{"id":25656,"date":"2020-06-13T13:40:09","date_gmt":"2020-06-13T12:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/azahar-sevilla.com\/sevilletapas\/?page_id=25656"},"modified":"2024-09-07T18:49:39","modified_gmt":"2024-09-07T17:49:39","slug":"death-of-the-tapeo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/azahar-sevilla.com\/sevilletapas\/bread-service-charges\/death-of-the-tapeo\/","title":{"rendered":"Death of the Tapeo"},"content":{"rendered":"

An Open Letter to Tapas Bar Owners in Sevilla<\/strong>
\n[para la traducci\u00f3n en espa\u00f1ol pinchar aqu\u00ed<\/a>]<\/em><\/p>\n

Two years ago I wrote about the increasing number of tapas bars in Sevilla charging for bread and service<\/a>, a previously unheard of practice that started off in a small way with some bars charging, say 50 cents a basket, but that has now grown to the point where we find a few bars charging up to 2\u20ac PER PERSON.<\/p>\n

I’m not singling out any individual bars or restaurants here (I reckon you know who you are) so I’m not going to name names, either to praise or shame. But I do feel it’s time you gave this some thought and tried to understand the damage you are doing, both to the splendid tradition of the tapeo<\/em> and to your own reputations. Because I actually love some of your bars, and your fab tapas, but enough is enough already.<\/p>\n

The main arguments I keep hearing from you and your staff are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Everybody else is doing it.<\/li>\n
  2. People pay more in other countries via taxes and tips.<\/li>\n
  3. Why should we give food away?<\/li>\n
  4. You’re the only one who ever complains, Shawn.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    First of all, everybody else isn’t doing it. Not even close. The main culprits tend to be the new gastrobars, probably just like yours, especially those located in tourist areas. And hey, why not? By charging every person who walks into your bar an extra euro – for absolutely nothing! – you can probably pay one person’s salary. But let’s be honest here, if you can’t operate at enough of a profit to pay your staff properly then maybe you’re in the wrong business. Charging what amounts to an admission fee is so wrong that I can’t believe it’s been allowed to go on for so long. Yes, we all know that times are tough, but they are just as tough for your customers. Some of you say that many of your customers are tourists so it doesn’t matter, which also says to me that you probably don’t belong in the “hospitality” biz.<\/p>\n

    \"un<\/a><\/p>\n

    example of a tapas bar that cares about its customers<\/em><\/p>\n

    As for the second argument… what? What has that got to do with anything? We live and work in Spain. As do the majority of your customers. FYI, just a couple of examples here. In the UK the service charge is given to the staff and is not obligatory, and everybody there knows this. In the US and Canada tipping is the norm but is also not obligatory. If you don’t like the food or service, you don’t tip. Simple. But you also get coffee and soft drink refills, baskets of bread\/nachos\/ muffins, all included in the price. You don’t get charged just for walking into a place and sitting down. Perhaps this happens in other countries, but as already pointed out, we are not other countries. And in this country, especially in Sevilla, el tapeo<\/em> is a cherished custom that you are threatening to wipe out. Imagine going out with 4-5 of your friends and being charged 1\u20ac per person at every stop… at the end of the evening you will have paid an extra 20-30 euros. For absolutely nothing. So of course people will be forced to stop moving from bar to bar in order to save money, and this very charming element of daily life in Sevilla will die away.<\/p>\n

    Then there is the mistaken idea that you are somehow giving anything away. Nobody is asking you to give food away for nothing. But when you put food on a table as soon as customers sit down, it later looks very tacky when you charge for it, meaning it makes you look bad. It really does. Since I’ve heard most of you say “Do you have any idea how much bread and olives cost us every month, Shawn?” I’m guessing that you know exactly how much, making this a fixed cost (like rent and electricity) and something that could easily be factored into your food and drink prices. If you feel you want to charge for bread and olives, fair enough. But they should be clearly listed on the menu and you should wait for people to order them.<\/p>\n

    \"bread\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    can you believe I was charged 3 euros for THIS<\/em><\/p>\n

