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"News, Denny's restaurant on Federal charges runners $1 to use bathrooms during Race for the Cure"
It sounds like that Denny's Restaurant has been charged by the Federal Gov't for running a cheap gambling ring in their johns during the Race for the Cure.
Guys, think a little bit before you write these titles, please! It's one thing to be brought up on Federal charges................it's quite another to be on Federal Blvd and be charging people money...........
Let the market decide
Don't want to pay $1, go somewhere else
What you and no one else is getting here is that is a public health and sanitation issue. I don't want people crapping and urinating in my yard or in the public park.
If you don't have a dollar and can't afford to use the Denny's toilet, chances are you are going to go behind a bush somewhere. Perhaps, in someone's yard. That's the reason we have laws against pay toilets.
I agree this imposes a burden on some businesses. However, exactly how long does this burden last? One day? One event?
Free enterprise isn't the solution here and isn't the solution to every other problem we have in this country.
In reading through the comments linked to the Facebook page from the link provided by the OP it seems that Denny's charged for the water, not the restroom. That is, those runner's who came into that Denny's to use the restroom became paying customers when they bought the water. There are also comments stating that all businesses on that stretch of Federal had signs in their windows stating that restrooms were for customers only.
Realistically, Denny's lost money that day even with them charging for the water.
Considering that the entire news article can be read in less than 20 seconds with half of the article simply containing quotes from their Facebook page, and that the article concludes with urging the readers to continue the conversation on their Facebook page, my guess is that it was meant to drive traffic, and likes.
Whatever the intentions of Channel 7 News may be, Denny's is sure getting a lot of positive support. Most of the comments are in support of Denny's including comments from those who participated in the Race.
I don't see a problem with this. Water is provided to customers, as are rest-room accommodations. And, as a paying customer, I'd be outraged if I couldn't access the restrooms because of a bunch of runners coming in to relieve themselves.
I run in 3-4 or more half marathons a year and while some are well organized others aren't. The one I did in Vegas last year had maybe 15-20 port o pots for 40,000 runners. All the business on the strip had signs posted that their restrooms were for paying customers only so I gladly bought some water at a gas station and used their restroom. Very poor planning on the organizers part in my case and in the one above. There should be zero negative impact to Denny's but maybe next year they should just refuse any help whatsoever
It would truly suck if a grand slam breakfast was causing chaos in my intestinal regions and I had to wait in line behind 200 sweaty runners to use the head.
What you and no one else is getting here is that is a public health and sanitation issue. I don't want people crapping and urinating in my yard or in the public park.
If you don't have a dollar and can't afford to use the Denny's toilet, chances are you are going to go behind a bush somewhere. Perhaps, in someone's yard. That's the reason we have laws against pay toilets.
I agree this imposes a burden on some businesses. However, exactly how long does this burden last? One day? One event?
In other words, you think it is O.K. for runners and viewers, to destroy a businesses profits for one day by driving away customers, and costing the business money to clean up after a bunch of slobs to protect your yard. Why should the business have to lose money for a day and spend money to clean up after them, to keep someone from going behind a bush in your yard and your having to clean up after them.
It is really the same thing when you come down to it.........Someone uses a business or your yard, and leaves a mess for someone else to clean up. Is your yard really more precious to you, than a businesses water and toilets, along with the lost money if the runners and participants use the business and make no purchases but drive away paying customers.
Note the post I made above, where non paying customers were driving away a good R.V. park's visitors and it was losing money. I bought it and locked out the free loaders, and the income increased 30% with a full park every night in the summer, and became profitable. The national park next door drew a lot of campers to it, but it had neither showers or a R.V. dump station.
I learned they had in the past actually told people to jump the fence and use the R.V. park's facilities and drive in and use the dump station. The people in the park entrance visitors area, were actually upset when we locked their visitors out, and informed them we were going to have the fence jumpers charged with trespass.
We did as Denny's did, we charged them to use our facilities. If you and your family wanted showers, you rented a key for $5 and paid a one one night dry camp registration fee, and could use the restrooms/showers and the swimming pool. We charged a one day full hook up fee to dump. A number of the dumpers were angry as they in the past got by for free, but we charged them. It was easier for them to pay us a fee, than drive a 80 mile round trip on a mountain road to dump at the closest dump station.
The business has to look out for their own interests and do as I did and Denny's did, and if you don't want people using your yard for a toilet, then you need to stand out there and keep them out of your yard. Don't expect businesses to give free use of their bathrooms and water to freeloaders. They can't afford the problems and expense they cause.
Actually their letting everyone use their bathrooms free of charge and overrun by bathroom users, will cause them to lose more business from actual customers than they will lose from people like the above poster.
I once owned a big 225 space R.V. park adjoining the entrance into a national park. Previous owners were driven crazy by people parking on the highway, jumping the fence to use our bathrooms. I heard from previous guests, that they had had to wait about 20th in line to use the bathroom and none ahead of them were park guests. It was hurting business.
When we bought it we installed locks on all bathrooms, and gave guests keys with a $5 refundable deposit. The fence jumpers were now turned away by the paid guests, and our guests liked the idea they did not have to put up with all those fence jumpers. As the park had not dump stations, park campers would pull into our park and go to the dump stations. They found they had to pay for a days parking fee to dump. Again letting our guests use the facilities Free, and stopping a problem. They got $5 back on keys as they checked out. A lot of non guests were angry as the above quote says they would be, but our guests were happier. This change so our guests no longer having to put up with fence jumpers, etc., allowed us to increase business over 30% for the two years we owned the park. We had many guests tell us they had about made their mind up to never coming back until they heard of our changes in policy.
Previous owner had a lot less business due to the fence jumpers and free dumpers, and did not make a profit. Our policy changes turned it profitable due to the increased business. Denny's would have had the same problem the previous owner had if they allowed free use of the restrooms and free water. This $1 charge would actually be a benefit in the amount of business they would get due to not being overrun by free loaders.
I learned this key policy, at Circus Circus R.V. park in Los Vegas where we stayed with our motor home when we were in Vegas for a big convention each year. I was taking to the manager one day, and he said they could not keep the rest rooms clean due to the freeloaders coming in off the streets costing them an extra person on staff to keep them clean before they instituted the policy. When we bought the park we were told about the problem, and we put the key system in place immediately.
If you want to use the facilities of a business and are not a customer, you should pay instead of being a freeloader.
We are talking about a race lasting a few hours. I totally agree we you about handling an on going situation. I believe I would have tried a taller fence before putting locks on the door. But I agree you had to do something.
I agree Denny's should not have to provide restrooms or free water. That said if I had been one of the people they did not want to use their bathroom I would remember that for a LONG time when choosing a restaurant.
Yeah, you're sure to put them out of business....
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