Discount on your bill? Smile!
Guests at Safari Resort in Beekse Bergen had to laugh when they saw their bill. On every receipt: 10 cents off for a smile. And that makes for happy faces, the resort manager explains.
Are you sitting at a table with three people? And were you cheerful and kind to the serving staff? Ka-ching, thirty cents off your bill. The receipt with the smile discount went viral on social media, and industry magazine Misset Horeca asked Safari Resort what exactly was behind the discount. ‘One of our managers entered the discount into the cash register system as a joke. It leads to fun reactions from guests. That’s why we decided to make it standard,’ general manager Stephanie Struis tells the magazine.
One per customer
The more you laugh, the more discount you get? Well, no: a maximum of one smile per guest, says Stephanie. ‘No, we count the number of guests at the table and routinely enter that number into the system, multiplied by 10 euro cents.’ So everyone gets the discount, including the grumpy ones among us. Oh well, what does it matter: perhaps the discount will cheer them up after all!
And the VAT?
Maybe an idea for other hospitality businesses? People are responding enthusiastically on Facebook, including fellow industry professionals. ‘I like it,’ responds hospitality worker Josine. ‘I’ve noticed that people have less patience, even though they go out for dinner to relax.’ Ad says: ‘The discount itself is obviously not important. What matters is that they show that, as a hospitality business, they also appreciate kindness from their guests.’ Well said, Ad, because it’s obviously not a one-way street, those good manners. One clever person is concerned about the accounting side of this story. ‘Is there VAT on a smile?’
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Source: Misset Horeca
