Restaurant offers 'skinny discount' to its customers

A restaurant in northern Thailand has come under fire for offering what it calls a ‘skinny discount’, an unprecedented discount that gives customers a percentage off their bill based on how small a gap they can squeeze their body through.

Travel influencers Amina (@amonthego) and Alex (@alexwandersyt), have brought the weird discount strategy of Chiang Mai Breakfast World, to global attention. They documented their experience in a video posted on Instagram, which has garnered nearly 8 million views and also sparked debates.

The video shows color-coded metal bars installed near the entrance, of the controversial restaurant, each corresponding to a discount. People who could pass through the narrowest gap will get 20%. There are also 15%, 10%, and 5% for slightly wider slots.. The last bar, which is the largest gap says 'Full price Sorry'. Customers who are unable to fit through any of the smaller spaces must pay full price.

In the video, a young woman tries to fit in through the 15% bar. Another video show a middle-aged man trying to squeeze through 10% bar, and ultimately making it through 5%. “I think you tried hard enough,” an onlooker said, as the man struggled to squeeze through. Another joked, “You need some butter.” As the man finally manages to thread the 5% discount slot, he admits, “It’s better than nothing, I suppose.”

The video has garnered all sorts of comments from the netizens. While many viewers criticized the ‘skinny body, skinny bill’ rule as prejudiced against the plus-sized, a few others thought it was fair.

One Instagram user wrote, “Wouldn’t eat there. That’s really discriminating.” “This is so wrong,” another critiqued. A third user wrote, “What’s wrong with you? This can promote eating disorders. Let people enjoy their food and have a healthy weight.” “Seriously concerning the body shaming/weight obsession in Asia,” another upset netizen commented.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIIb3Fap_wI/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DIIb3Fap_wI/

A few others thought it was really ‘funny’ and a ‘brilliant’ idea. “We need this across all places,” one said. “In America, this place would get sued, sadly,” another quipped. “It’s a great idea!! I probably get no discount but it reminds me to eat less for my own health. Good idea,” one user wrote. “I need this at McDonald’s, the best entertainment you can get,” one suggested.

A few netizens even argued that the inflammatory policy should apply to the airlines, which seems to be poking fun at the complaints that airplanes do not cater to larger passengers.
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Regardless of whether the ‘skinny discount’ is a playful challenge or a harmful form of fat-shaming, it has certainly caught the eyeballs of internet users.