Charge extra for ice-cream in restaurants?

Mr.Boots

drkpower wrote: »

and I used it as an example of their quality service; if you operate at the premium end produce wise (where you pay €40 for 4 litres of icecream wholesale), you have to be at the premium end service wise. Otherwise you will be out of business.

I realy dont want to argue over it with You
I think ive given what reasons i can for why some restaurants charge more.
I agree 2 euro is to much
I agree 6.50 is to much for a tart.
Like i said, icecream costs more than cream
I cant speak about other restaurants i dont know
My points are all based on how i do business
What more can i say.

AARRRGH

Mr.Boots wrote: »

Or would you prefer to be educated in some Homemade or artisan produced icecream in unusual flavours where you can taste and see the vanilla for example.

I am speaking specifically about the customers who ask for ice cream instead of cream. I am not saying serve cheap ice cream to every customer.

It does depend on your restaurant though. For example, I have eaten in Guilbauds a few times and would not expect to be charged extra for ice cream there (as I'm already paying a lot of money for my food), but if I was somewhere cheap I would also not expect to be charged but would not expect gourmet ice cream on my plate.

For me:

Expensive restaurant, don't charge me, serve me gourmet ice cream
Cheap restaurant, don't charge me, serve me HB

And if I'm honest I'm a difficult customer to please, so if you can please me you're doing well.

Mr.Boots

AARRRGH wrote: »

I am speaking specifically about the customers who ask for ice cream instead of cream. I am not saying serve cheap ice cream to every customer.

It does depend on your restaurant though. For example, I have eaten in Guilbauds a few times and would not expect to be charged extra for ice cream there (as I'm already paying a lot of money for my food), but if I was somewhere cheap I would also not expect to be charged but would not expect gourmet ice cream on my plate.

For me:

Expensive restaurant, don't charge me, serve me gourmet ice cream
Cheap restaurant, don't charge me, serve me HB

And if I'm honest I'm a difficult customer to please, so if you can please me you're doing well.

Cool, agreed
What about somewhere in the middle serving "gourmet" icecream with a 5,50 dessert?

AARRRGH

Mr.Boots wrote: »

Cool, agreed
What about somewhere in the middle serving "gourmet" icecream with a 5,50 dessert?

I think if they told me there will be an extra charge, that'd be fine. The most important thing for me really is not to see any surprises on the bill! :pac:

Mr.Boots

AARRRGH wrote: »

I think if they told me there will be an extra charge, that'd be fine. The most important thing for me really is not to see any surprises on the bill! :pac:

At last...someone who sees my point:D
I agree with you, stealth charges in any business are a nightmare
For anyone who hasnt got it yet, as apears on menu.
****desert 5,50
****desert with icecream 6,50
Portion of icecream 5,50
Portion of icecream with extra scoop of icecream ???6,50???

Enii

Mr.Boots wrote: »

As for calling people ignorant...yea some are...you put up with them...if they get more ignorant about spending 1 euro extra for icecream when its clearly displayed on a menu card, then it will be explained to them, and if they still arnt happy it will be taken from their bill, no question, But Who wins? hes gone off feeling smug, and i feel hes a d$*k.
There is an underlying feeling in this thread that restaurants are out to rip you off, some do but like i said i cant speak for them, i can only go on my experience and how i run my business, every price is clear and displayed, there are no hidden costs, no service charge, no credit card charge, no charge for calling taxis, dropping customers home...the list gose on...
we only charge for what you have comsumed....extra scoop and all;)

Give the free scoop of ice cream for good will????? And to get repeat business...... you do want repeat business, i presume!

drkpower

Mr.Boots wrote: »

At last...someone who sees my point:D
I agree with you, stealth charges in any business are a nightmare
For anyone who hasnt got it yet, as apears on menu.
****desert 5,50
****desert with icecream 6,50
Portion of icecream 5,50
Portion of icecream with extra scoop of icecream ???6,50???

Let me get this straight?
You work/own/cook in a restaurant where you buy wholesale icecream at the very expensive price of €40 per litre. Presumably it must be close to top end (unless you are desert/icecream specialists).

Yet you structure your menu with seperate prices for a scoop of icecream??!! At least its not dishonest, but Ive never seen a top end restaurant with a price structure like that, and I eat out more than most.

Seems a little fishy....

