It seems like everyone was being a little hard on the OP. I too disagree with what he said but that's no reason to jump on him! Steve and I always say we are going to split a meal because when we get our food it's always more that we should eat...then, after cleaning our plates we say 'we should have just split something'...unfortunately we think of it after we eat..explains why I can't wear half the stuff in my closet! The first time I went to a restaurant and was charged a split fee to share a salad with a friend I too thought it was silly...then after rethinking it I realized the reasoning. I think the OP was going through the same thought process I was...it had absolutely nothing to do with the money or being cheap..it was just a surprise. With all of the seniors living in TV I'm sure the restaurants find that a lot of people can't eat a whole meal but when you have a full restaurant with only half of the people ordering a meal it can get costly, not to mention the people that can't get in because the tables are full. It makes sense for the restaurants to try to recoup some lost funds. I just think you should cut the OP some slack..he was just asking for opinions.

Sorry, but the OP wasn't asking for opinions. The OP specifically asked for a plate and knife so the gyro could be cut by OP rather than pay $1.00 to have it split for them and then complained that $1.00 was charged and THEN complained about the attitude of everyone there. I think the OP got off light.

:agree:
We too share meals for the same reasons. Way to much food, we don' t go straight home, and we are not big left over people. Plus we are more conscious on what we eat in portions. We see some that seemingly "force" food in them by their reactions. That ends up showing in other ways.
When they do take it home, i sometimes wonder how much IS eaten the next day or soon, since they just had it, or how much goes to waste. I doubt many would say honestly. Would be a good survey question. I can only imagine what some of these people's refrigerators look like. Lol.
We too though tip very well knowing they are serving two people.

Skyguy I share your view about Athens. Chris had business in our part of the country and so he stops by our table everytime we drop by. he is a solid individual and cares very much about the quality of his business.

Frankly the OP missed out as there are a number of excellent selection. Athens prices are reasonable priced

Sorry, a little off topic.....I've had the fish frys at Athens....good. Are their Gyros pretty good as well?

Ya know, IMHO, this post has gotten really rediculous. I eat at Athens once or twice a week. I find their servers are very pleasant, the meals very affordable and their quality excellent. There are other resaturants that I can same the same thing about. The point is, the menu stated the fee. It's the same as bringing wine to a restaurant or even a cruise and paying a corking fee. If ya don't wanna pay it, don't bring it. Get over it!

Gyros very good

Hi PandG,
A "sharing fee," as it is commonly called, is probably a better term for the practice than a "split fee," since you perceived the fee to be for the work of physically cutting the sandwich rather than for the higher costs of serving two patrons rather than one.

I agree with others that sharing fees are justified for reasons that you perhaps had not considered. A great thing about this forum is learning to see things from different perspectives that we might find valid and valuable.

Where is Athens located? I would love to try it out -- I love Greek food.

One $1...........$1, JFC get a life, what would be said if it were $2, what a bunch.

Please refrain from directing comments at other members and be sure to address the topic at hand. Several comments in this thread have displayed a lack of civility that is generally not tolerated. The thread will be closed if the personal comments continue.

Thanks for your cooperation.. . Moderator

This whole topic has been great advertising for Athens. I'm gonna try out the Gyro. :mmmm:

Spanish Springs Town Square next to Katy Belles.

I think that the $1.00 surcharge is mostly a reminder: that two people are now going to be served and dine for the price of one......and if every twosome did "two for the price of one", the place would go broke.

The attitude is like going to the movies and saying, "We'll take just one ticket and share a seat"......and then they enter and take two seats.

I went last night. The Gyros were great! And...the Greek salad was also great!

I agree 100%. You are taking up 2 seats, 2 glasses of water and silverware. They have to be washed. $1.00 is quite a bargain.

Love Athens' food. I'd better get over there this week during my visit. :mmmm:

I know this is an old thread but I was just thinking about this type of thing.

On one hand I can see the split fee. On the other hand you should pay for what you order (food, drinks, plus tip) and not any service fee.

If I were the restaurant I wouldn't want to discourage attendance. A fanny in the seat means money in money ways: 1. You probably both get a drink of some kind which in the case of pop is almost pure profit 2. You might decide to order something expensive to split which would be more profit than 2 cheap meals. 3. If your food is good and you don't **** them off maybe the patrons come back again and again. 4. If you aren't completely full of patrons then what's the beef even if 3 or more people sit at one table and split one app and each have a drink - I've seen that many times, haven't you? Especially after a golf match when you stop for a beer or two and maybe get a plate of fries.

