The following is a NY Post exclusive report:
The iconic River Café on the Brooklyn waterfront in DUMBO — famous for its floating-barge dining room that offers sweeping views of lower Manhattan — discriminates against Jews dressed in religious garb by requiring them to pay a minimum of $25 per person to sit at the bar, according to one current and one former employee.
The reservationists — who stand at the entrance to the popular wedding venue and tourist destination — are instructed to use code words to alert the maitre d’ if anyone wearing a yarmulke, “religious hat” or “strings” asks to be seated at the scenic bar, the workers say.
“There are several notes in a book that the reservationists use,” said a current employee at the restaurant, which opened in 1977. The book is kept at the greeting stand. New notes are added periodically by management, and employees are expected to read it before every shift, staffers said.
“The book says that if two religious Jews come in, we call ahead to the maitre d’ and say, ‘Is there space for two at the water bar?’ — in which case a minimum of $25 will be enforced that is just for Jews wearing yarmulkes or any sort of religious hat,” a staffer said. “The terminology in the book is ‘special hat’ or ‘religious hat.’ At the bar, the $25 minimum is only enforced for Jews.”
Restaurant officials denied the claim.
“The $25 minimum applies to everyone,” said Teddy Dearie, assistant manager at The River Café. “If it wasn’t applied, that is just someone not doing their job. The phrase ‘water bar’ I’ve never heard before. That phrase, or any deviation from the policy that’s been in place for several years, is not condoned by the restaurant and is indicative of an individual not performing the duties for which they have been hired.”
Images of the reservation book were provided to The Post to back up the employees’ claims.
“If they look as if they will only order water (not that we stereotype or anything) mention the minimum right away,” one note says. “If they ask for the bar and there is room, tell them there is a minimum at the bar as well.”
Another note reads: We “have decided that when people come in for the bar and are A. wearing sweat pants and B. religious top hats and strings, you must say for A. gym bar and for B. water bar. Thanks.”
On Thursday evening, The Post sent a Jewish couple to the bar. The husband, wearing a yarmulke, and the wife, dressed in a simple long skirt, were told the bar was full.
They were told they could sit on the empty terrace and pay a $25-per- person minimum.
Five minutes later, two Post reporters, wearing no religious garb, were seated on the terrace and were not required to pay a minimum. The bill for a coffee and a gin-and-tonic totaled $18.51.
The River Café — a non-kosher eatery famous for its $100 three-course prix-fixe menu featuring lobster, foie gras and rack of lamb — has become a popular date spot with Orthodox Jews, who are required by their religion to choose public places for dates.
Current and former employees said these couples come for the view and non-alcoholic beverages, and are frowned upon because they take up seats and don’t spend enough money.
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36 Responses
No dogs, no Irish, no Jews. No difference.
More a smart business practice than discrimination. The restaurant knows there is no chance of orthodox Jews spending money on food, so they charge a sitting fee.
Why are Frum Jews patronizing a Treif restaurant?
can’t say I’d do any different – store is there to make money not fill up with 20 dates that don’t spend money and use the facilities not to mention scare off customers that would spend money
Mikomos also has reports of $25 cover charges in both the the Oyster Point Hotel and the Molly Pitcher Inn. I am 99% sure that this is only for shidduchim couples.
This may be illegal, but it’s not necessarily anti Jewish. It’s a simple financial consideration.
This isn’t discrimination.
It’s business.
If people wearing – let’s say – purple hats would consistently take up valuable space ordering water or coke and take away space usually used by customers who ordered big expensive meals, as a businessman, I would tell my employes to quietly discriminate against anyone with purple hats.
This isn’t anti-semitism.
First of all if someone is going to take up space and only order water, I think they could charge something because they’re not going to make any money from them and they’re taking up space that a real paying customer could use.
Secondly I personally don’t think frum couples should go to such places for dates. i don’t know where this minhag started but, I am sure there are better venues for dating couples than a treife pritzusdike place. When I was dating many decades ago, I never felt comfortable when a date was in such a place.
