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Bottomless brunches are a godsend for anyone looking for an excuse to get their drink on at what would normally be a socially unacceptable hour as well as the many restaurants that rely on them to turn a profit. However, some dining establishments in San Francisco and Oakland are harnessing a new strategy to dissuade people from going a bit too hard.
It’s pretty easy to understand the appeal of bottomless brunches, as paying a flat fee for an “endless” supply of mimosas or Bloody Marys is a very attractive option for the many diners who take advantage of them when the weekend rolls around.
With that said, there are plenty of people who view them as a bit of a challenge and are intent on getting their money’s worth before the time window that’s usually instituted expires. That can obviously lead to some messy situations in both a figurative and literal sense—especially when it comes to customers who can’t stomach their booze.
According to SFGate, that’s led to some eateries in the Bay Area taking a page out of the ride-sharing playbook with the “cleaning fees” they’ve pledged to add to the check of anyone who vomits while partaking in a bottomless brunch; Kitchen Story in Oakland has posted signs informing patrons of what essentially amounts to a $50 puking fine, while Home Plate in San Francisco has put a similar message on the bottom of its menus.
Staff members at the restaurants are trained to keep an eye out for imbibers who’ve passed their limit, but there’s only so much they can do to prevent a reversal of fortune from unfolding in the bathroom (or, in some cases, at the tables themselves).
You have to wonder if this will become a more widespread trend at restaurants around the country that view brunch as both a gift and a curse.