Cudni
La Merma - Vigilado
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-20
Someshire
| Pancakes not worth personal info
from
»www.securityfocus.com/brief/372
"...
For years, privacy advocates have lamented the fact that consumers are willing to turn over their personal information for just about anything. Well, it seems that many Average Joes draw the line at pancakes.
An International House of Pancakes in Quincy, Mass., began requiring that customers hand over their driver's licenses before sitting down to eat--a policy instituted by local management to combat dine-and-dash customers, ABC's network affiliate WCVB-TV reported on Tuesday. The policy had customers up in arms over the potential privacy problems.
..."
Cudni
--
Some are born to failure, others achieve it, all deserve it.Help yourself so God can help you.MVP, Microsoft Windows Security 2006 |
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GadgetsRme
R.I.P. dadkins
Premium
join:2002-01-30
Canon City, CO | That'd be one place I wouldn't eat, even if it meant missing a meal.
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Gadgets |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs:
 ·Optimum Online
 ·Vonage
| reply to Cudni
"Privacy" issue or not, that's just plain dumb. They must have a serious dine-and-dash problem that needs to be addressed in a more logical way.
How about requiring people to pay for their food before it's served, like some self-serve gas stations do here in NY?
Pay before you eat. 
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~~Well, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, just like me...~~
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FutureMon
OW My Eyes
Premium,ExMod 2002-05
join:2000-10-05
Colorado Springs, CO
clubs: 
| Dine 'n dash
Mow 'n Go
Eat 'n Retreat
Chomp 'n Stomp
Plow 'n Bow
A Very popular college kid stunt - especially late night at Denny's.
I read about this in yesterday's msn.com news. You know usually, the waiter/waitress ends up having to cough up the money for the stolen food out of their pay for the night.
It was an employee who suggested taking the ID's - not management, but the manager should have had a little more common sense that an act such as that would be over "the line" in terms of how far they should go to try to curb the thefts.
- FM
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Undisputed BBR Karaoke Champion! Care to challenge me? |
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eSteve
Yoiks and Away
Premium
join:1999-11-08
Alexandria, VA
clubs:
| reply to Cudni
said by »www.securityfocus.com/brief/372 :Late Tuesday, IHOP's corporate offices declared that the single store which implemented the policy would be reversing the decision and underscored that the manager had instituted the measure without notifying the head office. The last (and only) time I went to the IHOP in my neighborhood, the service was so slow that order went like this:
order
wait wait wait
eat
wait wait wait
ask for check
wait wait wait
estimate the bill and leave money on table
dash
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eSteve
"Think left and think right and think low and think high." - Dr. Suess
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jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-13
Scottsdale, AZ
 ·Speakeasy
| reply to Cudni
I Hop, here I come! Seriously, that company has a bigger problem than meets the eye if they've had to choose this manner in which to try to eliminate that specific problem. Their problem is obviously one of training and management, IMHO. I certainly would not eat at that spot were that the case and wouldn't anywhere else that required such a thing. I wonder what the legal liabilities are that they set themselves up for in doing this.
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JKK
Age is a very high price to pay for my maturity. If I can't stay young, I can at least stay immature!
»www.pbase.com/jaykaykay
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Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| reply to eSteve
said by eSteve  :The last (and only) time I went to the IHOP in my neighborhood, the service was so slow that order went like this: order wait wait wait eat wait wait wait ask for check wait wait wait estimate the bill and leave money on table dash The last time I went to an IHOP (because I was craving pancakes), we were seated pretty promptly. However, I noticed that there was obviously old bacon on the floor under the table next to us. They took our order and then we were entertained by a couple trying to keep their 3 or 4 year old child in line.
"Don't stand up! Sit down! Sit down now! You'd better sit down! I'm counting to 3. 1.... 2..... You'd better sit down. You'd better not pick up that knife. Put that knife down. Don't wave that knife around. I'm counting to 3. 1.... 2.... You'd better sit down now." (repeat for quite awhile)
Our food came minus the whipped cream that usually is on their pancakes, so they took it back to put the whipped cream on. Then we finally got to eat. The pancakes were average quality if that. We paid and left.
