'Unlucky' coffee shop: rated poor because of 37k, annoying menu message?

Social media is buzzing about the story of "a 37k cup of iced tea for the poor". Accordingly, a user posted a picture of a coffee shop's menu on the social network Threads, notably including the dish "Oolong jasmine and kumquat" for 37k.

There would be nothing to say, when inside the menu is written a rather special 'difficult' description: "We know not everyone is well-off, or sometimes just because you called you here to confide, but no matter what, we are in the service industry and nothing is free. Call when your finances are limited, call when you just need a seat. We never judge, or rather, in any context. JUDGING ANYONE IS NOT GOOD".

Although considered a way to show understanding, this content quickly caused mixed reactions from the online community. Some people were upset that the way the restaurant's menu was written showed a lack of sophistication and was somewhat "inappropriate". A 37k glass of iced tea is recommended to be ordered when "financially tight" making many people feel judged and even considered an insult to customers.

In the comment section of the post, most people said that for those who like to drink iced tea, after reading the menu, no one would dare to order this drink for fear of being classified as a person with limited finances. "After ordering this dish, the restaurant staff will probably look at me like I'm poor and have no money."

Besides, many people think that the price of a 37k cup of iced tea is too expensive and those who are willing to spend that amount of money to drink coffee cannot be called financially tight. Moreover, other drinks on the menu are priced only 3k higher, around 40k, but do not come with reminders like this iced tea. This makes many people feel that the 37k cup of iced tea has become a symbol of the distinction between the rich and the poor just because of a very small price gap.

In addition to the criticism, some people also commented that the cafe may be trying to manage the number of customers who come to the cafe just to sit and talk without consuming any of the cafe's drinks. This situation is not uncommon, especially in crowded cafes in big cities, where customers often come to the cafe just to meet friends without needing to order any drinks.

Some comments said that the restaurant's intentions were good, but the words were a bit "misleading" and could easily "hurt" customers. Many people suggested that instead of writing information on the menu like that, the restaurant could come up with reasonable surcharge regulations to avoid wasting tables and chairs without having to "suggest" to customers by describing them in such an insensitive way. Besides, there were also some comments that maybe people were being a bit "sensitive" and that was not the restaurant's intention.

Although it is not a new issue, the story of customers coming to coffee shops and sitting for too long (6-8 hours) is still a story that many people discuss. Many conflicting opinions are given, some people think that it is normal because coffee shops do not regulate the sitting time of customers, and these customers ordered food so there is nothing wrong. However, some people think that it is a "sensitive" matter, and many customers who sit too long are even gossiped about and judged. So, from the customers' perspective, how should this story be resolved?

Nowadays, besides enjoying a drink, customers come to coffee shops for other purposes such as meeting friends, some people choose this place to study or work, or simply find a corner of the shop to "chill" and find inspiration.

There would be nothing if there were not situations where some customers were so engrossed and immersed in their own affairs that they sat in the coffee shop for 5-6, even 7-8 hours. Many young people said that they also sat in the coffee shop for quite a long time. Like Tam P. (a marketing staff in Ho Chi Minh City) who once sat in the shop for up to 6 hours, or Di Ng (marketing at a local brand in Ho Chi Minh City) who often sat in the coffee shop to work, so there were times when she sat for... half a day.

There is nothing wrong with this in terms of regulations, but it is a very difficult situation to talk about.

Regardless of who you talk about, there have been many cases of customers sitting in coffee shops for a long time that have become a topic of discussion on social networks. It can be seen that regardless of the position of the owner or the staff, cases of customers sitting in coffee shops for a long time have been judged many times by those around them, most notably the customers who came in later and were left without a seat.

In fact, being "judged" in this case is not pleasant at all. Therefore, the more important thing is to find a solution to this problem, so that both parties (the owner and the customer) feel comfortable and happy.

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