Should Men Pay More To Eat?

J

JakeStratham

New member
Oct 28, 2009
2,641
177
0
Location, Location
The title is misleading.

The question is, should men be required to pay more at an all-you-can-eat-buffet? This article explores the issue in detail, citing a Brazilian restaurant that charges men a premium. It does so because, according to a waitress, men eat more.


man-eating-hamburger.jpg



That is, of course, an example of blatant gender-based discrimination. Given the average daily caloric intake for men and women, the approach, while far from perfect, makes sense from a business perspective. Moreover, U.S. restaurants can probably get away with it from a regulatory perspective since men seldom agitate regarding matters involving gender discrimination.

Assuming you're male, would you be okay with paying more for all-you-eat?

Taking this issue a step further, would you be fine paying more based on weight? That is, if you are overweight, would you mind paying a premium?


Overweight-man-and-woman.jpg



And going one step further, let's say you have small children. It's no secret that kids increase the noise level in a restaurant. That's why some of the upscale places in Vegas deny entry to kids under 6. Would you be willing to pay more for the "privilege" of dining at an establishment that imposed a surcharge for each child under 6?


family-small.jpg



Why am I asking? No reason aside from curiosity. Most of you are male. Statistically, many of you are likely overweight. And many of you have children.

What types of discrimination are acceptable to you?
 


It is their fucking business. Don't like it? Don't go and visit a competitor who doesn't charge the premium. If it is a good value and you don't mind paying the premium then go.

I personally don't mind businesses charging more for men, noisy kids, or obese people. I like restaurants that don't make it easy to bring small children (by not having baby stools, or kids menus, having more couple's tables than large tables, opening and closing late, promoting drinking more which turns off families, etc) But that is me. Others are others. Let them run their business as they see fit and let the market respond accordingly.

What the fuck is there to talk about?
 
That's it! I'm starting an online campaign to get the CEO of that restaurant fired.

We can't afford to have attitudes like that in this world, so it's now my mission to make his / her life hell.
 
Discrimination implies that it an unfair distinction. Not all distinctions are unfair.

I'm of the opinion that none of the distinctions given in the OP were unfair.

I'm also of the opinion that forced "equality" hurts society as a whole more than it helps.
 
Charging the obese a premium is a huge marketing move - no matter what you're selling.
 
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAkXPpBnSkM]Classic John Pinette ------ Original Chinese buffet - YouTube[/ame]
 
All types of discrimination are acceptible to me.

Discrimination is probably one of the most essential parts of a free-market system.

Discrimination is a decision, and the market is supposed to reward people who make the best decisions, while punishing those who make poor decisions.

If you remove the naturally punitive market effects, you hamstring the entire fucking concept.
 
I doubt this move would go over well. The business will be flogged without mercy by the internets. Not long after rolling this out and getting the bad PR, they would reverse the policy. Haven't we seen this happen so many times?

That said, there's lots of pricing discrimination already grandfathered in... against women. Grandpa makes the ladies pay more to get their hair cut, clothing stores charge women for alternations while men get alterations free, women often pay more for cars and health insurance and they earn on average about 20% less than men.

Also, here's A Dirty Secret That Restaurants Don't Want You To Know:

Food is relatively cheap. Labor and rent is much higher than food costs.

Edited to add: Ever notice that some people look neither male nor female? How should the restaurant deal with one of those?
 
IceToEskimos said:
All types of discrimination are acceptible to me.

Discrimination is probably one of the most essential parts of a free-market system.

Discrimination is a decision, and the market is supposed to reward people who make the best decisions, while punishing those who make poor decisions.

If you remove the naturally punitive market effects, you hamstring the entire fucking concept.
Click to expand...

UVfNPIF.gif
 
BlueYonder said:
I doubt this move would go over well. The business will be flogged without mercy by the internets. Not long after rolling this out and getting the bad PR, they would reverse the policy. Haven't we seen this happen so many times?

That said, there's lots of pricing discrimination already grandfathered in... against women. Grandpa makes the ladies pay more to get their hair cut, clothing stores charge women for alternations while men get alterations free, women often pay more for cars and health insurance and they earn on average about 20% less than men.

Also, here's A Dirty Secret That Restaurants Don't Want You To Know:

Food is relatively cheap. Labor and rent is much higher than food costs.

Edited to add: Ever notice that some people look neither male nor female? How should the restaurant deal with one of those?
Click to expand...

IT'S THE DAMN PATRIARCHY I TELL YA. FAT MALE PIGS. HILLARY 2016 LET'S DO THIS!!!
 
IceToEskimos said:
All types of discrimination are acceptible to me.

Discrimination is probably one of the most essential parts of a free-market system.

Discrimination is a decision, and the market is supposed to reward people who make the best decisions, while punishing those who make poor decisions.

If you remove the naturally punitive market effects, you hamstring the entire fucking concept.
Click to expand...


Very true.

Humans discriminate as a way to allocate resources, whether time, money, or effort. We buy a truck instead of a car. We watch Clint Eastwood movies instead of Michael Bay movies. Heterosexuals choose partners of the opposite sex. Homosexuals choose partners of the same sex.

And on and on. The ability and willingness to discriminate is a prerequisite for making rational decisions regarding the allocation of limited resources.

Incidentally, this is a very good book on the matter. (free PDF)


B978.jpg



Of course, people are emotional.* As a result, they are easily offended. Hence, our laws against discrimination.


* With regard to emotions, I relate to the character portrayed in the series Dexter.
 
Don't care, but what I do think is that fat people who take up two seats in cattle-class should pay twice the fare.

inb4 peasant spotted. ;)
 
Why make the men pay a premium? Work out the numbers and make everyone pay the same amount. That way no one can get butt hurt.

Oh, wait, that's what a good restaurateur is already doing.

BTW, skinny fit guys can often eat more in one sitting than morbidly obese fat people.

Carry on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom