What Do You Do About Customers Camping Out In Your Restaurant?

[endure]

Apologies UG but the thread title " What Do You Do About Customers Camping Out In Your Restaurant?" gives me the mental image of a bunch of raving queens (with no insult at all intended to our gay members) saying thing like " Ooh look at the dust in here ", " Mutton dressed as lamb dearie" and " Mind your manners you cheeky bitch"

[WinnieTheKhwai]

We have been approaching this idea backwards - what we need to do is give incentives:

Take away and save 20%

Stay 15 mins only, get points redeemable for a 30 min stay next time.

Stay 30 mins only, get a mean look.

Stay an hour - get yelled at.

Or, don't put in super comfy chairs, nice aircon, good background music, a water-feature or anything else designed to make people feel as 'at home' as possible. <deleted>, I feel more 'at home' at some of these places than I do at home!

If there's any restaurateur or coffee shop operator who doesn't like it then how about just having a bar and some chunky wooden stools for those who really can't or won't stand there for 60 seconds, gulp down their Cocochino and leave.

EDIT: Anyway, I thought I was joking above, but there may actually be something to it: prior to rush hour you could remove some of the comfiest seating to create more space and to make it less likely that people will hibernate right there in your shop. I know of one restaurant in Europe that is a sedate tearoom for old ladies by day, with comfy seating and all, and they clear out just about ALL the furniture to become a standing-room only loud bar at night. Doesn't have to be quite as radical but I think 'tweaking your environment' is a big part of the answer.

Edited August 15, 2011 by metisdead
Expletive removed.

[bkkjames]

[Thakkar]

Not to defend free-loading one drink nursers, but:

half the difficulty any business faces is getting a customer in the door. When there's already someone inside and the proprietor isn't able to entice them to spend, the first thing to consider before implementing drastic, one-size-fits-all measures is whether the proprietor himself suffers from a lack of imagination or effort.

Even after all reasonable measures/efforts (while being careful not to do something that drives customers away), there will still be some jerks hogging tables—it's the cost of doing business.

Your friend might consider placing on every table a basket of enticing snack choices (potato crisps and cookies work best) packed in small, transparent, easily-opened packets. Even free loaders have sweet tooths and like to munch.

I had a client constantly asking for quotations and samples, but never ordering anything. I considered charging him for samples, but didn't. One day, he recommended me to a golf buddy who became one of my biggest clients. In business, one never knows which side, or when one's bread gets buttered. In running a business, it's best not to get emotional or to take things personally and to nip in the bud the slightest contempt for customers/potential customers.

As an aside, an interesting read (though I can't remember where I read it) is Apple's retail strategy where they specifically instruct staff to be welcoming to all comers and NOT to overtly try and sell anything.

[Kilgore Trout]

Maybe they should do what some large bookshops have done in the west. Add free wifi....install racks of books and sell cooffee and snacks too, they seem to find value in their customers staying.

Umm, yea, I suppose thats why Borders just went out of business

[Semper]

What Do You Do About Customers Camping Out In Your Restaurant?

So far no restaurant owner have replied to the question. Maybe they don't care.

[transam]

Classic.

[snamos]

put the thai staff on some sort of commission for drinks, specifically target certain customers by tempting the staff with larger commissions....a bounty if you like

[Mooner]

Ditch the wi-fi!

Makes sense having wi-fi if your a coffee shop but why would anyone wanting to eat choose a resturant based on if they have wi-fi.

You could put a 100bt minimum of free wi-fo!

[Mooner]

On free wi-fi!

[chiang mai]

Funny - if you go back to the OP's second post he clarifies that he's talking about small Thai owned businesses where the owner needs to make income yet everyone here seems to be in the mindset of Starbucks and similar.

[Spoonman]

Set-up 2 wifi signals, one an open one that re-boots every 10 minutes and a second password protected one that does not.

Protected one for you and those you want there and the re-booting one for those you want to leave.

Edited August 15, 2011 by Spoonman

[chiang mai]

Set-up 2 wifi signals, one an open one that re-boots every 10 minutes and a second password protected one that does not.

Protected one for you and those you want there and the re-booting one for those you want to leave.

It gets better yet!

[kurnell]

Free loaders like that are my pet hate, nursing an iced coffee until the drink is gone and the ice has melted and evaporated. There was one such &lt;deleted&gt; at Starbucks sitting on a 3 seat sofa across from 2 lounge chairs with a cup of melted ice sitting on the table while families and couples stood around waiting. I walked in with a sleeping 2 year old on my shoulder and stood in front of the ignoramus until he looked up, reached for his cup of melted ice and took a sip before realising there was only milky water left. Not wanting to lose face, he pretended to read his comic book for another 20 seconds before he stood up and walked off. I almost helped him out the door with a foot to his ass.

[JurgenG]

Put a sign: "Drinks consumption has to be renewed every xx minutes"

That's what business owners on the French Riviera are doing for decades... and it works like a charm.

Not only in Nice, in Paris too.

After half an hour they bring you an other over priced coffee. And you can't say anything, there is a big sign advertising the house policy.

