Author: Sean Loos

achmed13 shared this story from Consumerist.

What began as a bit of fun for the occasionally frustrated workers at a cafe in the French city of Nice is sticking around on the menu, with customers being charged more for coffee if they fail to ask nicely.

For those who aren’t conversant in French, the above sign lists three prices for coffee. The first is €7 ($9.64) for people who merely grunt “un café” when they order. The next tier of pricing is €4.25 ($5.85) for those who politely add a “s’il vous plaît” to their order. And if you can be extra polite and throw in a “Bonjour” and a “s’il vous plaît,” you’ll only pay €1.40 ($1.93).

“It started as a joke because at lunchtime people would come in very stressed and were sometimes rude to us when they ordered a coffee,” the eatery’s owner explains to The Local. “I know people say that French service can be rude but it’s also true that customers can be rude when they’re busy.”

The owner says he hasn’t yet been compelled to charge anyone the higher price and that the sign has resulted in his regular customers now being overly polite when they order.

“They started calling me ‘your greatness’ when they saw the sign,” he says.

[via Eater]