A popular Korean barbecue restaurant has attracted attention after offering students a discount if they show up to lunch in their school uniforms.
The Butchers Buffet chain, which has restaurants in Blacktown, Chinatown, Eastwood, Cabramatta and Strathfield, is offering students up to 30 per cent off if they eat lunch during the week.
To get the deal, guests must show up dressed in their school uniform and leave two Google reviews per table. These terms and conditions have critics scratching their heads.
One local posted on Reddit asking why students would have to be in their school clothes, asking, “Who is this useful for?”
‘Can we use a student card instead of our uniforms?’ asked another.
Others brazenly suggested that the rule left room for interpretation.
“Technically, they also don’t say you have to be a high school student, just wear a high school uniform,” one wrote.
A popular Korean barbecue restaurant has attracted attention after offering students a discount if they show up to lunch in their school uniforms.
Speaking to WhatsNew2Day Australia, a spokesperson for Butchers Buffet said they had tried using ID cards on students, but it was unsuccessful.
“Many students lost their cards or didn’t have them when they came to our restaurant, so they felt they couldn’t accept the offer,” they said.
“Student IDs are still welcome, but are now not required to access the agreement,” they added.
It also helps staff identify students at a glance.
“We can differentiate who is a high school student and who is a college student,” they said.
However, some noted that the discount, which reduces meals to $30, still puts them out of reach for most high school students.
‘$30? “I remember going to school and paying $5 for a chicken bun thinking he was the king,” one man said.
“If high school kids have $30 each to spend on this, it would have to be a niche market,” another asked.
Butchers Buffet charges adults, “those over ten years old,” $36.99 for lunch Monday through Thursday and $43.00 Friday through Sunday.
All you can eat at the restaurant has a 90-minute limit and customers are charged $15 per head if they don’t manage to eat all of their food.
Some people questioned the legality or “ethical line” behind requiring reviews to get a discount, something the restaurant constantly does with its promotions.
But an ACCC spokesperson told FEMAIL that as long as they allow all honest reviews, whether good or bad, then it’s fine.
‘Incentives offered to customers to provide reviews should: apply regardless of whether the reviewer leaves a positive or negative review. (and) clearly disclosed so that consumers know that the review was incentivized,” they said.
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The reviews are varied; however, it is unclear how many were left as part of a promotion.
‘Today I came to the butcher buffet with a partner. Everything started well, but the main problem came when the allotted time ran out. We still had some food on our plate that we were able to finish, but the manager told us to leave,” one man complained.
He added that the restaurant then made him pay for the food he did not eat.
Another said they were made to pay $15 per person for any food waste.
‘The variety of meat and salads is very poor!…so the value for money and service was not very good and I’m sorry, it will never be a waste of money again,’ they said.
Others were impressed with the restaurant.
The restaurant said they made the rule to help students, who often leave their ID cards at home.
‘It was a long queue but it was worth it! Wide selection of premium meats, fresh vegetables and desserts,” wrote one.
“Absolutely exquisite, I love the atmosphere and the attention of all the employees,” said another.
The spokesperson explained that they ask for reviews on Google but don’t actually enforce the rule.
‘We don’t preach to students or force them to open their phones to write to them. “Rather, we remind you upon purchase that reviews are welcome within the promotion,” the spokesperson said.
‘We do not force or pressure them and they can write their own review if they wish, we do not force a positive review; we want them to be honest and based on their experience. Ultimately, this is just a strategy to help with our marketing; “We are in difficult times right now and every little support keeps our doors open.”