    Finally, I am far from the only person complaining about this. I hear complaints all the time, including from other bar and restaurant owners. Heck, even some of your own staff and management are embarrassed by this, but they need their jobs so of course aren’t going to say anything. I am aware that I may be the only one who will say something to your face, but I can’t even begin to count the number of visiting friends and tapas tour clients who have been surprised and put off after finding an extra charge on their bill. I’m often asked if the “service” is a tip that goes to the wait staff. No it is not, I tell them, it goes directly into your pocket. I’m also asked WHY bars in Sevilla do this and my only honest answer is that certain owners have hit on a way to make extra money for nothing and seem to think nobody minds. But people do mind. They mind a lot. Scrupulous bar owners I’ve spoken to also hate this practice and feel it is giving tapas bars in Sevilla a bad name. But do they complain when they go out and this happens to them? No, they do what most people do. Feel upset and taken advantage of and then don’t go back. Why? Because nobody likes making a fuss or getting into an argument at the end of a meal or tapas stop. Easier just to pay up and leave. And you know this.<\/p>\n

    Sometimes friends have said to me “well, I’m a regular at such-and-such so they don’t charge me”, as if that makes it okay. The truth is that NOBODY has to pay for bread they haven’t ordered, and especially not this atrocious per person service charge. But again, nobody wants to make a fuss. And of course visitors have no idea they aren’t obliged to pay. Even if they did, most don’t have enough Spanish to argue with their server. But it leaves them with a bad feeling after what was an otherwise pleasant experience, which reflects on you.<\/p>\n

    \"servicio<\/a><\/p>\n

    Not to mention that none of this is in compliance with Official Rules and Obligations<\/a> which state that bars and restaurants cannot charge for non-food items, specifically cover charges and taking reservations. Nor can they charge for food items that have not been ordered by the customer ie. bread and olives brought to the table.<\/p>\n

    But legal or not, it is still morally reprehensible to charge people for absolutely nothing. Meaning that if you found that – somehow – it was<\/em> legal to charge your customers for just taking a seat in your tapas bar… why would you do this to them? What is your excuse or reasoning? And why does a guiri<\/em> like me care more about preserving the tapeo<\/em> tradition than you apparently do?<\/p>\n

    Un abrazo,
    \nShawn<\/p>\n


    \nCarta abierta a propietarios de bares de tapas en Sevilla<\/strong>
    \n(traducci\u00f3n en Castellano por     Eduardo Blanco<\/a>)<\/p>\n

    Hace un par de a\u00f1os escrib\u00ed sobre el aumento de bares de tapas en Sevilla que cobraban por el pan y el servicio<\/a>, una pr\u00e1ctica no habitual que comenz\u00f3 t\u00edmidamente con algunos locales que cobraban unos 0,50\u20ac por una cesta de pan, pero que ahora ha aumentado hasta el punto de llegar a cobrar hasta 2\u20ac POR PERSONA.<\/p>\n

    No voy a centrarme en bares o restaurantes concretos (imagino que sab\u00e9is quienes son) por tanto no voy a dar nombres a fin de dar m\u00e1s o menos publicidad. Pero creo que va siendo hora de que pensarais sobre esto e intentarais entender el da\u00f1o que est\u00e1is haciendo, tanto a la magn\u00edfica tradici\u00f3n del tapeo como a vosotros mismos. Me encantan muchos de vuestros bares y las fabulosas tapas que ofrec\u00e9is, pero ya basta.<\/p>\n

