Quote:
Originally Posted by outlander78
I can't get my head around the economics of it. If a family of four comes in, they will likely spend $12-15, stay until the kids finish eating (20 minutes max), and move on. That means a one-hour table hog needs to spend at least $36 an hour to provide the same profit to the store - how likely is that?
|
I see your point, but I don't think it's as simple as that. That "table hog" over at the corner table might be there for an hour or two today and not spending much, but maybe the rest of the week he stops in twice a day, spends $10 but can't stay. He might be a good tipper too which (at least in the US but may not apply in Canada) could be pretty important to the workers there. (I know our tipping system and wages for waitstaff seems alien to many other countries.)
That's kind of what I used to do. I was in and out of the Starbucks next to my old job several times a week grabbing a drink or a snack on the go, and sometimes on an "administrative day"* I'd escape over there for an hour just so I could work in a different environment for a little while. That's why I don't think blanket rules are the best way to solve problems like these. By your calculations I "earned" way more table time than I ever used, but you wouldn't know that just by seeing me there when you come in. A business should know who its best customers are and act accordingly. Blanket rules rarely accomplish that.
(Honestly, though, if it was crowded and me leaving would open up the table to your family I would get up and offer you the table. I tend to think in rather clinical terms when it comes to issues of business management and customer service, but in practice I'm actually pretty nice to people.
)
*My "administrative days" were days I had paperwork or records that I had to catch up on or special projects to work on and everyone else was supposed to leave me alone so I could get it done - but they would constantly interrupt me anyway.