Restaurant's 'Prayer Discount' Sparks Mix Of Praise, Anger
by SCOTT NEUMAN
August 01, 2014 1:22 PM ET
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/08/01/337110193/restaurants-prayer-discount-sparks-mix-of-praise-anger?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140801 (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/08/01/337110193/restaurants-prayer-discount-sparks-mix-of-praise-anger?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140801)
When Jordan Smith got her tab after breakfast at Mary's Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem, N.C., she was pleasantly surprised to find a 15 percent discount — for "praying in public."
Smith, on a business trip, tells HLN that she and her colleagues "prayed over our meal and the waitress came over at the end of the meal and said, 'Just so you know, we gave you a 15 percent discount for praying.' "
Maybe that was because the standard response to that restaurant's food was to vomit?
Just plain bizarre. Discrimination - yep.
I too view this as discrimination. I don't like it one bit.
...and as appears to be the case from the article, you only get a 15% discount for a certain sort of "praying".
It's clearly discrimination, particularly if they only offer it to Christians which seemed to be the suggestion from the tone of the article.
It seems like a pathetic attempt at social engineering through monetary rewards. Sort of like how the conservative government over here was offering financial incentives to married couples to stay together.
i.e. support our traditional family model and we'll pay you.
With the apparent policy going viral and thereby becoming known to many more people, I wonder what kind of impact this is going to have on the businesses bottom line over the long haul? I mean customers know now and from what I hear in retail, "But so and so got the discount! Why didn't I?" is inevitable toward the servers who don't opt-in to the discount. So now the business is looking at:
* Bad press for denying someone else who prayed.
* Their menu suddenly being valued at 15% less across the board.
* Needing the good will of it's patrons to respect that this is a business that needs to turn a profit.
I'm glad I didn't put myself in that position. But, that's what you get when you play favorites.
Here is my opinion in 2 point >:-)
1) restaurant owners are entitled to any policy they wish
2) I am entitled to not give them my hard earned money. ;D
Quote from: Myarkstir on August 03, 2014, 08:43:43 PM
1) restaurant owners are entitled to any policy they wish
Does this include excluding all black people, for example? Or making them sit separately?
Can all the white owned restaurants in a given town decide they're all going to exclude black people or make them sit separately?
Oh my word, I appreciate it's not the greatest injustice in the world but I'm afraid I see this as utterly farcical. I think presenting it as a 'discount' is totally disingenuous too since the practical reality is a two-tier price system based on an arbitrary trait. I can accept price variations that help oppressed or disadvantaged social groups but that's not the dynamic here, it's the opposite of that. This is somebody belonging to a powerful social group using the enhanced power of a business to penalise people that don't conform.
As for any arguments about it being their business so they're entitled to it, I tend to reject that perspective as neo-liberal callousness that washes its hands of consequences. I don't think society should abdicate its duty to ensure justice and leave people to the fate of the magical market, that just allows existing inequalities and bigotry to be entrenched. Equally, a business is not a person or an extension of a person to me. In my mind, it is a separate legal entity participating in the public realm with greater power than a single individual and must be regulated to a greater extent to prevent unacceptable power disparities.
What do I think? I think I could manage a prayer for a discount, LMAO.
They are just demonstrating their great knowledge of and dedication to the Holy Bible.
QuoteMatt 6:5-6, And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (RSV2-CE)
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QuoteThey are just demonstrating their great knowledge of and dedication to the Holy Bible.
It's amazing the hypocrisy people like that often demonstrate. People who claim to follow the bible all to often ignore it or just choose the parts they like.
Quote from: Kylo on March 16, 2018, 08:44:30 PM
What do I think? I think I could manage a prayer for a discount, LMAO.
Very dumb policy, would hate to work there!
"Oh waiter, waitress, stop what yer doin' and join us, come watch us pray"!Want discount but didn't get it? Just
STIFF serving staff standard 15% tip (or, better yet,
PRAY for Jewish Lightning, place to completely burn down before cashier has a chance to collect anything!)
Hey, c'mon, I'm a student.