    Los principales argumentos que escucho de vosotros y de vuestro personal son:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Todos los dem\u00e1s lo hacen<\/li>\n
    2. Se paga m\u00e1s en otros pa\u00edses con los impuestos y propinas<\/li>\n
    3. \u00bfPor qu\u00e9 tenemos que darlo gratis?<\/li>\n
    4. Shawn, eres la \u00fanica que siempre se queja<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Primero, no todos los dem\u00e1s lo hacen. Los primeros culpables son los recientemente denominados gastrobares, sobre todo los ubicados en las zonas tur\u00edsticas. Ya puestos, \u00bfpor qu\u00e9 no? Al cobrar 1\u20ac a cada persona que entra en vuestro bar\u2026 (\u00a1por nada!) seguramente teng\u00e1is para pagar el sueldo de una persona. Pero seamos sinceros, si eres incapaz de generar beneficio suficiente como para pagar a tus empleados, quiz\u00e1s est\u00e9s en el negocio equivocado. Cobrar por lo que ser\u00eda el equivalente a una \u00a8cuota de acceso\u00a8 es algo tan err\u00f3neo que me cuesta creer que siga permiti\u00e9ndose todav\u00eda. Todos sabemos que estamos en un momento dif\u00edcil, pero tambi\u00e9n es dif\u00edcil para vuestros clientes. Algunos de vosotros dec\u00eds que muchos de vuestros clientes son turistas y que no importa, gran error, lo cual me confirma a\u00fan m\u00e1s que probablemente no pertenezc\u00e1is al sector hostelero ni teng\u00e1is una mentalidad acorde.<\/p>\n

      \"haun ejemplo de un bar que realmente le importa sus clientes<\/em><\/p>\n

      En cuanto al segundo argumento\u2026 \u00bfen qu\u00e9 se basa? Vivimos y trabajamos en Espa\u00f1a. Y para vuestra informaci\u00f3n, pongo alg\u00fan ejemplo: En el Reino Unido, el cargo por servicio se le da al personal y no es obligatorio, y todo el mundo es consciente de esto. En Estados Unidos y Canad\u00e1, dar propina es lo m\u00e1s habitual pero tampoco es obligatorio. Si no te gusta la comida o el servicio, no hay propina. As\u00ed de sencillo. Pero sin embargo, s\u00ed que te rellenan el vaso de refresco, te ponen m\u00e1s caf\u00e9, o tambi\u00e9n cestas con nachos, pan\u2026 todo ello incluido en el precio. No te cobran por entrar y sentarte. Quiz\u00e1s ocurra en otros pa\u00edses, pero como ya he dicho, no estamos en otros pa\u00edses. Y en este pa\u00eds, especialmente en Sevilla, el tapeo es una tradici\u00f3n que se cuida y que est\u00e1is amenazando con maltratar. Imaginaos salir con 4-5 amigos y que te cobren 1\u20ac a cada uno en cada bar\u2026 al final de la noche habr\u00e1s pagado unos 20-30\u20ac de m\u00e1s, por absolutamente nada. Y esto puede hacer que la gente prefiera quedarse en un solo bar a fin de ahorrar ese dinero, con lo que el tapeo tradicional de bar en bar, un elemento aut\u00e9ntico en Sevilla, perder\u00e1 parte de su esencia.<\/p>\n

      Por otra parte, luego est\u00e1 la idea equivocada de que est\u00e1is dando algo gratis. Nadie os pide que lo hag\u00e1is. Pero cuando pon\u00e9is un producto en la mesa en cuanto el cliente se sienta y al final se lo cobr\u00e1is, la imagen que ofrec\u00e9is no es demasiado agradable de cara al cliente. Y os he escuchado multitud de veces decir: \u00a8\u00bfTienes idea de lo que nos cuesta el pan y las aceitunas al mes, Shawn?\u00a8 por supuesto que tiene un coste fijo (igual que la luz, al alquiler\u2026), pero ser\u00eda m\u00e1s f\u00e1cil integrarlo en el coste de vuestra comida y bebida. Si pens\u00e1is que ten\u00e9is que cobrar por el pan y las aceitunas, me parece justo. Pero siempre que est\u00e9 claramente indicado en el men\u00fa y esper\u00e9is que el cliente lo solicite, al igual que con cualquier otro producto.<\/p>\n

