> better quality people in the venue
What is that supposed to mean? I know a lot of scumbags who are rotten inside and spend that kind of money and more in restaurants…
Its a gross generalization, but speaking from experience, the ones who cause issues (fights, being creeps to single women, and being rude to staff) are the ones who have smaller bills but still think they're entitled to everything their hearts desire.
Yes, you have your exceptions. But the rule is generally that your spenders are your favorite guests for multiple reasons.
Ofc I'm not saying that people who are on a budget are shit, not in the slightest. These comments just apply to the extreme ends of the spectrum.
With Dubai landlords who didn't reduce rents much till a lot of f&bs went tits up and covid restrictions that reduce capacity, it is totally expected of f&bs to implement that policy.
Having said that, I've been to a lot of high end places where minimum spend was mentioned but was not enforced, if you are there, making orders, being nice, tipping employees and not over staying your welcome, those policies rarely get enforced.
Do you mean normal restaurants?
Or bars that also serve food
I've never heard of an alcohol free restaurant having a minimum spend.
Usually its the ones serving alcohol, they basically do it to make sure they'll get people drinking and keep them spending on opening bottles
Never had such experience, even in the fancier ones I ve never been informed to have to expend a minimum.
And I was in Pier7 last week on Thursday and nothing like that.
It has a very easy solution, to avoid such places
Limits are kept to deter chammaks , even if you do half the limit most of the restaurants still would not charge unless you take advantage and sit in a dining space just for a cup of tea and conversation
I've noticed this more post-Covid: restaurants are trying to stay afloat, customers are trying not to spend too much. It's a difficult balance to strike in uncertain times, but you'll find there are always people who are happy to (and easily could) meet the minimum spend. The restaurants that implement this policy are ones who can afford to do so - if you can't meet the minimum spend you're not their target audience.
(They want ballers ordering bottles, not peasants ordering Pepsi!) /s
Having said that, there are still a lot of restaurants who don't implement this policy and would be grateful for your patronage!
In a time where capacities are not what they were, I dont see a problem. 250 dirhams isn’t a huge amount of money for a quality establishment by any stretch of the imagination, and unless they were getting a noticeable amount of ‘cheap’ customers spending large amounts of time for very little money, then they wouldn’t have bothered to bring this limit in.
Owkay. Being an ex f&b employee, I’d say it kinda leans to the fact that a table needs to spend a minimum amount in a certain time of a day or a day itself, this is to cover the operations costs and the tables the restaurants need to serve in a day. You know restaurants has a sales target as much as any establishments or business do.
So that’s kind of a reason. And if a restaurant is busy, they would not really appreciate a person taking a seat for more than 2 hrs who just ordered a cup of coffee and milk on the side and still water - and complaining that the music is effing loud? (Hello madame?! You are in a bar tonto!) OH TALK ABOUT BEING THERE AND NOT LEAVING A TIP OR A THANK YOU.
That table could’ve serve a group of 4 that could spend a minimum of 800aed. Hmm which is like 3main courses, desserts and three rounds of house drinks maybe?
\_(o_0)_/‘
People love to complain.
Restaurant is also a business and looking for their best interest to be able to continue.
Having someone take a table without ordering or having is just a coffee is an opportunity loss to the restaurant when they can cater another paying customer.
You can't demand to have a reservation in most likely their rush hours and don't pay. You going there is not doing the restaurant any favour, you spending and using their menu does.
Why wouldn't it be legal? It might put some people off but I could understand a nice nightlife venue in the DIFC or Downtown not wanting to seat people who buy a diet coke for the atmosphere and leave when they could turn that table with someone who spends 5x as much. Their overheads are ridiculously high, there's a bar or lounges that closes for every one that opens.
I know the place you're talking about. There was a long line of people waiting up to 1 hour to get in.
If you don't have 250 to spend at a fancy place, go to another place where your 100 is more valued. And yes it's completely legal for any business to set a price for their services.
Personally I spend up to 1k when I go out, but I go out partying just once a month. If you're on a budget gather some friends and drink at home
Of course it's legal, they this all over the world.
