One CAFE split opinion by charging customers twice as much if they order politely.
Chaii Stop, in Preston, Lancashire, introduced the new rule to help customers remember their manners and reinforce the café’s culture of “good vibes only.”
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29-year-old Usman Hussain opened the Preston shop in March, selling chai, doughnuts and street food.
He also recently added a sign explaining to customers that they will pay different prices for the exact same drink depending on how politely they order it.
The sign clarifies that statement “Desi Chai” will cost you £5 while “Desi Chai please” will cost you £3.
But “Hello, Desi Chai please” will cost you just £1.90.
Usman stated that while they have never had to deal with rude customers, he hopes that the rule will encourage people not to be so judgmental.
Usman, soon-to-be father-of-two, said that he thought it was a good reminder to be polite.
“We have never had to deal rude customers before, but the sign people are now more open and sharing a joke with us.
“To me the most important thing is to greet you at the door as if you were a friend in our home.
“It’s nice to have that respect reciprocated.”
Owner Usman got the inspiration years back from a post he saw on Facebook of an American café who had implemented the same rule.
The picture had been in his camera collection for over two years. He found it recently and decided to give it a try in Chaii Stop.
Usman said: “I decided to bring the idea into our shop because it fit perfectly into our concept.”
The shop staff noticed that people were coming in from the outside and becoming more friendly as soon as the sign was up.
Even though people laugh about it, it is still a reminder to them to be polite.
Usman confessed they have yet to actually charge someone £5 for their drink – because it’s rarely necessary.
He stated, “If a customer does not use their manners, I point to the sign and they immediately inquire again more politely.
“A lot people can be very rude when they wake up in the morning, but they are forced to think about the signs once they see them.
“At the end, you don’t know what someone is going through. But it helps them to let their guard down.
“It gets people talking – it’s like an icebreaker. And that’s what our company is all about.
“Any negativity gets left at the door.”
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