Should restaurants give preferential treatment to women?

[GorillaJu]

How do you feel about women getting special treatment at restaurants or other such establishments?

My favorite local ramen shop gives what seems to me like excessive preferential treatment to women. Here is a list of things I've observed, but it probably extends beyond this:

• Free paper apron upon entry to protect clothes from soup splash
• Half-size (and cheaper) noodle bowl available only to women customers
• Free hair-ties so you can lean over your ramen without getting your hair in the bowl.
• If you come on your birthday (and this applies to women only) they take you and your friends' picture with a polaroid, and you write a message/your name/whatever and they stick it on the wall. If you want, of course.
• Free candy when you leave.

It's never bothered me at all, I personally appreciate it because my wife isn't a big fan of my favorite ramen shop due to the super salty and garlicky soup, but I feel like them always making her feel special over a lowly male ramen-guzzler like myself makes her agree to go there for dinner or lunch much more often than she would normally.

It's really common where I am to see menu items specifically written out in an attempt to appeal to women. Portion sizes, prices (Indian restaurants always have a "ladies set" which has much better cost-performance than regular sets) and special flavors are just some of the things I'm used to seeing be specifically offered and limited to female customers.

However when I have visitors from the USA, sometimes the women are turned off or even appalled by this practice.

I'm curious how Gaf feels about this.

 

[Trident]

Where do you live? I've never heard of anything like this.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Stuff like that would make me simply not give them my money or patronage. I can't see any compelling argument for why women should be treated differently in a restaurant, much less offered exclusive menu options.

 

[C-Drive]

No.

I pass by a gas station that has a "Ladies Day", where you get a free Car Wash with a 10 gallon purchase. Stuff like that shouldn't exist in this day and age. It's not the 40s.

 

[GorillaJu]

Sorry I should have clarified, I live in Japan.

 

[Messofanego]

The hair ties thing makes sense, but the rest I'm hearing for the first time.

 

[Browny]

• Free paper apron upon entry to protect clothes from soup splash

This should probably be for all...

• Free hair-ties so you can lean over your ramen without getting your hair in the bowl.

This is clever. But what about men with long hair?

The rest is a bit off in my opinion. What if I have a small stomach and only want a half portion?

 

[GeordieMark]

Doesn't sound fair, but it doesn't bother me.

 

[Apt101]

I've been seeing in certain restaurants and bars my entire adult life, can't say I care. Some of the things just seem like courtesy.

 

[Renekton]

I don't like being pandered to or patronized, so this is fine by me.

 

[Linkyn]

Does that mean that if a man were to ask for some of these things, they'd turn him down on principle? Sounds a little dodgy to be honest.

 

[HarryKS]

It's nothing. If you're pretty enough, you get everything. Male or female.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Nearly all restaurants I've been to give out free candies to anyone. They usually come with the bill.

 

[GorillaJu]

Does that mean that if a man were to ask for some of these things, they'd turn him down on principle? Sounds a little dodgy to be honest.

Honestly I don't know. I've never tried, but since I'm white and thus in a very small minority, I think they'd gladly give me what I asked for since foreigners are generally given preferential treatment as well.

I assume if I asked for something I'd get it, but I have been to one or two restaurants before where I asked if I could order the ladies set because the curry options looked better to me, and they told me no.

 

[Relativ9]

Sounds patronizing, the lower price for women is downright illegal in most western nations.

 

[Dennis]

Never heard of something like this. Seems very culturally specific to Japan.

 

[bjork]

So, wait. You don't like their practices, but you'll use them to convince your wife to go eat food she really doesn't care for? Who's the monster now, OP? Who's the monster now?

Anyway, it either adds some kind of boost to their business, or the owner has a need to cater to his female customers. Maybe as a kid, he went to ramen with his parents, but his mom's hair was always getting in the food and her dress was always wet with splashes, etc

 

[TatteredHat]

Those seem like weird things to offer exclusively to women, most restaurants here would offer them to anyone who asked.

anecdotal: I was offered a paper apron once when I was in japan and it was when I was eating salisbury steak, those things are way too noisy.