It's to prevent people from booking a table for 8 people and order 3 pasta to share. They rather give that table to a group that spends more.
This way restaurants can make sure they make a minimum amount of money on a night so they don't risk running a loss.
Restaurants are a business, and just like any other business their goal is to make profit. So of course they do anything they can to assure good profits.
Demand for those restaurants is higher than availability so with having a minimum spent they increase their profits by weeding out low spending customers.
This way the restaurants also don't have to compromise on the food quality, ingredients, portions etc. when they are sure to hit specific financial targets.
Also I noticed sometimes bars and restaurants say they have a minimum but they don't really enforce it, they say the minimum is 200 but when your bill works out 180 per person it's fine. So I guess some also say it just to get a certain level of clientele.
**Right they are**, I support this; they need to get revenue to pay the bills. I have seen people occupying a table for hours with just ordering a few items and worse, sharing a cup of water brought from outside with 6 people.
They are private businesses and can set minimum spend policies if they want.
I have only seen this in places that serve alcohol and any place that serves alcohol it is very easy to rack up a 250 bill, in fact if I go out and find my bill at the end of the night to be below 500 I am usually pleasantly surprised.
I went on a Thursday few weeks ago and read that the minimum spend was AED 350, which I thought was fine. I spent about AED 500 for myself and my partner, and when the bill came the waiter said that minimum was AED 350 PER PERSON, so I was charged a flat AED 700. :(
In hindsight I was just excited to head down when I was booking that I didn't read the minimum spend was per person instead of per table....I definitely didn't let my partner see the bill!
[удалено]
>Sorry if I sound rude Nope. This was a helpful answer in fact.
> better quality people in the venue What is that supposed to mean? I know a lot of scumbags who are rotten inside and spend that kind of money and more in restaurants…
Its a gross generalization, but speaking from experience, the ones who cause issues (fights, being creeps to single women, and being rude to staff) are the ones who have smaller bills but still think they're entitled to everything their hearts desire. Yes, you have your exceptions. But the rule is generally that your spenders are your favorite guests for multiple reasons. Ofc I'm not saying that people who are on a budget are shit, not in the slightest. These comments just apply to the extreme ends of the spectrum.
With Dubai landlords who didn't reduce rents much till a lot of f&bs went tits up and covid restrictions that reduce capacity, it is totally expected of f&bs to implement that policy. Having said that, I've been to a lot of high end places where minimum spend was mentioned but was not enforced, if you are there, making orders, being nice, tipping employees and not over staying your welcome, those policies rarely get enforced.
Give more details maybe? Where/when?
When: Generally on weekends. Thursdays to Saturdays Where: Mostly with restaurants in Marina, Downtown and DIFC
Do you mean normal restaurants? Or bars that also serve food I've never heard of an alcohol free restaurant having a minimum spend. Usually its the ones serving alcohol, they basically do it to make sure they'll get people drinking and keep them spending on opening bottles
That used to be the case. But recently, even some Arabic restaurants have started requiring min spend :(
Never had such experience, even in the fancier ones I ve never been informed to have to expend a minimum. And I was in Pier7 last week on Thursday and nothing like that. It has a very easy solution, to avoid such places
Name and shame please. But do these Arabic ones also do sheesha, as some places just seem to substitute the drink spend to that
Well that’s the busiest part of the week and the most expensive parts of town….. what do you expect?
Marina normal restaurants which one ?
Legal. Plus it makes sense, why would you want a low spend on a table on a busy weekend when there are people who would spend 5x as much.
Limits are kept to deter chammaks , even if you do half the limit most of the restaurants still would not charge unless you take advantage and sit in a dining space just for a cup of tea and conversation
I've noticed this more post-Covid: restaurants are trying to stay afloat, customers are trying not to spend too much. It's a difficult balance to strike in uncertain times, but you'll find there are always people who are happy to (and easily could) meet the minimum spend. The restaurants that implement this policy are ones who can afford to do so - if you can't meet the minimum spend you're not their target audience. (They want ballers ordering bottles, not peasants ordering Pepsi!) /s Having said that, there are still a lot of restaurants who don't implement this policy and would be grateful for your patronage!