Faith

Mr.Boots wrote: »

Ok, that works for some restaurants, but not mine.
Ill use a well known restaurant as an example.....Chapter one known for its quality ....i dare you to go and ask if they have HB honeycomb
They dont compromise...they champoion local produce, home made produce, quality.
They certinly would not let some nasty cheap icecream taint thier model...why should they.
Would you not go there because no HB?
Or would you prefer to be educated in some Homemade or artisan produced icecream in unusual flavours where you can taste and see the vanilla for example.

If I order a bowl of ice-cream for my dessert, then I expect top-of-the-line stuff. If I order apple tart and ask for ice-cream instead of cream, then I'd be perfectly happy with HB. People who don't like cream and want ice-cream instead generally just care about being accommodated. They don't want you to lose money by having to give them gourmet ice-cream for free. I guarantee they'd be just as happy with HB as long as it's free.

Incidentally, if I order a dessert that's served with cream or ice-cream, that's secondary to the dessert. I care about the quality of the apple tart/chocolate cake/whatever a hell of a lot more than the quality of the cream/ice-cream. That's what I'm ordering, after all.

irish_goat

I work in a bar/restaurant and would never dream of charging someone if they ask for ice cream instead of cream. We'll not go bankrupt over the teeny loss of profit. The amount of "extras" I could apply on a daily basis is ridculous though.

Extra few cents for lemon/lime in a gin and tonic?
Charge extra is someone orders a hot whiskey? Hot water, lemon, sugar and cloves ain't free!
What next? 1 euro charge for a well done steak as it takes longer to cook?

the beer revolu

Mr Boots,
Somehow you seem to have made yourself a whipping boy for the restaurant trade. That can't be fun. But you have kind of walked yourself into this position.

Where you hear anger, I hear more imploring.
Now your argument with DrKpower degenerated into a shouting match (for which he is equally guilty) but that aside people here are imploring you to do well. To give the public value and to do well.
I don't agree that you should serve nasty icecream if that's not what your restaurant does.
Stick by your quality standards, but that doesn't mean you can't offer cheaper options - you just need to be clever and make a bit extra here and take a hit there (that's business).

It's in everybody's interest for both restaurateurs and punters to get along

Mr.Boots

drkpower wrote: »

Let me get this straight?
You work/own/cook in a restaurant where you buy wholesale icecream at the very expensive price of €40 per litre. Presumably it must be close to top end (unless you are desert/icecream specialists).

Yet you structure your menu with seperate prices for a scoop of icecream??!! At least its not dishonest, but Ive never seen a top end restaurant with a price structure like that, and I eat out more than most.

Seems a little fishy....

I never said 40euro a litre????
I eat out alot also and am oftem disapointed with the quality of produce.
Whate exactly is fishy?

Faith wrote: »

If I order a bowl of ice-cream for my dessert, then I expect top-of-the-line stuff. If I order apple tart and ask for ice-cream instead of cream, then I'd be perfectly happy with HB. People who don't like cream and want ice-cream instead generally just care about being accommodated. They don't want you to lose money by having to give them gourmet ice-cream for free. I guarantee they'd be just as happy with HB as long as it's free.

Incidentally, if I order a dessert that's served with cream or ice-cream, that's secondary to the dessert. I care about the quality of the apple tart/chocolate cake/whatever a hell of a lot more than the quality of the cream/ice-cream. That's what I'm ordering, after all.

If your happy with run of th mill rubish HB then good for.

Folks....Gastronomy will never move foreword in ireland with this attitude.
You as customers must accept only the best if you have an interest in food.
Im not talkin michelin star, im talkin about getting the simple thing right from the start.
If it a ham sandwich....then it must be on homemade bread with real butter, dijon mustard and home cooked ham carved off the bone or better still off the hoc. now thats a good sandwich. No rubish Brennans, no rubish cheap spreadable butter, cheap catering mustard and rubber bought in ham,
the same goes for icecream....HB is the Processed ham end of icecreams.
So lets say you agree....are you willing to pay that little bit extra because it cost extra to produce.

the beer revolu

Mr.Boots wrote: »

I never said 40euro a litre????

Folks....Gastronomy will never move foreword in ireland with this attitude.
You as customers must accept only the best if you have an interest in food.
Im not talkin michelin star, im talkin about getting the simple thing right from the start.
If it a ham sandwich....then it must be on homemade bread with real butter, dijon mustard and home cooked ham carved off the bone or better still off the hoc. now thats a good sandwich. No rubish Brennans, no rubish cheap spreadable butter, cheap catering mustard and rubber bought in ham,
the same goes for icecream....HB is the Processed ham end of icecreams.
So lets say you agree....are you willing to pay that little bit extra because it cost extra to produce.