If one day I open a restaurant, I won't sell food, I'll rent table. Open Buffet.

According to the food I serve, It will be 500 Bahts / hour, or 1,000 or 5,000

People can stay as long as they want, no problem.

[balo]

Maybe a sign that says maximum 2 hours before they have to leave the table ?

[Thakkar]

Put a sign: "Drinks consumption has to be renewed every xx minutes"

That's what business owners on the French Riviera are doing for decades... and it works like a charm.

Not only in Nice, in Paris too.

After half an hour they bring you an other over priced coffee. And you can't say anything, there is a big sign advertising the house policy.

If one day I open a restaurant, I won't sell food, I'll rent table. Open Buffet.

According to the food I serve, It will be 500 Bahts / hour, or 1,000 or 5,000

People can stay as long as they want, no problem.

Good luck.

Using Parisian level of hospitality as your template, you're on to a surefire winner.

T

[JurgenG]

Funny - if you go back to the OP's second post he clarifies that he's talking about small Thai owned businesses where the owner needs to make income yet everyone here seems to be in the mindset of Starbucks and similar.

I know a lot of street restaurants with very high turnover because the food is excellent but people don't stick there because the sitting is very poor.

So if we are talking about a Thai street restaurant, the solution is simple. Good food, uncomfortable seats.

[GM1955]

Maybe they should do what some large bookshops have done in the west. Add free wifi....install racks of books and sell cooffee and snacks too, they seem to find value in their customers staying.

They are all going bankrupt. I don't think that will work for a tiny restaurant with only a few tables anyway.

Yeah, go into the book shops, browse through the bookshelves finding books that you like, go onto a Torrent site and download them for free as ePub files on your computer to read when you want on, iPad, Kindle etc.

[Moonrakers]

Maybe a sign that says maximum 2 hours before they have to leave the table ?

But what about customers who actually buy stuff?

[theoldgit]

But what about customers who actually buy stuff?

Or even the customers that can't buy anything because the tables are full of freeloaders, or even those that think that by buying a cup of coffee at above average prices allows them to hog a table all day and save on office costs

[transam]

But what about customers who actually buy stuff?

Or even the customers that can't buy anything because the tables are full of freeloaders, or even those that think that by buying a cup of coffee at above average prices allows them to hog a table all day and save on office costs

Must agree.

[Moonrakers]

But what about customers who actually buy stuff?

Or even the customers that can't buy anything because the tables are full of freeloaders, or even those that think that by buying a cup of coffee at above average prices allows them to hog a table all day and save on office costs

Well yeah. But if they are actually buying stuff they are not freeloaders, are they?

I normally like to have a few beers after a meal when eating out with friends. I would not be amused to find that I am on a time limit.

[KeyserSoze01]

There is a difference between offering custom to a business and free loading at the business' expense.

For a small business as cited in the OP, the expedient thing to do would be to pester the crap out of said freeloaders to buy products / services once they have finished their current food course. It does not have to be confrontational, as we have all experienced the over-eager waiter / waitress pestering us for additional custom. If the customer does not take the hint, then politely tell them that it is a small venue and could they make room for additional customers. This may be fine and well for a western establishment, but a Thai would never do this for fear of offending the customer.

[JUDAS]

I'd do nothing but, the next time he showed up his food or drink would have a little extra in it, maybe resulting in the following

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPKfCgnLTFI&feature=related

[Patron]

A very large coffee shop chain in the U.S. is thinking about shutting off all the electricity outlets.

Battery is dead, sorry.....Bye Bye.

[Spoonman]

A very large coffee shop chain in the U.S. is thinking about shutting off all the electricity outlets.

Battery is dead, sorry.....Bye Bye.

they do know you can get netbooks (and some laptops) these days that will survive 7 hrs or more on their batteries don't they ?

Edited August 16, 2011 by Spoonman

[jackr]

I have noticed this problem more and more at restaurants with limited seating. Customers come in and buy a coffee, set up camp at a table and hang around forever playing with mobile devices even when other people can't get a seat.

This might not be a problem for places with very few customers or lots of seating, but what do places that need the tables do?

Owner simply needs to grow a set and tell them to move.

[SomTumTiger]

I have noticed this problem more and more at restaurants with limited seating. Customers come in and buy a coffee, set up camp at a table and hang around forever playing with mobile devices even when other people can't get a seat.

This might not be a problem for places with very few customers or lots of seating, but what do places that need the tables do?

Owner simply needs to grow a set and tell them to move.

Politely, of course, but yes. Grow a pair indeed

[mca]

I have noticed this problem more and more at restaurants with limited seating. Customers come in and buy a coffee, set up camp at a table and hang around forever playing with mobile devices even when other people can't get a seat.

This might not be a problem for places with very few customers or lots of seating, but what do places that need the tables do?

Owner simply needs to grow a set and tell them to move.

Politely, of course, but yes. Grow a pair indeed

That would certainly make me down my cup of java post haste. A middle aged unwashed hairy western restaurant owner with a pair of DD implants asking me to move on.