It’s a known fact that desi masala chai is a popular beverage among tea lovers around the world. So much so that some cafés in the UK and the US are now offering their own spin on the masala chai, in order to provide something different to their patrons. Speaking of the latest, a café in England is offering a discount on desi chai, but it comes with a ‘polite’ twist. You can avail the concession at the café on one condition - must ask for chai politely. Yes, you read that right. Take a look at the post by the cafe:
The café, named 'Chaii Stop', is located in the city of Preston, Lancashire. On their menu, it is specified that if you ask for a cup of 'desi chai', it will cost you five pounds. However, if you add the word, ‘please’ while asking for it, it will come at three pounds. And, if you further add a 'hello', the chai will cost you around one pound and 90 cents. Yes, just being polite can bring down the price of your desi chai by nearly three pounds.
According to a news report, the owner of the café, 29-year-old Usman Hussain, started this initiative after he spotted a similar signboard at a café elsewhere and loved the idea. He felt that it was extremely important for people to be polite to those serving and assisting them with their orders. "This was never set up because we had rude customers - I put it there just to have a bit of a laugh. People have been coming in and pointing at it, asking for their tea to make sure they get the right price. For them to walk in, talk about it and have a laugh with it, that's all it's about- it builds that rapport with our customers," he told Lancs Live.
Wondering, if anyone actually ever had to pay five pounds for their chai after reading the sign? "If a customer doesn't use their manners I point to the sign, and they ask again more politely. People can be quite rude in the mornings while they're waking up but when they see the sign it makes them think," Usman told The Sun.
Isn’t that quite innovative? Have you spotted a similar concept anywhere? Well, there is one. Seva Café - a chain of cafés operating in temporary locations across the world - runs on the concept of donation dining. This place is where you don’t pay for your own meals, but the person who came before you paid for your meal, and you will pay for the next person who comes.
These cafés are run by volunteers who cook and serve patrons. At the end of the meal, guests are given a slip of paper, through which they are informed that their meal was paid for by a previous patron. And they, in turn, should make a contribution for a future guest. The accounting is completely transparent and is displayed on a noticeboard inside the café. All profits are used to run the project. This initiative was first started in Bengaluru.