Why It’s a Mistake To Ration The Orange Juice

Posted by barblog on Dec 17, 2009 in Bar Management, Bar Service | 3 comments

There’s a worrying trend in hotels lately. I’m sure you’ve noticed it. It has now got to a point where I can no longer skulk in the shadows and not address the elephant in the room. I have been too quiet for too long on this subject.

I am talking of course about the size of orange juice glasses on the breakfast buffet. The ever decreasing size of juice glasses is more than a simple cause for concern. It is just bad for business. Have alook at the orange juice “glass” that was available  to me in a hotel this week:

It’s never a good sign when the orange juice glass is smaller than the salt and pepper shakers. Now that I look closely at the picture I took, even the upright sugar sachets are as tall!

What kind of impression is this to give me during the last interaction I have with a hotel? The room was nice, service was good, food was fine, but then this. This abomination presents itself to me!

The reason this is such a business faux pas is that most hotels that ration the orange juice have little or no concern for how much bacon has been put out on display for me to eat, or how much fruit has been chopped up, not to mention the television or ironing board that were available to me if I really wanted to rip off the hotel, so why ration the orange juice? What’s the most damage I could do to your bottom line? $5 at a push?

I could have hit you for more than that with one snugly fitting bath towel in my bag as I leave!

Bad last impression when the collateral damage of this lasting impression is so great!