I agree with everything you said there.
But this thread indicates that there is something very wrong with the relationship between restaurant owners/managers and their customers/potential customers. As soon as it becomes us and them, things never go well.

While you agree that in the example of the op the restaurant was wrong
1. To charge €2 for a scoop of ice cream
2 To not not declare it on the menu

Why did you get into a screaming argument on the right of a restaurant to charge for ice cream?
Obviously a restaurant can charge what it likes for whatever it likes!
And, obviously, a customer can be dissatisfied with those charges.
You were given some very good, free, market research and you got yourself into a big us and them situation.
I'm not sure I'd like your restaurant, unless you're the chef!

Mr.Boots

wouldnt quite call it a screaming match, just a difference of opinion which started out as a simple explanation...its costs the restaurant...so it cost you the customer.Simple

the beer revolu

Mr.Boots wrote: »

wouldnt quite call it a screaming match, just a difference of opinion which started out as a simple explanation...its costs the restaurant...so it cost you the customer.Simple

Ah, Mr Boots, you're still at it!
I fear for you.:(

Mr.Boots

the beer revolu wrote: »

Ah, Mr Boots, you're still at it!
I fear for you.:(

CodeMonkey

Mr.Boots wrote: »

So lets say you agree....are you willing to pay that little bit extra because it cost extra to produce.

Yes I am but the problem in this country is that there are a lot of average quality restaurants who charges a lot for what they offer. You're letting that drive the cost of eating in a restaurant with "a little bit extra" up instead of maybe charging the same already high prices and drive down the price of the average restaurants.

And there's no justifying charging extra for the scoop of ice-cream unless lots of customer keep on doing it. You can't loose out on 50c for 1 customer when you're making money off the meal and wine already and you're going to get repeated business? You wouldn't really be loosing money, just making 50c less from the overall bill. That's just scabby.

I'd also expect a top end restaurant to serve home made ice cream.

drkpower

Mr.Boots wrote: »

I never said 40euro a litre????
I eat out alot also and am oftem disapointed with the quality of produce.
Whate exactly is fishy?

Apologies, typo; €40 per 4 litres = €10 per litre. Still pretty expensive. Same price as retail Ben & Jerrys or Haagen Daas. Therefore you must be top-end restaurant. I have never seen a top-end restaurant particularise the amount for an extra scoop of icecream. That's whats fishy.

the beer revolu

I think Mr.Boots has been given very valuable feedback from punters here but rather than listen to it he'd prefer to argue against it and take it all as a personal attack.

There is some very wise things said on this thread, if only he could stop for a moment and listen......shhhh.....listen.

I do hope he doesn't work front of house!

Mr.Boots

I have my opinions
You have yours
The feedback i could take from here is some people dont want to pay extra for icecream with a dessert and some people arnt fussy about quality either, as not one person mentioned quality untill i brought it up....worrying in a food thread.

as for taking it personally ...well maybe a bit, when your told...
"To grow up"
"Your Dishonest"
"Stubborn"
"it sounds fishy"
"i hope he dosnt work front of house"

All these are personal attacks of which of made none of.
Im not trying to scam people as it would appear some posters think i am.
Is a persons word worth nothing any more?
Maybe what some posters could learn from here is that sometimes you need to pay extra for icecream.
You can decide if its worht it or not.

CodeMonkey

Mr.Boots wrote: »

The feedback i could take from here is some people dont want to pay extra for icecream with a dessert and some people arnt fussy about quality either, as not one person mentioned quality untill i brought it up....worrying in a food thread.

Quality is kinda irrelevant to this particular thread. I think what a lot of people saying here is that €6.50 is already a lot to charge for a slice of pie and it ought to have come with ice cream. Charging extra with such a big obvious mark up on the ice cream is taking the piss. And a scoop of premium ice cream is so cheap that it ought to be free if asked. If they happens a lot then change the pie to come with ice cream and adjust price accordingly. Don't piss off the customers, makes perfect sense.

All these are personal attacks of which of made none of.
Im not trying to scam people as it would appear some posters think i am.
Is a persons word worth nothing any more?
Maybe what some posters could learn from here is that sometimes you need to pay extra for icecream.
You can decide if its worht it or not.

