From: [an eater]
Date: Thursday, November 2, 2006
To: eater complaints dept.
Subject: $50 per person minimum??
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Recently my sister made us a reservation at Little Giant for a weekend evening for a party of six people. We were very excited to try it as it had received very good food reviews. However, one of our dining companions alerted us to the fact that for a party of six, there is a $50 minimum per person. She found out from some Citysearch postings.
So I called the restaurant to double-check this policy. The woman on the phone said, yes, they "highly recommend" the $50 minimum (including tax and not tip). But said that technically they probably couldn't "legally enforce" it.
I think the policy is a bit absurd--and have never heard of another restaurant in New York doing this. I know some restaurants will do a tasting menu for a large party, and find this a better method. And most restaurants simple tack on a 18 percent to 20 percent tip to the bill.
We chose to cancel the reservation. I just didn't want to spend my dinner worried if we were spending enough--and being resentful of the fact that we were being asked to do so. The funny thing is that most likely we would have spent that much there (and we did at the restaurant we went to instead), but to be "recommended" to do so seems tactless on the part of the restaurant.
Have you heard of other restaurants with this type of policy?
· FW: Question about Menupages [~E~]
· FW: Rudeness at 5 Ninth [~E~]
· FW: Scam at 55 Bar? [~E~]