Many Restaurants charge a whole lot more than a buck for shared entrees. Consider yourself lucky that Athens only charges a buck. If you want half a sandwich you probably shouldn't be going to a Restaurant in the first place.

Anybody remember when it cost 25 cents to use the restroom?

Last night we went to Toojays for dinner. Sweetie had lunch out and wasn't very hungry and I never am until my bell goes off about ten in the evening.

He ordered a bowl of soup for 4.25 and I got their delicious Ultimate Brisket sandwich that comes with fries and cole slaw for 9.95 and Helene had a burger and fries. I split my sandwich, in fact we shared everything, and the server saw what we were doing and brought a plate. We thanked him and said we don't usually do this and we don't. We also thanked him again in the tip.

We do take home leftovers and I am surprised there isn't a charge for that sometimes. I just stop eating usually long before I finish the food.

I very much appreciate always being treated nicely at restaurants and always try to thank the server.

Most restaurant food is not expensive and I am not a lucrative eater because I don't drink alcohol any more. The servers have to make a living and do does the restaurant.

I'm soooo curious as to what the bill was and what the couple tipped the waiter/waitress. My husband and I have a policy never to leave less than $5.00 to the server even if the bill is only $15.00 and 20% of the bill when it is over $25.00. There are many restaurants that send coupons to their customers via email so it is easy enough to go out to eat and only spend $15.00. We feel the waiter/waitress has taken our order, brought our refreshments, served our food and returned to our table a minimum of two times, sometimes more than that. I patronize certain restaurants frequently and see both husbands and wives working in the same place. They deserve to earn a living wage, which is mostly comprised of their tips. If you can afford to dine out then we feel you can afford to compensate the wait staff.

It's only a dollar
 

I wouldn't even question the "split fee" because a dollar is neither here nor there to me. I go to lunch a lot and I have split a sandwich with another person and we did not get charged any extra fee. I don't split a sandwich to save money, I split because I can't eat the whole thing. And, to bring a sandwich home or a salad for that matter, by the time the next day rolls around and I'm ready to eat it they are both soggy and not edible. So, I would rather split thanwaste. If there is an extra charge then so be it.

I agree
 

As a prior restaurant owner I will never understand why any restaurant would elect to charge a "split" fee to its customers. It's one sure way of losing customers. It's a silly charge, with so many restaurants wanting your business....I would not allow my company to lose customers over such a petty charge. I was grateful for every customer, and if they elected to share their meal....so what! I was just glad to have them select us. Why risk losing customers....losing even one customer is too many! That $1 dollar will not make that company, but I promise it could break them...I would never impose such a fee to my valued customers!

Well, geez. If restaurants don't want to sell less expensive meals, nobody's holding a danged gun to their heads! If I as a customer want to sit at a prime table outside, I should be able to order ANYTHING ON THE MENU, including just an appetizer or a cup of soup, without feeling belittled by the wait staff or management.

In fact, I wish more restaurants would offer "senior" versions of their meals with smaller portions since so many of their customers are, you know, SENIORS. I may want to enjoy a dinner out but not necessarily take a soggy container home with me. It also bothers me to waste/not eat food that's been served and I'm concerned about the environmental impact of millions of styrofoam containers. We take our own Tupperware to restaurants where I know they serve too much and we'll have leftovers.

And PandG, I also wish you didn't feel the need to apologize for your post. People should be able to disagree with its content without attacking you personally.

One solution would be for more restaurants to offer half portions. I know Red Sauce does this.

Love that at Red Sauce. Belleview pizza has THREE different sizes for most of their meals. It's only a buck or two difference but I hate wasting food and I don't usually do doggy bag.

Sounds like a plan.

The people I knew that split an entrée ordered an extra salad and only split main course. Need more Senior Sized portions. When we take my Mother-in-law out for dinner, it is hard to find anything small, most food goes home in doggie bag. In Germany most have a Seniorenteller, my late mother could finish that multi-course meal,

But the server needs to be tipped as if you bought two, same with coupons. They have same work to do.

dead horse. all beaten to a pulp. not piling on.
If I go out single, nobody adds a fee. I wonder why not.

Tupperware???

Tap Water will be the next FEE they charge for
 

As a prior restaurant owner its a bad call for any restaurant to charge such a fee. For those who believe its no big deal, then how would you feel if the next charges created by restaurants are.....tap water .50......a party of two who use a table for 4....$1 for each empty chair....doesn't the restaurant lose out when a party of two sit at a table for 4...the $1 charge for an extra plate (or sharing charge as they call it) is NOT worth losing customers ; NOT even ONE customer. It's a silly charge! It;s NOT about a dollar people! It's about what would be next! You don't think that tap water doesn't cost them, the cost of ice, the cost to wash to glass, the lemon you request with your fee water....if they charge to share, why not the water!

