Pay-what-you-like Restaurants
By Anna Mantzaris
(Budget Travel) -- Radiohead made news when it allowed its fans to pay whatever they thought was reasonable to download the band's latest album. Now, innovative restaurants around the world are doing the same thing -- letting their patrons decide how much their meal is worth.
At Der Wiener Deewan in Vienna, Austria, cash donations are accepted at the take-out counter.
At Terra Bite Lounge (219 Kirkland Ave.) in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland, most diners slip cash into a donation slot by the barista, while others just walk away without bothering to pay.
"If I forget to bring enough money, I can just give more next time," says real-estate consultant Tina Cooper, who stops at Terra Bite most mornings for what she claims is the best soy latte in the neighborhood.
"When we first opened, some people felt uncomfortable and didn't come back," says Terra Bite's founder, Ervin Peretz. "But we now have regulars who put $20 into the slot every Friday for a week's worth of joe."
Discretion is certainly a theme of the pay-what-you-want trend. At Salt Lake City's One World Everybody Eats (41 S. 300 East St.), you can deposit cash into a "treasure box" or use the customer-operated credit card machine. The 50-seat restaurant, decorated with Buddha statues, serves organic dishes from a combination self-serve and assisted buffet. There's also an edible herb and flower garden with outdoor seating.
A philosophy student opened Der Wiener Deewan in Vienna, Austria, where cash donations are accepted at the take-out counter. The all-you-can-eat buffet features Pakistani curries that change twice daily.
"I wasn't sure the concept would even work," says co-owner Natalie Deewan. "But after the first few weeks, our customers were so enthusiastic that they were paying more than their fair share." You can add to the funky decor by drawing on the Plexiglas walls with permanent markers.
At the Lentil as Anything chain in Melbourne, Australia, you drop money into a box by the kitchen. The first restaurant opened in 2000, and now owner Shanaka Fernando is working on his sixth location (when he's not running a refugee program). The cuisine is a mix of Sri Lankan and Tibetan, but eggs and veggie burgers are also on the menu.
"When it comes down to it, we just want to promote the very underutilized concept of trust," says Fernando.
I don't know what it says
I don't know what it says about me, but I don't think I would be comfortable with this concept. It has nothing to do with trust, but feeling I wouldn't want to take advantage of the situation. Did I leave enough, to much? Yikes, I just want to relax and enjoy my meal prepared by someone else and not have to think about how much I think it is worth. To much work for me!
KarilouMomof2 is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Tempe. Her daughters are 9 and 6.
Wow, what an unusual
Wow, what an unusual concept. But it sounds like this idea needs an alternative/hip kind of place to make it work. Not sure how it would work in Phoenix - but you never know.
Lattemom is the mother of three energetic kids ages 6, 8 & 11 and a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com.
In the town I grew up in, a
In the town I grew up in, a chef moved to town and started a restaraunt with a very similar idea. It was pay what you want, but it was also menu free. You told him what you were in the mood for, and he'd see if he could make it in a reasonable time frame. He also had a daily special board. I moved not long after he opened, I always wondered what happened with that.
At the time, my much younger sister was enamored with pesto pasta, so when I was babysitting, I would take here there and he would make some. The pasta wouldn't always be the same shape, but she didn't care. I think I paid $8, $3 for my sister and $5 for me. But I probably paid less.