From the NON-public restroom inside a deli in Bishop, California:
related: “If it wasn’t for the toilet, there would be no books.”
It’s like an entire episode of Seinfeld on one door
May 15th, 2011 · 61 comments
FILED UNDER: "customer service" · bathroom · California · etiquette · guilt trip · restaurant
61 responses so far ↓
#1
Jorge Barnes
Ah, yes, Jewish Gramma’s Deli; they do have great food.
May 15, 2011 at 5:14 pm rating: 21
#2
ligercorn
Just buy a Snapple and wack away at your leisure. Oh, walk away.
May 15, 2011 at 5:33 pm rating: 34
#3
Hey Look! A Deli...
… but i just want to use the restroom -> WALK AWAY!
May 15, 2011 at 7:27 pm rating: 19
#4
JetJackson
No loo for you!
May 15, 2011 at 7:40 pm rating: 19
#5
Hmmph
The restrooms of restaurants open to the public should be open to the public.
May 15, 2011 at 7:54 pm rating: 9
#6
pony girl
I’m most disturbed by the thought of using their facility and walking away wanting more.
Should I be repulsed at the thought of people wanting more non-public (and yet, not private, read: probably at least a little grody)restroom time?
Or is it a magical restroom with no germs and a caramel-covered Johnny Depp attending to my every need?
May 15, 2011 at 9:47 pm rating: 9
#7
www.stuffistolefromtheinternet.com
I’m sure this really helps the decor of the place. Lets write a giant paragraph about to bathroom on the door in terrible, smeared handwriting.
May 15, 2011 at 10:05 pm rating: 8
#8
Rossy
If I went in there with the intention of ordering something after I used the restroom, seeing this would make me change my mind. I don’t trust food made by people who aren’t smart enough to put a lock on a door.
May 15, 2011 at 10:18 pm rating: 8
#9
Canthz_B
I don’t think that if I ate your food and must immediately make a deposit in your restroom I’d say the food here is great, or that I’d walk away wanting more…unless the name of the place is “The Vomit Comet” or “The Upchuck Hut”.
May 16, 2011 at 1:19 am rating: 2
#10
Canthz_B
I dunno, I guess if I owned a restaurant I’d let non-customers use my restroom without a hassle. They’d be potential future customers if I did so, but less likely to return if I’m an ass about trying to leave them in urinary distress.
May 16, 2011 at 1:28 am rating: 8
#11
TickleMyBambo
You don’t know? It’s FESTIVUS for the rest of us being held in your very restroom! We get to celebrate using your restroom without the pressures of participating in the commercialism of having to buy anything from you. Traditionally we must practice the “airing of grievances” and our grievance is that there is no law stating that we cannot use your restroom without having to buy anything first. Quit jerking us around! Either we get to use the restroom or you put a lock on it. Plus, your food really isn’t that good anyways. Now how do you like having that aluminum pole all up in your six inch sub? If it’s manners you want, than I will gladly give them to you. Thank you for letting me take a crap in your toilet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to challenge someone to a feats of strength.
May 16, 2011 at 3:20 am rating: 0
#12
havingfitz
Have to play devil’s advocate here. If I’m paying for soap, paper towels, toilet paper, and the water bill, I want it to be for my customer and not the entire neighborhood. Plus, as stated above, if my bathroom is full of non-customers, my actual customers aren’t going to be thrilled. It may sound like the owners are being jerks, but there really is a reason behind it.
May 16, 2011 at 8:10 am rating: 18
#13
Nope
Never understood the whole “you can’t use our restroom” thing. Yes, because it costs so much extra money to allow that, right? Oh but if you allow more people to use it, it will get dirty, well most employees are filthy too, so it will get dirty, that’s kinda how bathrooms work. They’re not exactly known for being bastions of cleanliness. If they’re so anal about people using their restroom, why don’t they just have it locked and only give out the key if someone buys something? Or have it locked and unlockable only by a button at the register? Otherwise, you’re just basically putting a candy bar in front of a child and telling them not to eat it, walk away, and then expect them to not to eat it. Not going to happen.
