Thai People Cheated In Canada

[canthai123]

The other night my wife and I went out for dinner at a Thai restaurant. My wife was craving some som tum. We sat down everything was fine. I noticed other Thai people, but mostly falangs(Canadians not to confuse), (I always call Thai people falangs here). Anyways, I look over the menu, nothing out of the ordinary. "Oh, the satay looks good." Out of nowhere I hear "ah-lie-wah!" from my wife. I say "whats the matter? She said "It says here -Canadians normal price. Thai people must pay an extra 15%" I can't read Thai but my wife says its written at the top of the menu. This is where it gets interesting, the other Thai people sitting across from us look over and my wife points to the menu to show them, my wife and the Thai people start bantering about the price hike for Thai people. All I can hear is "toe late, ching ching" and "chai, chai" I start laughing cause it was comically. So the waitress comes over and my wife asks why Thai people have to pay more. She said "that it is customary that foreigners must pay more." My wife is in shock and says that it is racist, my wife says "I pay tax in Canada, I'm not on holiday." The waitress starts laughing and says that it's a service charge included on every bill regardless of who you are. She said the owner thought it would be funny because when he was in Thailand he had to pay over the real price". So I guess the owner had it written in Thai so Canadians couldn't read it,i thought it was clever. Now I check the bill at restaurants to make sure I'm not over tipping.Anyways, My wife was laughing after the waitress told her. The most difficult part was explaining to the other Thai people that it was in fact a service charge and this is normal in Canada and it wasn't a 15% hike on Thai people. The waitress explained in Thai as well but the other Thai people still looked miffed and puzzled. That made my night, I'm still laughing. The owner came around and everyone was laughing now (the other Thai people finally got it). He said he got tired of Thai people calling him falang kee-nok or falang kee nhow for complaining about price hikes in Thailand on foreigners. So he wanted to see Thai peoples reaction when they saw the price hike at his restaurant. It worked well. I now call my wife falang kee nok and falang keenhow jokingly. My wife has recommended the restaurant to her Thai friends just to see their reaction. I guess it was a good business idea.

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[Meridian007]

Where is this restaurant? That is a clever (and humourous) way of adding gratuity to a bill, and I'd like to go there!

[cdnvic]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

[sokal]

This is a funny story but your getting put on the spot. Go take a pic of the menu.

[canthai123]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

Tipping in Canada is similar to that in the United States due to the close cultural nature of the two countries but tends to be somewhat lower due to better minimum wages and lower employee cost (e.g. universal medical care). Restaurant wait staff in Canada typically receive about 15% on the before-tax total, although anywhere from 10-20% is within the average range

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip_%28gratuity%29#Canada

[canthai123]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

Tipping in Canada is similar to that in the United States due to the close cultural nature of the two countries but tends to be somewhat lower due to better minimum wages and lower employee cost (e.g. universal medical care). Restaurant wait staff in Canada typically receive about 15% on the before-tax total, although anywhere from 10-20% is within the average range

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip_%28gratuity%29#Canada

sorry i forgot my bond kit at home. I didn't know i had to collect evidence before posting here. Next time i go i will take a picture.

[lopburi3]

If just a message in Thai that an extra 15% would be added to bill do not believe it would violate any laws. They just took it to mean "Thai only" because it was written in Thai from my understanding of the post.

[Samuian]

I would love to do it just forthe fun of it. to show and make understand some of these nationals to understand how redicilous it is and how degrading it FEELS for a non - thai to have to pay way more than a local!

The two tier pricing system based on "these Farangs got it" is ridiculous and inhuman!

Based on Nationality would be as bad, maybe based on discounts for locals...

Imagine anyone a foreign National in England would have to pay 2, 3, 4 times the amount of that what obvious local Brits, would hav to pay to buy a pint or visit the tower .... just imagine... the uproar!

[bushwacker]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

Daaaah.... Actually price discrimination in Canada is legal as long as it is not based on age, colour, creed etc. This is how stores ... say Future Shop can offer the same brand name product at different prices at stores located only kms away from each other.

The original story reads very well and is quite entertaining (i certainly see the humour). Now the Consumer Protection Act past by the Federal Legislator on Parliament Hill in 2002 states in volume 53, chapter 27, part 91, subsection 15, page 44, paragraph 19, line 12 .... "it is legal and acceptable without predjudice for an owner of a restaurent to attempt to use humour when designing a memu for his establishment provided the establishment was not in operation prior to 1964 and his wife approves of the humour.

So I say, it is not necessary for the accused to provide any proof.

[Jingthing]

Thai people aren't being cheated. The Canadians are getting a discount. The Thai people in Canada are obviously very rich as they can afford the air ticket there as well as the winter coats. Only 15 percent discount for Canucks? Not enough.

Next ...

[IanForbes]

Thanks for the fantastic story. I'm STILL laughing. The owner DOES have a good sense of humour. Trust a fellow Canadian to come up with that twist on the story that goes on and on with expats here in Thailand about double pricing.

[cdnvic]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

Daaaah.... Actually price discrimination in Canada is legal as long as it is not based on age, colour, creed etc

And this is.

[sokal]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

Tipping in Canada is similar to that in the United States due to the close cultural nature of the two countries but tends to be somewhat lower due to better minimum wages and lower employee cost (e.g. universal medical care). Restaurant wait staff in Canada typically receive about 15% on the before-tax total, although anywhere from 10-20% is within the average range

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip_%28gratuity%29#Canada

sorry i forgot my bond kit at home. I didn't know i had to collect evidence before posting here. Next time i go i will take a picture.

I believed it when I read it but you could stick it to the people calling BS if you took pics.

[mojaco]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

Daaaah.... Actually price discrimination in Canada is legal as long as it is not based on age, colour, creed etc

And this is.

No it's not - the waitress said it was a (perhaps poor choice) joke and ALL customers got the same charge, So what is illegal?

[cdnvic]

No it's not - the waitress said it was a (perhaps poor choice) joke and ALL customers got the same charge, So wkat is illegal?

Nothing, after re-reading it a third time it appears the joke is on me

[givenall]

I'm 99% certain this is a load of BS. Is there any proof to show? This would in fact be illegal in Canada. I doubt the restaurant owner is that dumb.

Yeah I agree this is bunch of BS. May be in Thailand the restaurant can get away with this and nothing can be done and you have to pay, since the rule of law is not so clear and or enforced. But in Canada and US you can’t get away by doing this. Is for sure asking for a lot of legal troubles

[Meridian007]

I just want to play this prank on my girlfriend when we go to Canada this summer. Please just let us know the name and location!

(to reiterate for those calling BS, adding a 15% gratuity automatically to a bill is done in many high-end Canadian restaurants. This is not only charging the Thais, but everyone. The owner just put the notice in the menu to joke with the Thai customers about double pricing, he isn't actually pricing it differently)

[geriatrickid]

If just a message in Thai that an extra 15% would be added to bill do not believe it would violate any laws. They just took it to mean "Thai only" because it was written in Thai from my understanding of the post.

Thank you for common sense.

And to clarify, it is common for many good restaurants to add the 15% service charge to the bill. The statement is on the menu, e.g. A 15% service charge is added.

Usually it will be seen when there are more than 6 guests. at some restaurants. In this case, it was just the way it was done.

The resto owner is a bad man.