A big letdown from the IHOP that I remember from when I lived on Long Island. That IHOP was clean, family friendly, and had courteous staff. I'll never go back to the one by me again. Next time I get a pancake craving, I'll just whip up a batch. I can do it much better than they can. |
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Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| reply to Cudni
Privacy issues aside, if a business has to treat each and every one of their customers like a thief, they have a big problem.
And, of course, if any restaurant asked to hold onto my driver's license while I ate, I would refuse to give it up. If they refused to serve me without giving up a driver's license, their loss. |
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MrBradTX
join:2001-05-23
Carrollton, TX
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to La Luna
The only issue with pre-pay is when it's not universally enforced. Otherwise you get into profiling issues. But making patrons pre-pay may be a violation of the IHOP owner's franchise agreement.
A Dallas suburb recently had a similar issue with drive-off fuel theft. Most stations simply imposed a 100 percent pre-pay only rule. But one very busy station owner, where 90 percent of drive-off thefts occurred, was prohibited from doing so by language in the franchise agreement. The city council finally had to pass an ordinance mandating pre-payment of fuel city-wide in order for the owner to implement pre-pay. |
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dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
1 edit | reply to Cudni
This is the IHOP Genuine Advantage program. IHOP has a right to protect their property in this manner. |
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EGeezer
Summertime -
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage
1 edit | reply to Cudni
Used to be several IHOPs in Columbus OH, but they all seemed to have been placed in areas that subsequently declined into unsafe neighborhoods. Having a security guard and requiring surrender of a drivers license makes me wonder what kind of unsavory clientele frequent the Quincy establishment. The fact that the guard can't spot walkouts wouldn't make me feel very safe either. All they'd need to do is have the cashier print a time/dated receipt and have the customer show it to the guard on the way out(a la WalMart when the stupid RFID tags aren't deactivated.
Before CC readers on gas pumps, some stations used to ask for DLs as well as cash prior to pumping. They said it was because of no-pay driveoffs. When I asked for a receipt of the DL and cash, and an employee ID at the time I gave them the items and another receipt after the sale, they seemed offended. I explained that I needed to ensure that my payment and DL went to a real employee and would not be "lost" and I would not be later accused of a drive-off.
All but a couple begrudgingly complied. The ones who didn't, didn't sell me any fuel.
As for the Walmart FPs on improperly deactivated RFID tags, I tell them at checkout that if I'm stopped and checked due to an alarm, everything I bought is going back. Only once did I return a bag of stuff.
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6EQUJ5 |
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beck
Premium,MVM
join:2002-01-29
On The Road
 ·AllureHost
·Qwest.net
 ·Verizon BroadbandA..
| reply to Cudni
I've been to IHop's all over the country. I like them most of the time. But some are SLLLOOOOOWWWWWW. This is a management problem.
I love their Harvest multi-grain pancakes.
Anyway, asking for a deposit would be almost ok with me.
Asking for the DL is NOT ok.
They should get a security guard if they have a problem. The wait staff should NOT have to pay for orders not paid for. Hello? Are they trained professional thief stoppers? If you don't get to pick the customers you wait on, you cannot be responsible if they don't pay.
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It doesn't interest me who you know, or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
- Oriah Mountain Dreamer |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
·Vonage
| reply to MrBradTX
said by MrBradTX :The only issue with pre-pay is when it's not universally enforced. Otherwise you get into profiling issues. But making patrons pre-pay may be a violation of the IHOP owner's franchise agreement. A Dallas suburb recently had a similar issue with drive-off fuel theft. Most stations simply imposed a 100 percent pre-pay only rule. But one very busy station owner, where 90 percent of drive-off thefts occurred, was prohibited from doing so by language in the franchise agreement. The city council finally had to pass an ordinance mandating pre-payment of fuel city-wide in order for the owner to implement pre-pay. Well, I was sorting of kidding about that. It probably wouldn't be practical in an restaurant situation anyway. But there's got to be something better than would alleviate their problem while not making legitmate customers feel....icky?
I kind of like the show-a-receipt-at-the-door idea....however, depending on what neighborhood we're talking about, who's to say that a "guard" (some older, retired dude?) wouldn't be shot for trying to stop someone who didn't pay? 
