Earlier this year on a trip to the Czech Republic with my other half we visited a friend near Cesky Raj (Czech Paradise). The area is beautiful by the way and is typified by multiple stone columns carved out of the landscape over the years that are equally popular amongst sightseers and rock climbers alike.
Anyway, in one of the villages nearby was a kind of self-service beer garden. It had a couple of beer pumps and a grill for cooking sausages (and buns to put them into). There were a range of sausages in the fridge to choose from, and washing facilities to make sure you had a clean glass to drink from. There were no staff to be seen, with patrons provided a recommended price for their food and drink, but no means of enforcing that.
Suffice to say, the place was one of those hidden gems that is only really findable if you are friends with a knowledgeable local, as it certainly doesn’t appear in any tourist guides. Anyway, the place was nice and busy when we were there, and it all worked like clockwork, with people paying the recommended amount, washing up after themselves, and generally being very good ‘guests’.
Similar ventures are beginning to spring up around the world. One of the latest being The Vault, in North Dakota. It’s a cafe without any staff, which runs along the same lines as the bar I mentioned earlier. Customers have to make their own drinks, and pay whatever they like.
The coffee is made via a Keurig K-Cup machine, and the venue also offers soft drinks and packaged snacks. There is no limit on what customers can consume, with the recommended price board the only guidance given as to how much they should pay for their fare. As with my Bohemian example, and indeed similar honesty based ventures around the world, it’s typically the case that people pay at least what is recommended, with the average payment being 15% higher than the prices given on the menu.
In a world where cynicism can often pervade, it’s nice to see examples such as this springing up around the world. Long may they continue.
I've seen places like this before, and I think they work quite well. It's nice that people can be trusted isn't it?
Indeed Dan, on the whole I think the majority of us are pretty honest.
Must say, that's a cool idea. I'd love to see one of these on the island.
I've seen places like this before, and I think they work quite well. It's nice that people can be trusted isn't it