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Should Restaurants Charge Fee for BYO Desserts?
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 2, 2009
Modified Apr 2, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 2, 2009
Modified Apr 2, 2009
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Should a restaurant indulge a diner's request for utensils so he can eat dessert he brought with him? Movie blogger Jeffrey Wells thinks so, and he's unleashed one of his signature, off-topic rants on Hollywood Elsewhere to slam West Village restaurant Sant Ambreous. Wells says he sensed something off about the place immediately, in part because "the waiters wore pink shirts with black ties. Village restaurants should always use waitresses who look like Sylvia Plath and who wear black leotard tops or somewhat tight sweaters." And after dropping $62 on dinner for two, the manager refused to let him eat a piece of Dean & Deluca cake he'd brought. Wells says, "I saw red. I told him I would never return to his place, and that I would do what I can to dissuade others from visiting." His diatribe's sparking a heated debate, dividing those who think "it is the absolute height of low-thread count when you try to eat your own food in a fucking restaurant," and others who think it's outrageous for a restaurant to impose a fee on outside desserts—such as a "cake cutting" fee during birthday parties. Who's right?
Tagged
cake
hollywood elsewhere
jeffrey wells
Sant Ambreous
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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