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.

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.

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?

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.

said by FutureMon
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.
- FM
[/BQUOTE :

Surely this can't be legal? In the UK we've had laws for many years preventing such losses from being levied on employees (known as "the truck acts").

said by seankelly :

May not be legal, but it happens. There are also some restaurants that require servers to bring in their own change every day in specific denominations.

- FM
--
Undisputed BBR Karaoke Champion! Care to challenge me?

said by Midak :

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.

said by PolarBear :

If - IF - their dine and dash problem is that bad, why don't they ask the local PD to have a patrol officer hang out by the main entrance/exit to enforce the law? If the problem is really as bad as they make it to be, the local PD shouldn't object, as obviously they would probably be able to make an arrest or two.

And instead of their customers feeling invaded/exploited/etc., they would feel safer knowing a cop was on the premises.

Any thoughts?

said by La Luna :

Another possibility along that line is to have the cops routinely show up and walk into the IHOP on a regular basis....sometimes just their presence at random times can be a deterrent. I know they do that at our local convenience stores.

said by La Luna :

. . Or....how about guard dogs that they could sic on unpaying customers as they flee to their cars?

said by PolarBear :



You're right; this is a just-as-effective alternative that wouldn't warrant actually stationing an officer there. I also know that this is a good tactic (a cop randomly showing up for no apparent reason) because it worked great at the Tesoro I worked at.

Kudos, Luna