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~~Well, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, just like me...~~
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richk_1957
If ..Then..Else
Premium
join:2001-04-11
Minas Tirith
| reply to Jason Levine
said by Jason Levine :said by eSteve :The last (and only) time I went to the IHOP in my neighborhood, the service was so slow that order went like this: order wait wait wait eat wait wait wait ask for check wait wait wait estimate the bill and leave money on table dash A big letdown from the IHOP that I remember from when I lived on Long Island. That IHOP was clean, family friendly, and had courteous staff. I live on LI and the 3 times I went I went to IHOP in the past couple years, I ran into the same situation that eSteve has described. Their parking lots are full & they appear to be busy all the time, but that's because their service is so sloooooow.
If I don't feels like making breakfast myself [pancakes, waffles, eggs or whatever], I go to a diner. |
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DHRacer
Fire Survivor
join:2000-10-10
Lake Arrowhead, CA
·Charter Pipeline
·Verizon west (ex G..
| reply to La Luna
Well, there is this place called HomeTown Buffet. You pay when you walk in, and then eat all you want.
Sometimes I think they ought to weigh you on the way in, and then on the way out, and make you pay that way though. I've seen some disgustingly overwieght people in that place the one time I went in one.
Maybe IHOP should start the system where you pay for 2 drinks and an entree and a side of something up front, per person, then get a credit/cash back for what they don't use of that on the way out?
--
"No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now, go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them." (R&D Supervisor, Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing /3M Corp.) |
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MrBradTX
join:2001-05-23
Carrollton, TX
·RoadRunner Cable
| said by DHRacer :Sometimes I think they ought to weigh you on the way in, and then on the way out, and make you pay that way though. And also weigh any waste you might excrete in the restrooms.  |
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La Luna
Surviving Ashraful
Premium
join:2001-07-12
Warwick, NY
clubs:
·Optimum Online
·Vonage
| reply to DHRacer
said by DHRacer :Well, there is this place called HomeTown Buffet. You pay when you walk in, and then eat all you want. Sometimes I think they ought to weigh you on the way in, and then on the way out, and make you pay that way though. I've seen some disgustingly overwieght people in that place the one time I went in one. Maybe IHOP should start the system where you pay for 2 drinks and an entree and a side of something up front, per person, then get a credit/cash back for what they don't use of that on the way out? Weigh me? In public?  Over my dead body.....I'd rather surrender all my personal information! 
Yeah, I was sort of thinking of a pre-pay idea something like that. You pay for the *main* part of your meal up front, and then you could always pay at the end for any extras you ordered after that. Kind of inconvenient though....
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~~Well, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, I think you're crazy, just like me...~~
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Midak
Doctors suck
Premium
join:2002-02-26
Yonkers, NY
| reply to MrBradTX
I almost took a job at a gas station 14 years ago (times were tough) and they actually trained me how to profile so that I decided who paid up front and who did not. It boiled down to clean cut white people, over the age of 30 got to pay post-pump. Everyone else, pre-payment required. |
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Cudni
La Merma - Vigilado
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-20
Someshire | inaccuracy, that is the problem with old style profiling, colour of the skin has no effect on it actually
Cudni |
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AB
Premium
join:2006-04-04
Leesburg, VA
| reply to Cudni
No shirt, no shoes, no license, no service.
What if you don't drive?
And is it a license from just one person in the party, or must everybody surrender one?
As far as pre-pay-- ain't gonna happen.
Gas is one thing, food quite another.
There's been a time or two in my dining-out life when the food was so lousy, or the service so terrible, that I refused to pay (I was also once served a cocktail with a dead roach in it). Had I already pre-paid, there would have been more of a problem in refusing to pay, I'm sure.
Of course, the purpose behind their requiring a license is not to harvest personal information. The potential would exist, however, for an unscrupulous employee to use that as a means to initiate an identity theft.
But I can only reiterate-- as far as I'm concerned, handing over my driver's license to get a meal just ain't gonna happen.
*I'd like to be there when they weighed La Luna , though. |
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