5. Tea and Sympathy is a British restaurant and caf in the heart of New Yorks West...

5. Tea and Sympathy is a British restaurant and café in the heart of New York’s West Village.

It is tiny, with around a dozen tables packed into an area little bigger than the average British sitting room. Expatriate Brits, native New Yorkers and celebrities queue to get in. It has become famous for the unusual nature of its service. ????????veryone is treated in the same way’, says Nicky Perry who runs it. ‘We have a firm policy that we don’t take any shit.’ This robust attitude to the treatment of customers is reinforced by ‘Nicky’s Rules’, which are printed on the menu:

• Be pleasant to the waitresses – remember Tea and Sympathy girls are always right.

• You will have to wait outside the restaurant until your entire party is present: no exceptions.

• Occasionally, you may be asked to change tables so that we can accommodate all of you.

• If we don’t need the table you may stay all day, but if people are waiting it’s time to naff off.

If customers object they are thrown out. Nicky says that she has had to train ‘her girls’ to toughen up. ‘I’ve taught them that when people cross the line they can tear their throats out as far as I’m concerned. What we’ve discovered over the years is that if you are really sweet, people see it as a weakness.’ People get thrown out of the restaurant about twice a week.

a) Why do you think ‘Nicky’s Rules’ help to make the Tea and Sympathy operation more efficient?

b) The restaurant’s approach to quality of service seems very different to most restaurants.

Why do you think it seems to work here?