Go Tokyo Your Experience
Recently, a company calledBiking & beach bathing BBQThe newly opened seafood buffet restaurant immediately attracted widespread attention on the internet. However, the reason why this restaurant has gained attention is not because of the deliciousness of its food, but because of a special rule: only customers who speak Japanese can enjoy a discount of 1100 yen.
This policy has led to higher fees for foreign tourists who do not understand Japanese, and is therefore considered a “double pricing” strategy. It has been questioned as an attempt to make a fortune from tourism and has even sparked discussions about possible discrimination against them.
Next, let’s take a look at the restaurant owner’s explanation of this.
The seafood buffet restaurant that just opened last month is filled with a variety of seafood delicacies, from raw fish slices to crabs, oysters, salmon roe, everything is available.
However, upon observing the restaurant’s fee details, one will notice a line of text that reads’ Only Japanese and residents of Japan are eligible for a discount of 1100 yen ‘.
Taking a 90 minute buffet as an example, people living in Japan only need to pay 6578 yen, while foreign tourists need to pay 7678 yen.
This measure has sparked two completely different views on the Japanese internet.
Supporters believe that it is reasonable to charge higher fees as foreign tourists require staff to spend more effort on service.
In addition, this pricing policy can also suppress the number of tourists and alleviate the problem of tourism pollution. Especially with the depreciation of the Japanese yen, 1100 yen may not be a big deal for tourists.
Opponents argue that this “double pricing” strategy is clearly aimed at making money from tourists, which is not only inappropriate but also carries the suspicion of discrimination.
Due to the inability of restaurants to verify the identities of customers one by one, the applicability of discounts can only be determined by judging whether they speak Japanese.
For example, a tourist from China who speaks Japanese can enjoy the “Japanese price”.
The tourist believes that if the service is good, it doesn’t matter if they spend a little more money.
The restaurant owner explained the “dual pricing” strategy in a media interview as follows:
This pricing is based on cultural differences
Because foreign tourists often do not know which foods are edible or how to consume them, if the staff need to explain them one by one, it will inevitably consume a lot of energy.
Because foreign guests often don’t know what things to eat or how to eat them
If the salesperson wants to explain them one by one, it will inevitably require a lot of effort
In addition, some foreign customers only consume the thick part of crab feet or only take the part of conch liver, while the remaining conch meat is not eaten.
Therefore, charging foreigners higher fees is to make up for the cost of “service energy” and “food waste”.
What is your opinion on this charging method?