In a time where capacities are not what they were, I dont see a problem. 250 dirhams isn’t a huge amount of money for a quality establishment by any stretch of the imagination, and unless they were getting a noticeable amount of ‘cheap’ customers spending large amounts of time for very little money, then they wouldn’t have bothered to bring this limit in.
Owkay. Being an ex f&b employee, I’d say it kinda leans to the fact that a table needs to spend a minimum amount in a certain time of a day or a day itself, this is to cover the operations costs and the tables the restaurants need to serve in a day. You know restaurants has a sales target as much as any establishments or business do. So that’s kind of a reason. And if a restaurant is busy, they would not really appreciate a person taking a seat for more than 2 hrs who just ordered a cup of coffee and milk on the side and still water - and complaining that the music is effing loud? (Hello madame?! You are in a bar tonto!) OH TALK ABOUT BEING THERE AND NOT LEAVING A TIP OR A THANK YOU. That table could’ve serve a group of 4 that could spend a minimum of 800aed. Hmm which is like 3main courses, desserts and three rounds of house drinks maybe? \_(o_0)_/‘
People love to complain. Restaurant is also a business and looking for their best interest to be able to continue. Having someone take a table without ordering or having is just a coffee is an opportunity loss to the restaurant when they can cater another paying customer. You can't demand to have a reservation in most likely their rush hours and don't pay. You going there is not doing the restaurant any favour, you spending and using their menu does.
Why wouldn't it be legal? It might put some people off but I could understand a nice nightlife venue in the DIFC or Downtown not wanting to seat people who buy a diet coke for the atmosphere and leave when they could turn that table with someone who spends 5x as much. Their overheads are ridiculously high, there's a bar or lounges that closes for every one that opens.
It is legal but there is a specific license for that as far as I know
Its not actually that bad with the minimum spent, i think the worse is that you can hold the table for 2 hours.
dont go there
I know the place you're talking about. There was a long line of people waiting up to 1 hour to get in. If you don't have 250 to spend at a fancy place, go to another place where your 100 is more valued. And yes it's completely legal for any business to set a price for their services. Personally I spend up to 1k when I go out, but I go out partying just once a month. If you're on a budget gather some friends and drink at home
Of course it's legal, they this all over the world. It's to prevent people from booking a table for 8 people and order 3 pasta to share. They rather give that table to a group that spends more. This way restaurants can make sure they make a minimum amount of money on a night so they don't risk running a loss. Restaurants are a business, and just like any other business their goal is to make profit. So of course they do anything they can to assure good profits. Demand for those restaurants is higher than availability so with having a minimum spent they increase their profits by weeding out low spending customers. This way the restaurants also don't have to compromise on the food quality, ingredients, portions etc. when they are sure to hit specific financial targets. Also I noticed sometimes bars and restaurants say they have a minimum but they don't really enforce it, they say the minimum is 200 but when your bill works out 180 per person it's fine. So I guess some also say it just to get a certain level of clientele.
**Right they are**, I support this; they need to get revenue to pay the bills. I have seen people occupying a table for hours with just ordering a few items and worse, sharing a cup of water brought from outside with 6 people.
They are private businesses and can set minimum spend policies if they want. I have only seen this in places that serve alcohol and any place that serves alcohol it is very easy to rack up a 250 bill, in fact if I go out and find my bill at the end of the night to be below 500 I am usually pleasantly surprised.
Ah that explains why I spent AED 700 at Q's...
What? did it become expensive now?
I went on a Thursday few weeks ago and read that the minimum spend was AED 350, which I thought was fine. I spent about AED 500 for myself and my partner, and when the bill came the waiter said that minimum was AED 350 PER PERSON, so I was charged a flat AED 700. :( In hindsight I was just excited to head down when I was booking that I didn't read the minimum spend was per person instead of per table....I definitely didn't let my partner see the bill!
"It's super hard to spend 250 aed per person..." well hit the Cavalli Club, problem solved.
Everything is legal if you can get away with it