 

[Kamaji]

It sounds really weird to me. First of I think half portions are extremely weird when women at least need 80-85% of the calories a equivalent male would need during the day.

Secondly the overall feeling I get is that they assume women have the mental age of twelve (candy, "fun" birthday suprises etc) which I think is a bit demeaning.

Basically i've never in my life seen a similar thing. The only advantage i've ever noticed is who get's to order first in a bar or so. Frankly I don't even think such presentations would be legal in my country/my neighbouring countries.

 

[archnemesis]

I'm used to the opposite. Women often get smaller servings while paying the same price.

 

[dity]

I think it's fine as long as they don't go out of their way to treat everyone else like shit in the process, y'know?

I'm sure they don't though so it's cool.

I have long hair and a small appetite, so I wonder if they'd mind giving me a hair tie and smaller serving? Because I wish I could get smaller servings at most places. It's hard to keep a low sodium diet because of huge servings.

 

[Fliesen]

Should they? ... nah
If they do, do i really mind? ... nah

 

[WrenchNinja]

No free candies for dudes is major bullshit. Fuck that place.

 

[Dennis]

Dogs should be given special treatment though.

 

[Jackben]

*free paper, hair ties, anecdotes about candy and picture taking*

"WOMEN ARE BEING GIVEN PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT"

Keep on chugging that MRA koolaid.

 

[soundscream]

Aside from the free candy, this doesn't seem like anything to get worked up about.

 

[Shai-Tan]

nice joke post?

Anyway, a lot of people get preferential treatment whether it's based on age, sex, race, attractiveness. Some of it maybe shouldn't happen but that should be separated from manufactured outrage at any perceived difference. Also keeping in mind that the preferential treatment could be exploiting a bias in the general population to make more money like e.g. seeing more women could possibly attract more customers (male or female) for whatever reasons

 

[ZeroX03]

*free paper, hair ties, anecdotal evidence of candy and picture taking*

"WOMEN ARE BEING GIVEN PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT"

Keep on chugging that MRA koolaid.

Portion sizes, prices (Indian restaurants always have a "ladies set" which has much better cost-performance than regular sets) and special flavors are just some of the things I'm used to seeing be specifically offered and limited to female customers.

Did you miss that bit? I'm not saying the OP isn't reading into things a little too much, but the MRA accusation is pretty harsh.

Or hell, this bit:

It's never bothered me at all, I personally appreciate it

 

[Drencrom]

*free paper, hair ties, anecdotes about candy and picture taking*

"WOMEN ARE BEING GIVEN PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT"

Keep on chugging that MRA koolaid.

Are you facetious?

I really don't see how this is some "MRA rant".

 

[shinra-bansho]

First they take our consoles, then our Cabinet positions, now our restaurant aprons.

This really seems rather inconsequential? From a marketing perspective, a store may want to attract demographics they're not performing as well with?

I mean, I think I find the idea of smaller portions somewhat condescending really.

 

[JDSN]

Have they refused to give hair ties to long haired dudes?

 

[Snkfanatic]

*free paper, hair ties, anecdotes about candy and picture taking*

"WOMEN ARE BEING GIVEN PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT"


Keep on chugging that MRA koolaid.

Well that's one hell of a jump.

 

[teruterubozu]

That's because those are "salarymen" establishments that rarely see female customers. The context is a bit skewed here for a productive discussion.

 

[Dead Man]

I think it's fine as long as they don't go out of their way to treat everyone else like shit in the process, y'know?

I'm sure they don't though so it's cool.

I have long hair and a small appetite, so I wonder if they'd mind giving me a hair tie and smaller serving? Because I wish I could get smaller servings at most places. It's hard to keep a low sodium diet because of huge servings.