It seems perfectly fair to me; they know by experience that certain types of customers don’t tend to spend much so they impose a mimimum; other customers don’t need a minimum because they usually spend more anyway. They’re not a charity, you know; they exist to make a profit, and experience has shown them which kind of customers spend and which don’t. It’s the same as taxi drivers knowing which kind of passengers tend to tip and which don’t. (Hint: they try their best not to pick up passengers who look like they won’t tip.)
How long will it take for the Jewish Al Sharptons to pounce on it and make a huge chilul hashem. Big deal, we are in golus and this should be the worst abuse for us to suffer.
This is a private business looking to make money.
Dont waste their space for two hours and buy a bottle of spring water.
What about mares eiyin ? .
What happened to Maris Ayin? Where is our dignity
and self respect!
Is there no place better for us to be seen
then at a Bar wearing Yarmulkas and Tzizzis
We shouldnt be there in the first place and if
we aren’t welcome there perhaps there is a
message that we have no business being there
in the first place
We are different and have different beliefs than them, so why should they have to suffer financially because of our beliefs. The Post really did a big Avloh.
Excuse me, but not everything is anti Semitic. its called they are in business to make money and when frum people come there to date they take up two valuable seats and all they order are two sodas, and they sit for 2 hours. Please dont call it what its not,they are very nice people and a lovely atmosphere and that doesnt come for free like everthing else in life. if you were going to a museum for a date you would be happy to pay the $25
Acually, I’m impressed that this testing for discrimination was done by secualr media in defense of Orthodox Jews.
OTOH, what are O Jews doing going to a non-kosher eatery, even if they only order water?
I can never understand why one HAS TO go to a hotel for a date, I didnt when I dated my wife, the whole hotel thing actually makes me uncomfortable
Haha, I could never understand why this place cost guys $50 for two drinks. I hated the river cafe, they would make you wait outside in the cold if the place was full. Funny how things haven’t changed in 15 years, maybe that’s what they mean by the “shidduch crisis”.
This article is wrong on many levels.
They are not antisemitic at all, the problem here is very simple: They are a non kosher spot and there are 7-8 dates every day there without anyone buying anything because everything is not kosher
So what are they suppose to do when a Jewish date comes in for 3 hours and takes up a nice spot in front of the view and they lose business
Terrible article and totally unjust!
The last paragraph says it all. I don’t find it surprising and I’m not sure they are so wrong. It could well be that it’s not the company policy but a lot of places work on commission or tips. Let’s not kid our self’s. Moshe and Suri going on a date. Don’t buy alcohol and they don’t order sushi, if anything they order water which a lot of places might give you for free as a customer ordering in. Any normal place has some kind of way to make money. Let’s say if you go in to a cigar lounge, there is a cutting fee. Which means you pay let’s say $12 and then you could order drinks or cigars or smoke our own. But they start off with a dab of $12 so they make money. Water is free but who drinks water? Usally you’ll want a scotch or a glass of wine, maybe a soda or two and if you’re with company you’ll pay for the bottle. That’s how business is, why should they pay thousands in rent and have people who don’t buy take up seats. And between me and you have you ever tipped a waiter that didn’t serve you? Why should he want you there? It like going in to starbucks and sitting there all day because they have free Wifi. Come on, buy something or go somewhere else. Go to a free place a small park, the zoo who knows where. Not in someone else’s place. They know all ready, anyone with fringes is here to sit for an hour or two and not pay a dime. THAT’S NOT NICE.
The place is TREIF. It is Maris Ayin to walk in there. (Not even to get into the subject of using their treif keilim for drinks.) B”H they make it difficult for Yidden to come in and sin.
This started about 5 years ago, i know because i would frequent this place. I actually dont mind the extra charge because on a date we would take up a seats, good seats. for hours and hours, which is probably a lot longer then their non jewish clients. it also keeps the place not overcrowded with water order people…
That’s what happens when you decide to go to a treif environment. I don’t necessarily blame them. In the case of a non-Jew, there is potential to order off the menu, with frum Jews all they’re having are drinks.
