Topic: Charity..to give or not to give?

[Hyacinth]

I first thought that copying out the relevant part(s) of Baccyman's post & going back quietly to speak to the manager of your restaurant asking if, perhaps, a laminated notice could be put on every table, along with the Menu, for the clients to choose,  would suffice....BUT...now that I've read that this is also happening at a separate establishment (The J.O. one), I'd be writing to the Charity concerned, quoting their words back at them and asking them to see that participating establishements comply. :-\

[Baccy Man]

It would probably be better to quote their exact words rather than the summary I made earlier.

Contact details for the charity can be found here:
http://www.streetsmart.org.uk/contact.php

Their info for customers of participating restaurants:
http://www.streetsmart.org.uk/how-it-works.php

customers

The restaurants are the main channel for the StreetSmart campaign, but you, the customer are the real contributor.

At the end of your meal, a voluntary charge of £1 per table is added to the bill after service and VAT. Dinner for four would amount to each person contributing 25p. You of course, can choose not to participate, simply by telling the staff who can easily remove it from the bill.

It's a simple way to help the homeless in your local city get back to being a vital, contributing member of society.

This customer info is all printed in the tablecards that are supposed to be on display which are provided to the restaurant free of charge by streetsmart along with posters, leaflets etc... which are also supposed to be on display. The wording may vary in different parts of the UK as the proceeds may be going to local homelessness charities rather than streetsmart in which case this is made clear in the literature on display.


Their info for participating restaurants:
http://www.streetsmart.org.uk/how-it-works-full-details.php

Full restaurant details

Customer awareness
A small, elegant table card is placed on each table during November and December. The card explains the StreetSmart idea, and states that during those months, a voluntary £1 will be added by the restaurant to the table's bill at the end of the meal. It also states that the customer may, of course, decline to participate.

Administration
The use of electronic tills makes the administration very straightforward. Most restaurants allocate a button on their till to StreetSmart during November and December. Staff add £1 (or more if the customer wishes) to the bill given to the customer. At the close of business each day, the end of day report gives the sum totals for food, alcohol, beverages, service, etc., and a separate sum for The amount taken for StreetSmart can then be subtracted from that day's sales.

At the end of each month, the accountant determines the balance of the restaurant takings versus total sales, and the surplus would be the sum of all the StreetSmart contributions made by customers. The restaurant then simply writes a cheque or makes a bank transfer at the end of each month to

Cost to the restaurant
Essentially, zero. StreetSmart provides all the table cards and any information to the restaurant in October, and the administrative burden is very small. The scheme is a very cost efficient way for restaurants to fulfil their social and community responsibility.

Restaurant staff and tips
As electronic tills make adding the £1 easy and straightforward, participation usually presents no problems for staff. And most staff enjoy being associated with an employer who has a social conscience.

Most restaurants find that participating in StreetSmart has no effect on the level of tipping. Our experience has shown that customers are happy to contribute to the scheme and don't make any adjustment to the level of tip they would normally leave for a meal.

Customer attitudes
Over ten years of experience has shown that less than 1% of customers decline to participate, and often request that more than £1 be added to the bill! During the lead-up to Christmas, most customers are very happy to "give a little something back" after enjoying a fabulous meal.

VAT effect
The £1 donation is added to the bill after the service charge and VAT, so it does not affect the restaurant's VAT returns.

Any restaurant is welcome to make a donation in addition to or in lieu of participating in the £1 campaign. Those donating will of course receive the same publicity and exposure as those in the regular campaign.