IKEA's Shanghai Xuhui restaurant requires a food purchase to sit, enforced Tuesdays and Thursdays. The buy-to-sit rule is store-only, mirroring Starbucks.
Tags:Source: OT-Team(G), 界面新闻
IKEA has introduced a "purchase to sit" rule at its Shanghai Xuhui restaurant, asking customers to buy food before taking a seat, following complaints about people occupying tables without ordering anything.
The move comes amid growing attention to similar policies at Starbucks, where the practice of requiring customers to make a purchase before sitting down has recently sparked public discussion.
According to online posts, IKEA's Xuhui restaurant has recently begun enforcing the rule on regular weekdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, security guards have reportedly asked customers who occupy seats without purchasing food to leave.
An IKEA staff member explained that the situation is particularly challenging on those two days, when large numbers of elderly visitors gather at the restaurant. Some reportedly bring their own fruit, arrange matchmaking activities, and even drink alcohol and play cards.
"The number of visitors surges on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We can't even keep up with cleaning up the rubbish in a single day," the staff member said.
A Long-Running Problem at IKEA Shanghai
The issue is not new. As early as 2016, the same IKEA restaurant attracted nationwide attention because of groups of elderly people gathering there for matchmaking activities every Tuesday and Thursday.
At the time, complaints included customers occupying seats for extended periods, bringing their own food and drinks, and talking loudly, affecting the dining environment for other customers.
In response, IKEA issued a customer notice introducing a "purchase food first, then take a seat" policy.
However, not all elderly visitors who gather at the restaurant are there for matchmaking. Some recently told reporters that they simply come because they feel lonely and want somewhere to spend time with others.
Some elderly customers also expressed support for the latest "purchase to sit" rule.
In response to inquiries, IKEA's customer service confirmed that the policy was similar to Starbucks' approach, under which only customers who purchase food are allowed to take seats in the restaurant.
However, the company clarified that the policy is currently being implemented only at its Shanghai Xuhui store, with no plans announced for other IKEA locations to follow suit.
IKEA China also responded that the customer notice was an initiative introduced by its Shanghai Xuhui store based on customer feedback and day-to-day operational needs.
The company said the measure was intended to improve the dining experience and that it hoped to work with customers to create a more comfortable and orderly shopping environment.
Naixue and Chagee Also Displayed Similar Notices
Meanwhile, the "purchase to sit" discussion has extended beyond IKEA and Starbucks, with consumers reporting that some outlets of Chinese tea brands Naixue and Chagee had also displayed notices asking customers to make a purchase before taking a seat.
On October 29, reporters contacted the stores concerned to verify the situation.
A Chagee outlet in Shandong confirmed that it had previously displayed such a notice but removed it the previous evening. The store said the notice was intended only as a reminder and that customers had never been strictly required to make a purchase while it was displayed.
Chagee subsequently explained that the decision to display the notice was made independently by individual stores, which could handle its implementation flexibly depending on the circumstances.
A Naixue outlet in Chengdu also confirmed that its previously displayed notice had been removed.
Naixue's customer service said that the company headquarters had not issued any requirement for stores to display such notices, but individual outlets could decide whether to do so based on their actual operating conditions.
No comments:
Post a Comment