Comments on: Why Spain is Great #1 – Honesty in Spanish Bars

By: Wannabegafapasta

Wannabegafapasta — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 13:38:27 +0000

I think that this “honor system” works because we Spaniards spend a lot of time in Bares, it’s our meeting/socia gathering place “par excellance” so we feel like being blasphemous if we do not behave honestly. Of course, a common Spaniard may well do a footer if he/she thinks he/she isn’t receiving a proper treatment or isn’t being attended when trying to pay the bill.

It makes an appalling contrast, however, with the Spanish behavior regarding public properties/services (trains, buses, tax payings…), where we try to abuse, avoid or, directly, cheat the Estate with no complaint.

By: SpanishFootsteps

SpanishFootsteps — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:21:52 +0000

I agree, a truly great system, although i do wonder if some establishments miss out on revenue due to forgetful staff or patrons. We have a local bar where settling up at the end of a long evening out didn’t always add up, so we now pay per round.

By: Yomismo

Yomismo — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:32:09 +0000

@Follonera, tu nick hace justicia a todos los posts que publicas hija…

Anda, tranquilizate una miaja, que para un fallo que hace el tio este del blog vas tu y lo unico que te ha faltado es insultarle. Asi que, como diría un ingles… Chill out man…

By: Richardksa

Richardksa — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:44:07 +0000

It’s a great system and on more than one occasion the barman has told me I had drank less than I offered to pay for. So honesty goes both ways.
However, occasionally I want to pay “up front” as I want a quick drink and leave without waiting to attract the waiter’s eye, get the bill etc, and this seems very difficult to do. They don’t seem to understand the concept.

By: follonera

follonera — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:01:18 +0000

Pippa, por si no lo sabes, los mensajes se pueden editar y rectificar. Con las nuevas tecnologías, lo de “quod scripsi, scripsi” no vale gran cosa, jaja.

¡Feliz verano a todos!

By: Justin R

Justin R — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:59:42 +0000

It is a wonderful system, but in my Andaluz pueblo it does have one slight flaw.

Here the bill is usually wrong and has to be sent back – just as often for items missing as for random items added.

By: Graham Tappenden

Graham Tappenden — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:04:09 +0000

Germany has a similar system in bars and restuarants, which may be the reason that German tourists get on so well in Spain But there is a difference: our bars have touch-screen computers where the staff do keep a record of what has been consumed at each table, so that at the end of the evening they can make sure that everything has been paid for. Just in case the patrons’ memories are not working…

When I worked at the large computer show in Hanover (CeBIT) this used to confuse the British visitors no end. So the bar staff would go to the Germans at a large table first, cross off what they had eaten and drunk, and then divide the rest of the bill by the number of Brits at the table – Spanish style!

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:52:58 +0000

@JM, well, I believe the n is changed to m in simpa for pronunciation reasons, the same as the town Ciempozuelos near Madrid has an m in cien – basically you can’t have an n before a p in Spanish.

By: Pippa

Pippa — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:48:35 +0000

Before P (and B) it is always m, never n, so “sin pagar”, when you make it into one word, the n is changed into m

By: JM

JM — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:40:29 +0000

re simpa – should be “sinpa” as in “sin pagar” surely?