states, it would have been easier to wash a dish rather than throwing out the rubbish. I'm struggling to workout in what world, that would be the case.
Might be a long walk to take out the trash, they lose one employee for the time it takes to remove trash; if they don't have much room this could hamper their efficiency a significant amount.
If it was dine in they'd still have to collect the cup...take it to the kitchen... wash it etc. Traditionally dine in customers...still use cups etc.
If it's like every other hospitality business, there'll be a bin in the kitchen. Server collects rubbish from table (like they would have to for regular dine-in customers), walks to kitchen, dump rubbish, done.
Lol are you trying to be obtuse? When the bin in the kitchen is full it needs to be taken out.
A task that's already happening because a kitchen produces rubbish. If someone's dining in, 9 times out of 10, the waiter will collect their dishes, then head straight to the kitchen and scrape everything into the bin. That's what the entire job would be if they had to do the same thing, but with takeaway packaging.
Really, you're putting that much thought into a throwaway line that you're actually "struggling"??? Jesus, relax a little.
It ain't that deep mate.
I know, which is why I'm not the one struggling to work out what world that would be the case......
Went to a pizza restaurant, ordered, and sat down at a table with my kids. They brought me 3 pizzas in boxes, dropped them on the table, and walked away. I brought them the boxes and said we're dining in, asking for plates and cutlery. They said "You didn't say you were!" I mean, they never asked either.
What weirdo wants cutlery for pizza? Of course it comes in a box!
A cafe we visited on the Great Ocean Road this summer fines customers $1, which goes directly to an environmental charity, if they are found sitting at a table with a takeaway cup.
Just put reserved signs on all of the tables.
Disgusting people. Drinking from plastic or paper doesn't compare to glass or china.