I don't think people here think you are a out to scam people. It appears to me that they just don't like your attitude and your justification for rip off prices in the restaurant industry. You want to charge that little extra, it has to appear to be value for money to the customer and not just you're a little better than the other rip off merchants.

Mr.Boots

CodeMonkey wrote: »

Quality is kinda irrelevant to this particular thread. I think what a lot of people saying here is that €6.50 is already a lot to charge for a slice of pie and it ought to have come with ice cream. Charging extra with such a big obvious mark up on the ice cream is taking the piss. And a scoop of premium ice cream is so cheap that it ought to be free if asked. If they happens a lot then change the pie to come with ice cream and adjust price accordingly. Don't piss off the customers, makes perfect sense.

I don't think people here think you are a out to scam people. It appears to me that they just don't like your attitude and your justification for rip off prices in the restaurant industry. You want to charge that little extra, it has to appear to be value for money to the customer and not just you're a little better than the other rip off merchants.

If you read back over my posts you will see i dont agree with a 6,50 charge for "pie" and an additional charge for icecream.
My sugestion again was 5,50 with 1 euro for the icecream.
Again like i said before a clear menu with the prices on it...ie pie 5,50 pie and icecream 6,50 means everyone is happy and customer can make an informed decision.
Im sure some restaurants rip people off....i cant speak for them, but you seem to be lumping me in with them.
Can you back up your statment on how im a rip off merchant, give me an example maybe rather than just throwing statements around.

CodeMonkey

Mr.Boots wrote: »

Can you back up your statment on how im a rip off merchant, give me an example maybe rather than just throwing statements around.

Can you back up your statement on where i called you a rip off merchant?

Mr.Boots

I said lump me in with them
But anyway im not too bothered, birds of a feather and all that.
This isnt a food thread...its a cunsumer issue thread for people with hostile opinions.
I would have thought a food thread would be about food and peoples love of it, not the case here.
There is a poor understanding of quality even though i have done my best to educate.
I shant be posting here again

the beer revolu

Boots,

Your education consists of 'ice cream costs money', well woopee da deee, if it wasn't for you we'd all be going around thinking that ice cream is free.
Thank you Mr. Boots!

Out of 83 posts here, one suggested that HB ice cream should grace your, no doubt, culinary masterpieces. And you fixate on that. Another post suggested that they would expect home made ice cream.

You don't listen to what people say and get aggressively defensive and then call people hostile and uneducated. I suggest that you read back over every post in this thread when you've cooled down. It may be of use to you. I do not agree with every post either.

Despite all this I wish you well but I can't see you in business too long if your attitude here is reflective of how you behave in your work environment.

I would love to know what restaurant you're behind:D

drkpower

Mr.Boots wrote: »

This isnt a food thread...its a cunsumer issue thread for people with hostile opinions.
I would have thought a food thread would be about food and peoples love of it, not the case here.
There is a poor understanding of quality even though i have done my best to educate.
I shant be posting here again

The thread title is "Charge extra for ice-cream in restaurants?"; why did you think it would be a culinary discussion of the world's finest icecream and pie combinations?

There have been many decent suggestions mixed up in the various sniping. They are suggestions that clearly have been embraced by many top, middle and bottom end restaurants for years now. You seem to know differently. Good luck with that!

the beer revolu

I know that this thread has probably run it's course but I was in a friends house for lunch today, who runs a restaurant in Cork.
I asked her the question raised in this thread.
There is no way she would dream of charging for a scoop of ice cream (and it aint gonna be cheapo skim milk stuff).
While I think this is maybe going to far, she also has customers who ask for, say, a steak with just mash and green beans, so she knocks a couple of euro off their bill cause they're missing some elements off the menu. As I said, I think that's a little too generous but it shows how some restaurants work it and see the importance of repeat custom.
Restaurant has survived for 7 years now.

xxdilemmaxx

I was in a restaurant in Clontarf earlier for the early bird and one of the people at our table ordered the chocolate and hazelnut tart for dessert. When the waiter arrived she asked for cream instead of the homemade ice-cream that came with it, works both ways I guess.... Anyway, looked like a bit of a looney when I started laughing

amdublin

In the Hampton Grill in Limerick they offer a free scoop of "award winning" Adare vanilla ice-cream with their desserts.

Put that in your cone and eat it Mr Boots!