Thai Eateries Forgo Fees as Quake Hits Hard

[webfact]

Picture courtesy of evening_tao, Freepik

 

Thai eateries are showing a big heart after a strong earthquake rattled several provinces on March 28, leading to the collapse of buildings in Bangkok.

 

Companies such as Iberry Group and MEATION GROUP have announced that they won't charge diners who fled during the chaos without paying their bills. This warm gesture is a response to the horrifying scenes that unfolded as structural damage led many to flee in panic, leaving meals unpaid.

 

The epicenter struck during a bustling day, catching many in their regular routines at work, home, or inside shopping malls. As tremors caused buildings to sway and some to crumble, many sought immediate safety, leaving behind purchased goods and unpaid tabs.

 

In the wake of this frenzy, businesses in the affected areas, acting with notable compassion, decided to overlook these unsettled transactions.

 

Shopping centres, including Siam Paragon and Iconsiam, have joined this wave of goodwill by waiving parking fees and accommodating vehicles overnight, providing some relief to those emotionally and financially hit by the quake.

 

 

 

These efforts are announced amid a backdrop of ongoing rescue operations targeting the collapsed State Audit Office in Chatuchak, which was razed by the powerful tremors emerging from Myanmar.

 

Rescue workers worked tirelessly, recovering casualties from the wreckage, notably from the cracked third floor of the building. The joint efforts of businesses and emergency teams highlight the community's resilience and the nation's capacity for kindness amid tragedy.

 

As searches proceed, the focus remains on locating survivors and supporting those whose lives have been disrupted by this seismic event.

 

Based on a story by The Thaiger
 

-- 2025-03-31

 

 

[PJ71]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Companies such as Iberry Group and MEATION GROUP have announced that they won't charge diners who fled during the chaos without paying their bills.

hahahahaha - how would they have found them should they have wanted the bill settled, not really optional one would have thought?

[Gottfrid]

27 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

hahahahaha - how would they have found them should they have wanted the bill settled, not really optional one would have thought?

You do know it´s 2025 and CCTV is very common, right? You also know that many of the guests are returning customers? Does it look more feasible for you know.

You know, you could just have said it was a nice gesture instead.

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

 

 

Thai eateries are showing a big heart after a strong earthquake rattled several provinces on March 28, leading to the collapse of buildings in Bangkok.

 

 

 

Based on a story by The Thaiger
 

 

-- 2025-03-31

 

 

 

 

Was there more than one collapse ?

[PJ71]

34 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

You do know it´s 2025 and CCTV is very common, right? You also know that many of the guests are returning customers? Does it look more feasible for you know.

You know, you could just have said it was a nice gesture instead.

You know, does the CCTV tell you where the people live?

 

You know, there's a fair amount of tourists that visit BKK, right? does the CCTV tell you what hotels they're staying at?

 

You know....

[Gottfrid]

1 hour ago, PJ71 said:

You know, does the CCTV tell you where the people live?

 

You know, there's a fair amount of tourists that visit BKK, right? does the CCTV tell you what hotels they're staying at?

 

You know....

No, but with help of police and immigration, it´s possible. As running away from a restaurant bill is an offense, they will help in such cases. However, that will not be necessary as the restaurants will not ask for that, which is a nice gesture.

[factual monk]

Do they have any other option... ?

[captnhoy]

Not to mention that the cashier was the first to flee

[PJ71]

6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

No, but with help of police and immigration, it´s possible. As running away from a restaurant bill is an offense, they will help in such cases. However, that will not be necessary as the restaurants will not ask for that, which is a nice gesture.

Yeah, the police and immigration will be all over that, they've nothing better to do - lol

[Caldera]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Companies such as Iberry Group and MEATION GROUP have announced that they won't charge diners who fled during the chaos without paying their bills.

 

Maybe they realize that their waitstaff and cashiers fled as well and wouldn't even have been there to collect any payments. 

[keysersoze276]

14 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

You do know it´s 2025 and CCTV is very common, right? You also know that many of the guests are returning customers? Does it look more feasible for you know.

You know, you could just have said it was a nice gesture instead.

It happened during the lunch rush on a Friday. Do you think a task force would be dedicated to track down every person in every restaurant across the nation that fled to safety without queuing up to pay their bill?

 

And what would they do?  Have police officers knocking on doors to interrogate the millions of suspects and threaten them with theft during a sudden national emergency?  
 

I was once a manager in a very upscale restaurant and the air conditioning went out in the summer during the lunch rush. The entire aircon unit on the roof overheated and broke because it was high noon during a heat wave. We were packed and on a wait. It got so hot so fast and the customers were so uncomfortable that me and the other manager, along with the waitstaff, went to each table apologizing for the experience, asking if there was anything else they needed, then comping the entire bill for each table and offering to pack up their food for take away if they wished leave and take it with them, or they were welcome to sit in the heat and we would give them as much ice water as they needed to cool off. Either way, no one had to pay.  The average bill per person was roughly $25. I think we sat around 250 people. 
 

Yeah, the restaurant lost that money, along with the cost of a new massive aircon unit (central air), and had to close for two days before we could re-open.  We also had to toss out a lot of our fresh meats and produce but were able to store some in nearby restaurants, if I recall.  That was up to the kitchen management. 
 

Anyway, the point is that we didn’t notice any change in business when we reopened and we made up for the lost profits from comping the bills within a couple business days. 
 

It was just the decent thing to do and a smart business decision.  And this was because the customers were inconvenienced and uncomfortably warm. Not because their lives were in jeopardy.  
 

Restaurant pay pennies on the dollar for the products that they serve and there is “spillage”.  It’s an insignificant monetary loss compared to setting up a nationwide manhunt for a handful of people that ran to safety without paying for their unfinished Tom Yum Goong and Khao Pad Gai.   
 

Even mentioning it to a regular customer the next week and reminding them they have an unpaid bill would make you lose that customer forever and by word of mouth, if not media, your business would sink. Most likely leading to closure. 
 

CCTV of diners in an earthquake not paying their bill.  Lol. 

[wavodavo]

21 hours ago, PJ71 said:

hahahahaha - how would they have found them should they have wanted the bill settled, not really optional one would have thought?

They will put an ad in the BKK. Post and ask everybody to please come back and settle your bill and everyone would have.