Restaurants that give you more than just a receipt

Paying the bill in the restaurant doesn’t have to be a boring obligation but can be a creative discovery.

So is there anything that can make paying the bill at a restaurant more enjoyable or even fun? Yes, there is and I am not necessarily talking about financial bonuses such as discounts or meal deals but I am talking about creative ways of presenting a receipt to the customers, like the one below from Muriel's Kitchen in South Kensington, London. It goes together with the style of the place and its menu which relates to traditional recipes of family's granny.




Receipt in a pink bucket from Muriel's Kitchen in South Kensington, London

Any restaurant can give you just a bill in a black leather pouch or cover and pass an ordinary message to you and other customers: “could you just please pay for the meal”. But not any and every place can make an effort and present the receipt in a different way. I think that those that do, rather say to their customers “we really enjoyed your visit today and we’re glad you chose us and not our competition; we know that paying the bill is not most interesting part of it, so we want to make it a bit nicer by bringing the bill in a bit different way; we hope you enjoy it and will came back to us again and again”. Doesn’t it sound better?
Even if it’s only marketing trick which is supposed to encourage us, the customers, to come again and spend some more money, I prefer to spend more money in a place that “likes me” than in a place which doesn’t even bother to think outside the box.

On my various visits to restaurants in London and beyond I came across different ways of bringing the receipts to the customers and I am not ashamed to give you the names of the restaurants, because if they’re doing something creative and different, why not.

I especially like the one I saw in Dijon, France. They not only put receipt in a candy bag but add a candy for each guest. Just to make paying a bit sweeter (or less bitter).

 




Receipt in a candy bag from L'Epicerie et Cie in Dijon, France

Sometimes, you don't have to think a lot to come up with something interesting, like those who run Buttery Cafe in Burgh House in London. They're giving a receipt in a shot size glass. So simple, yet different than usual.

But everything started in Ask Italian branch in Oxford. When I saw they way the give the receipts to their customer (see below) something clicked in my mind and I thought that I would start collecting them. I found this one interesting, because (again) it fits in with the idea of the restaurant (cork from wine and the shape of pizza) and is simple but functional - it displays the name of the restaurant and has space for the money/card.

Receipt in a cork from Ask Italian, branch in Oxford

After the first one, I had to wait awhile to find another creative example but it was worthy waiting. In the Restaurant de Paul in Covent Garden, London I've got this gem. At the end of an amazing meal comes another surprise and that is the receipt hidden in a book. I found it discrete and stylish. Even if the waiter or waitress bring the receipt you may not notice it, because it is done in such a gentle way. What's more, it encourages you to spend more time in the restaurant, reading, if you know French, of course.

One of my favourite - receipt in a French book in Le Restaurant de Paul

I had a lot of fun searching for those different ways of bringing a receipt to the customers in restaurants and I'll keep searching and telling you not only where you can get a tasty meal but also, where you can enjoy being in a creative environment with people who, even tough they want your money, can say it in a very kind or funny way.

Blog Challenge: Why is it worthy to start one?

Blog challenge is completed. It took 26 days and brought 24 posts, all letters of alphabet included. On the I've learnt things, which will encourage you to challenge yourself. 

26+ days ago I didn’t know that a challenge I got myself into will show me so many thing, not only related to writing and blogging but also to my personality, a way of expressing myself and topics that matter to me. To my surprise I didn’t even need to wait until I reached letter "Z" as already by "D" I saw how much I could learn from it.

The sheer fact of taking the challenge was already exciting. From the very beginning I was determined not only to begin but also to finish, and to do it well. In the beginning I had doubts (and you will have them too): I couldn't imagine myself writing every single day for next month or so, always having and idea and enough strength to write. I didn’t want to start the challenge and stop half-way. But, as to my surprise, after only few days it became natural. The more I wrote the easier it was to continue. Even though there were days when I felt it would more convenient not to write, I kept doing it. I persevered. My husband all off you, readers were great encouragement with all suggestions and comments. I realised that I can actually write much more often than I used to. For the purpose of the challenge I wrote every day and even though after it finished I may not be able to write so often, I know I can write once or twice a week and not like before - once a month if not less often. That’s also because I realised there are so many things in life to share about that you don't have to wait for the perfect topic. There will be things that will attract the bigger audience but there will be those which will matter only to you but you still need to write about them and have courage to speak up.

The variety of subjects I wrote about, on the other hand, taught me how to express my thoughts and present my opinions. When I was setting up “Mine of Ideas” the main purpose was to write about creative businesses and people. I wanted to continue what I started when I was a full-time journalist. Once I started, I realised I could add more posts about creative thinking and processes behind it but I was thinking I should stick to the original idea. Now I see that it doesn’t have to be the case. I still want to write about all that creative side of business and life but there also other things I can have my say on and which people would like to read about. It helped me to establish a few main areas I want to write about and it may as well turn into another project. 

 

I suddenly realised and I can write about what really matters to me and people will be interested in it and it gave me again a sense of freedom. At the end I felt I want to encourage everyone to take up on a challenge of any kind. If you want to explore a new idea or teach yourself a new habit, start a challenge. Maybe you have a great idea in your mind and you are worrying if it will work, you want to learn to play an instrument, start a group, want to start a new hobby, you want to move to another town or you want to start a new project and you're not sure if that is something for you. Give yourself a trial period by starting a challenge. Just choose a reasonable amount of time not to make it too long.

I encourage you to consider taking on any challenge. It doesn’t have to be writing but can be related to doing acts of kindness, helping others, working out, eating, reading or anything else you want to be better at. It’ll give you a chance to have a look into yourself, review your actions, come up with new ideas and once you complete it, you’ll really have a sense you achieved something.

Blog Challenge Day 15: O is Observation



Every evening after dinner my husband laughs at me and always for the same reason. As soon as I finish eating I turn away from the table to the window and start my daily observation. As our dinning table stands right next to our sloping window it requires only one move from me and I am already looking outside. What do I observe? The streets, the cars passing by, people coming home after work and others walking their dogs in the park, kids playing, adults jogging and everything else what's happening that time. Sometimes, the streets are still and quiet and on the other days they're full of events.

The view from my daily observation point

Why do I do it? Partially it's to see other people and be a little bit nosy - I see them but they don't see me and I can think of where they're going, where they are coming from and who are they rushing to see without being spotted. The most important reason though is to see what's going on out there, how the world is moving, what's happening at certain times of the day and of the week. Even if there is nothing going on, there is always the nature to observe. We live in the west of London, so usually in the evening we can see the sun going down emanating with purple and orange all over the place. And there is always an option of just looking out far far away and imagining what's there.

 

It's not only those window moments that I use for the observation. I love going to the park, sit down on a bench and observe the passers by. Did you know that each park has its own character? Depending on what time of the day you visit, you'll see a different side of it. In the morning you get actie joggers, later on mums relaxing with kids and a bit older but peaceful people and in the evening you get a mix from the neighbourhood. In London, there are high and mighty royal parks, like Regent’s Park, there are more public ones, do-what-you-feel-like parks like Hyde Park. At the bottom of the ladder there are local parks and fields. But they actually take first place in people's hearts.

I observe when I am on the tube. I am always wondering what people are doing when there is nothing to do? Most of them is reading a newspaper or playing games on their phone but some share experience of the day with another person or have different conversations (observing includes listening).
I observe when I am walking on the street or when I am in the church. My eyes are open constantly. Maybe I'll spot something new or original, maybe I'll be able to help somebody or maybe I'll just learn something about people. Because observation is not just about being nosy and spying on people but it's a way to understand what's going on around me, what am I involved in, where is my place in all that and how do I fit in.