You know you don't have to eat the whole thing, right? I get the cost argument, but if you need a low sodium diet, just eat half the serve.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

You should protest outside that restaurant

 

[Jackben]

Did you miss that bit? I'm not saying the OP isn't reading into things a little too much, but the MRA accusation is pretty harsh.

I was responding primarily to the bullet points the OP gave of stuff he actually saw in the ramen shop, otherwise we could go all day airing out a laundry list of examples.

I also disagree that marketing to a specific demographic for your business means "giving preferential treatment", as if a menu item at a ramen shop is some kind of equality issue that demands action.

 

[Siegcram]

This is the most nothing "preferential treatment" ever.
You get a free polaroid picture on your birthday? I bet the place is overrun by women from all over Japan.

 

[GorillaJu]

So, wait. You don't like their practices, but you'll use them to convince your wife to go eat food she really doesn't care for? Who's the monster now, OP? Who's the monster now?

Anyway, it either adds some kind of boost to their business, or the owner has a need to cater to his female customers. Maybe as a kid, he went to ramen with his parents, but his mom's hair was always getting in the food and her dress was always wet with splashes, etc

I don't use them to get my wife to come with me, but I appreciate that they might do that job for me, you know?

Okay, I'm a monster

 

[ZeroX03]

I was responding primarily to the bullet points the OP gave of stuff he actually saw in the ramen shop, otherwise we could go all day airing out a laundry list of examples.

I also disagree that marketing to a specific demographic for your business means "giving preferential treatment".

So you just didn't read his entire post. He gives specific examples at other places and says it doesn't bother him. He appreciates it. And you throw out an MRA tag. Seems like an apology - and proper reading of OP's posts - is in order.

 

[Jackben]

So you just didn't read his entire post. He gives specific examples at other places and says it doesn't bother him. He appreciates it. And you throw out an MRA tag. Seems like an apology - and proper reading of OP's posts - is in order.

Disagree. This is concern trolling at best. "Well I think it's awesome BUT I'm gonna pose the question to GAF...yknow, just to see what other people think!"...with a slanted title in order to stealth support a ridiculous concept.

 

[ZeroX03]

Disagree. This is concern trolling at best. "Well I think it's awesome BUT I'm gonna pose the question to GAF...yknow, just to see what other people think!"...with a slanted title in order to stealth support a ridiculous concept.

Ah so you're just a clown scrambling after not properly reading the post and refusing to back down. Cool. Not worth the time.

 

[Dylan]

#notallrestaurants

 

[Alx]

Nothing worth protesting, but the first three seem odd to limit to women only. Maybe men would need an apron too, or smaller portions, or a hair clip if theirs is long.
Special birthday photos and sweets ? Yeah whatever, that's just added bonus the owner is free to give on his own terms.

 

[Always-honest]

Where do you live? I've never heard of anything like this.

Same.. Netherlands here.

 

[iNvid02]

sounds dumb aside from the hair ties

 

[Dennis]

This is a very very minor issue at best.

Jackben going 0-60 mph in 3 seconds and making it out to be an MRA issue is hilarious though.

 

[dity]

You know you don't have to eat the whole thing, right? I get the cost argument, but if you need a low sodium diet, just eat half the serve.

I... know?

I have no idea what to say other than that. It's still very hard to control for things like soups or ramen (as mentioned in the OP) regardless of just eating half. For both cost purposes and peace of mind, I'd rather being served a half portion from the get go.

 

[Jackben]

Ah so you're just a clown scrambling after not properly reading the post and refusing to back down. Cool. Not worth the time.

Just not foolish enough to be caught up in concern trolling and people who "beg the question" in order to rile up dumb anti-women sentiment.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

To answer the thread title though, yes, they should be given preferential treatment. All of society should give women preferential treatment.

Spoiler

I find the idea of a society of dominant women and submissive men to be hot.

 

[striferser]

Probably trying to get more woman to go into the establishment, aka catering to specific demographic. As a guy, i don't see any problem with it.