The restaurant owner needs to understand this....if you lost a customer (1) over this fee...and that customer was spending $10 a week, that's $520.00 a year in lost sales...for 1 customer.....if the fee creates a lost of 20 customers (which is a low number) that would mean $10,400 in the bottom line GONE! It's plain BAD business for any restaurant to charge such fee's, is that dollar really worth losing $10,400.

My advise to Athens...lose the fee....you just lost my business and that will cost you about $800 a year! I love that place, however; such a fee tells me that they don't appreciate my business! I need to add, I don't share.... but if I did.....I would be the first to tell them on my way out...that was the last time I visit until they remove that silly fee! Its just a bad business decision, this coming from my experience in the business

$1 is the LOWEST split fee that I have seen anywhere. Quite reasonable. I sure hope the waitress is the one who gets it though.

Not sure I would want that customer at all. Never owned a rest, but a 50 cent spender is not a customer, but more of a pain in the..... If you get real customers you will make up that 10,400 dollars real quick. If you want dinner for pennies, stay out of restaurants entirely..

Should I have said Tupperware™? :laugh:

But yes, we take our own containers to the restaurant. And yes, some servers give us the rolling side eye.

The BPA in styrofoam also isn't so hot for you.

The split fee charged by Athens tells me that their prices are very competitive.

As I view it again their prices are competitive, their food quality and their service always with a smile. Athens has staying power.

have been in some resturants that charge $5. for plate splints....

I am in total agreement with the person who posted this. I am really surprised and the negative and mud slinging that is aimed directly at the person.
When all the person did was ask a simple question and really expected civil,intelligent responses..for the most part this did not happen.
The best response came from " Trish Crocker " who responded very intelligently, and certainly gave her response a lot of thought.
The moderator did the right thing stepping in to remind some individuals to keep their opinions civil.
Just as a reminder: This is the first time " pandg " experienced this split charge and asked a simple question, nothing more.
By the way food for thought...
1) The customer is always right..
2) Customer Service
3) The split charge IMO....cheapens the establishment.
4) The food that you ordered ..." The " owners expected you to finish it all, therefore we are going to charge you for the container(s) if you so choose to take the left-overs with you. That is the next step.
5) Carabbas,Olive Garden,Red Sauce,Nancy Lopez,Thai Ruby,Too Jays, all and more are very happy to NOT Charge a split fee.

Good evening everyone

As most of you know I never respond to open criticism on an open forum like talk of the villages for many reasons as I would never want anyone to misunderstand me or for anyone to think that their opinion is not taken seriously. I have always no matter good or bad sent a private email and have tried in my best effort to always make my guest happy and even at times to explain why we do certain things

This one time I feel I need to explain why we charge a dollar fee so that instead of people wondering why and making comments that my family do not care about the customers they can hear it straight from my family. The dollar charge is for when two customers order one meal and split it and purchase nothing else. This fee covers the napkin,the silverware, the plate and the cost to clean those items. If for example you purchase a soup , appetizer, side salad, appetizer, dessert for example we do not charge the split fee to our guest. After myself working my whole life in the restaurants and my father over 55 years in this business we have never and will never nickel and dime anyone or take advantage of any single customer. Anyone who has met my family knows that we are very giving people who do anything we can to make sure our guest know how much we appreciate them each and everyday of our lives


Even as cost of goods have risen at unbelievable numbers we fight everday to keep our prices as low as we can and give the best quality possible so that our guest can make our restaurant a place they enjoy. Almost every week over 12000 of our athens club members receive coupons giving them anywhere from discounts to $2.50 dessert to bottles of beer for 1.50. This year alone we have given out over $15,000 in gift cards to several clubs churches and organizations who have requested our help for fundraiser and for just give away at thir functions

I hope this in no way offends anyone I just felt that I needed to atleast explain that when someone says my family does not appreciate our guest it could not be the furthest from the truth. I appreciate an always have every single person who has ever come into our restaurant and from a young child I was taught people have choices where to go and when they chose our restaurant it should never be something taken for granted

I hope this clears this up

Christopher Kitrinos and my entire family
Athens NY restaurant

Well said...you should charge $3 for split meals.

Most places do this down in fl. I think you were asking for something for nothing, but I could be wrong.