May 16, 2011 at 11:55 am rating: 0
#14
Karate Los Angeles
If someone constantly used my restroom and didn’t ever buy anything, I would similarly angry. However, I don’t think I would have gone to this extreme- but then again, what’s a great Seinfeld reenactment without over sized drama?
May 16, 2011 at 12:35 pm rating: 2
#15
BrookeDiz
If someone really had to go (emergency!), reading the extensive screed on the door would take so long that the grossest stuff would be splattered *outside* the restroom door.
May 16, 2011 at 2:28 pm rating: 1
#16
Jetta
Wow-to my surprise I saw this and said to myself…. I KNOW this door! Sure enough the identifier is “a deli in Bishop, CA”. Please allow me to give you details- this deli is on the main highway that runs from Los Angeles to Reno, NV, and we are the largest town on the highway to the ever popular Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, the restroom is located at the back of the deli where there are no employees and the back entrance is located in the parking lot of a main shopping center (if you can call it that). Bishop is tiny! The population is about 4120 and we ARE the biggest town for some 230 miles. So you are going to Mammoth and you have been on the road for 5 hours…you get to Bishop, park in the main parking/shopping area because you don’t want McDonalds, Carls Jr or Jack in the Box, and what do you see? A DELI! Surly they have a restroom! This photo is of the inside of the door, so once you commit to going in you will see the message, but probably not prior. They basically would like the restroom users that DON’T purchase food to simply say “thank you”. Is that so difficult? The deli is very in your face, with old photos of hippies, bikers, babies, rodents, rock bands, motorcycles, animals, parking tickets, concert ticket stubs, life sized paper mules (made by local school kids as a fund raiser), muscle car parts and antiques on the walls, old 1960’s vintage newspapers under the glass of the table tops, and a lot of smart-ass comments written on the walls and menus. Their food is awesome and they are very nice people. They give the high school kids lunch deals and usually serve 60 kids in less than 40 minutes. You can fault them for the bathroom door but it totally fits in with the deli.
On a side note, a friend of mine owns a gas station/mini mart on highway 395 further north past Mammoth Lakes. He said his restroom alone generates 4-75 gallon trash cans A DAY from traffic. Our trash service for one 75 gallon can is $15. So 4 cans a day x 30 days =120 trash bins a MONTH for restroom trash; 120 bins x $15=$1800 a MONTH for trash generated from a restroom! Saying thank you is the LEAST people can do!
May 16, 2011 at 9:07 pm rating: 16
#17
JBee
I understand that businesses must get frustrated when they are spending lots of money on bathroom supplies and cleaning, but until public access toilets, public funded toilets (or pay toilet booths) are widely available, businesses will just have to suck it up. When lots of businesses ban people from using their restrooms it adds unnecessary stress, as there is the constant threat that you may not be able to access a bathroom when you need it. I don’t like to travel, shop, or go to areas where I know ahead of time that it’s difficult to find restrooms (like I’ve seen in New York city).
If businesses really dislike customers freeloading off their restrooms, they should change an entry fee per use. In many businesses in Europe, they will charge one Euro entry fee at the door to the restroom, which you give to an attendant. This money helps cover the cost of the bathroom maintenance. Sure it was a pain to have to pay to pee, and I love free bathrooms in America just like I love free refills and free condiments, but it did mean the bathrooms tended to be cleaner.
May 17, 2011 at 2:39 pm rating: 1
#18
Lily
I love how the “your” was corrected to “you’re”, obviously by someone who is a fan of this sign.
May 18, 2011 at 2:19 pm rating: 1
#19
Mac
I’ve used that restroom!
Sad news: it just goes along with the whole decor of the place.
They’re not really free-pee-depriving assholes, they’re just upholding a certain image.
In fact, the name of this restaurant is Passive Aggressive Food and Stuff….
Joke.
May 19, 2011 at 11:00 am rating: 1
#20
ISubmittedThis
I actually submitted this photo, and agree with the other poster that this place is rad, and they serve up their excellent food with a little “in your face” attitude. The whole place is decorated with crazy signs and the people that work there are really cool. This is on the inside of their bathroom door, and I can understand why they would like people to extend a bit of common courtesy when using the restroom but not buying food. I think the tone of this door goes well with the whole tone of the deli, which really is a kick-ass place to stop and eat.
Jun 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm rating: 0
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