      \"bread\"me han cobrado 3\u20ac por esto!<\/em><\/p>\n

      Finalmente, no soy ni de lejos la \u00fanica persona que se queja sobre esto. Escucho quejas todo el tiempo, incluso de otros hosteleros y propietarios de bares y restaurantes, y hasta de algunos de vuestros empleados, conscientes de que no es lo m\u00e1s justo, pero necesitan su trabajo y obviamente no van a decir nada. Soy consciente de que quiz\u00e1s sea la \u00fanica que os lo diga de forma tan clara y directa, pero empiezo a perder la cuenta de clientes y amigos que me visitan y se sorprenden al encontrar ese cargo extra en su cuenta. Muchos me preguntan si el \u00a8servicio\u00a8 es una propina que luego va para el personal. Les digo que no lo es, que va directamente a vuestro bolsillo. Y tambi\u00e9n me preguntan PORQU\u00c9 los bares en Sevilla hacen esto, y mi respuesta m\u00e1s honesta no es otra que la de que algunos hosteleros han dado con el truco para obtener un ingreso extra a cambio de nada y que piensan que a la gente en realidad le da igual. Pero no es as\u00ed. Algunos propietarios de bares s\u00ed que est\u00e1n claramente en contra de esta pr\u00e1ctica y opinan que mancha el nombre de la ciudad. Pero\u2026 \u00bfse quejan cuando les ocurre a ellos? No, hacen lo que la mayor\u00eda: molestarse como mucho, y quiz\u00e1s no volver a ese local. \u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Pues porque a nadie le gusta empezar a discutir por esto tras un tapeo o comida, es m\u00e1s f\u00e1cil pagar y largarse. Y esto es algo que vosotros, hosteleros, lo sab\u00e9is perfectamente.<\/p>\n

      A veces, algunos amigos me han dicho cosas como \u00a8suelo ir a menudo a este o aquel sitio y a m\u00ed no me lo cobran\u00a8 como si eso fuera la soluci\u00f3n. La verdad es que NADIE tiene porqu\u00e9 pagar por el pan que no han pedido, y mucho menos si es por persona, una aut\u00e9ntica atrocidad. Pero nadie quiere discutirlo con el local. Y por supuesto, los turistas no saben que tienen que pagarlo, y si lo supieran, la mayor\u00eda obviamente no tiene el dominio suficiente de espa\u00f1ol como para reclamarlo al bar, y a muchos les deja una sensaci\u00f3n de mal gusto, una mala experiencia, que acaba reflej\u00e1ndose en vosotros, los hosteleros.<\/p>\n

      \"servicio<\/p>\n

      Adem\u00e1s, a\u00f1adamos el hecho de que nada de esto est\u00e1 en l\u00ednea con las reglas y obligaciones oficiales<\/a> que indican que bares y restaurantes no pueden cobrar por productos que no sean puramente comida o bebida (por ejemplo, cobrar por hacer una reserva, cobrar por el servicio\u2026) y tampoco pueden cobrar por productos que el cliente no haya pedido (pan y aceitunas, el m\u00e1s claro ejemplo).<\/p>\n

      El caso es que, legal o no, es moralmente censurable cobrar por nada. Si supuestamente se pudiera cobrar al cliente por sentarse en vuestro bar\u2026 \u00bfle cobrar\u00edais? Entonces\u2026 \u00bfPor qu\u00e9 hac\u00e9is esto? \u00bfCu\u00e1l es vuestra excusa, vuestro argumento o razonamiento? Y porqu\u00e9 un \u00a8guiri\u00a8 como yo se preocupa m\u00e1s por cuidar el tapeo tradicional tanto o m\u00e1s que vosotros?<\/p>\n

      Un abrazo,
      \nShawn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      An Open Letter to Tapas Bar Owners in Sevilla [para la traducci\u00f3n en espa\u00f1ol pinchar aqu\u00ed] Two years ago I wrote about the increasing number of tapas bars in Sevilla charging for bread and service, a previously unheard of practice that started off in a small way with some bars charging, say 50 cents a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":25652,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25656","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P1sdVO-6FO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15430,"url":"https:\/\/azahar-sevilla.com\/sevilletapas\/tapas-tours\/the-triana-tour\/","url_meta":{"origin":25656,"position":0},"title":"Tasting Triana","author":"Shawn","date":"February 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Triana, on the west bank of the Guadalquivir River, remains one of Sevilla's most unique and distinctive barrios, though trianeros feel strongly that it is actually a separate entity altogether. 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