Goyeshe Kop! If they were smart they would realize that they’ll eventually make back triple the money off the Chosson when the couple is married.
But on the other hand, it’s a bit the fault of today’s generation. When I went out with my wife I made sure that she knew exactly what she was getting – I ordered a double wild turkey on the rocks. If every bachur would portray themselves honestly, the bars wouldn’t feel the need to discriminate in the first place.
let them simply enforce a minimum purchase requirement for all.
I just received the following text message from a friend:
FWD: River Cafe a popular Frum dating spot was caught discriminating Frum ppl charging $25 minimum! Pls call them at 7185225200 and demand an apology.pls fwd
#23, How will they make anything off the chosson after the wedding? He’ll probably never set foot in the place again.
Will all the above apologists for this blatant discrimination also make the same comments if this same establishment discriminates againsts blacks, and demands a $15 minimum from them but not whites — because it notices that the blacks don’t spend enough compared to whites?
Otherwise, shut up.
Wait!?!!!
Al Sharpton isnt Jewish?
To those of you who have no problem with the place charging a cover charge to yiddin I ask, if they would charge a cover charge for shvartzas because they didnt serve fried chicken and chitlins or some other “soul” food, would you say a special charge is ok too? I BET NOT!
To those who are wondering how someone could go on a date to a place like this, I say you probably had only “sit-ins.” There is NOTHING wrong halochikly or otherwise of patronizing a place like this. We all go to lounges for dates. There is no “maras eyin” when you go in and purchase the kosher items, i.e., soda, etc. If someone sees a frum person going into a lounge, they SHOULD presume they will order a drink! If I see someone walking into a McDonalds, I would presume they are using the restroom!
20,
On WHAT basis do you call it Maras Eyin? Farkert, you are not being “dan l’kaf zchus” that they will be having a coke on the rocks or they are using the poylishe galach!
Going there for a date is no different than seeing a Jew sitting down in a McDonald’s and drinking a Coke.
B’H
Post number 32 for there is another who has not yet posted
Do you all realize that if you lived in ERETZ ISRAEL you would not even be having this debate !
Move Home before you will be debating why you did not because instead of worrying a drink you may be worrying how to stay alive
Lo CHOMACH atta DISPORIA
PS number 31 is Hashem
Read it right to left
Pshat
Yid
FYI:
‘Mar’as ayin’ has nothing to do with your perception of what looks right or wrong, it is a halachic-grounded fact. Some things are ‘mar’as ayin’ while others are not. Reb Moshe Feinstein was of the opinion that it is assur for a Jew to walk into a treif establishment. Even if no one will actually see him there.
So too, (BTW,) a ‘chillul Hashem’ occurs with no witness at all. Its mere happening is against halacha, thereby a chillul Hashem.
#32 EMMIT:
Living in Israel is physically more dangerous than living in America.
And Israel has treif shops all over the place.
#27 (The Litvishe Kiryas Yoelite), ask any taxi driver, black, white, or brindled, about picking up black passengers, and they’ll all tell you the same thing: they try their best not to, because black passengers don’t tip. Also they often want to be taken to dangerous areas where even if you’re lucky enough not to be mugged you won’t have a paying passenger for the way back. Now tell me, do you think it’s fair that drivers are punished if they’re caught ignoring blacks who are trying to hail them? Do you think it’s right that they should be required to sacrifice their income for the sake of “nondiscrimination”? How would you like it if you couldn’t make your rent or buy your kids shoes because you were forced to waste your time driving customers from whom you knew you wouldn’t make much money?
Now with taxi drivers you can say that in return for this burden they have a monopoly on street hails. But what does a restaurant get in return for this sacrifice you want them to be forced to make? Being “allowed” to do business is not a privilege, it’s a fundamental human right. So how is it right to force them to knowingly lose money?
Living in Israel is physically more dangerous than living in America.
This is not true.
And Israel has treif shops all over the place.
And this is irrelevant. In Israel nobody would think of taking a date to a treife place.