In 2013, a small café in Nice, France decided to tackle the eternal problem of rude customers with a brilliantly French solution: charge them more money. La Petite Syrah posted a chalkboard sign that broke down coffee prices into three tiers based entirely on politeness.

Bark "un café" at the counter without any pleasantries? That'll be €7 (about $9.50). Add a "s'il vous plaît" (please) and the price drops to €4.25. But greet the staff with a proper "bonjour, un café, s'il vous plaît" and you'd pay just €1.40—the actual price of the coffee.

The Politeness Experiment That Went Viral

Owner Fabrice Pepino noticed customers were increasingly stressed and curt during busy lunch hours. The tiered pricing sign started as a tongue-in-cheek joke, a gentle reminder that basic manners cost nothing. He never actually charged anyone more than €1.40—the threat alone was enough.

The response was immediate. Customers started smiling more, greeting staff, and treating the transaction as a human interaction rather than a vending machine experience. The story went viral internationally, sparking conversations about customer service culture and whether other businesses should adopt similar systems.

Why It Worked (and What It Says About Us)

The genius wasn't in punishment—it was in making rudeness visible. Most people don't realize how they come across when they're rushed or distracted. The sign created a moment of self-awareness: Am I really going to walk up and demand coffee like a barbarian?

It also flipped the typical service dynamic. Instead of "the customer is always right," it established mutual respect as the baseline. Service workers aren't NPCs in your daily quest; they're humans who appreciate a "hello."

The café became a minor tourist attraction, with visitors stopping by specifically to experience the politeness pricing. Some cafés in other countries experimented with similar concepts, though none achieved quite the same cultural moment.

The Aftermath

Unfortunately, La Petite Syrah has since closed. While the café itself is gone, its legacy lives on in countless articles, social media debates, and the occasional business that tries its own version of kindness-based pricing.

The experiment proved something important: most people, when given a gentle nudge, will choose kindness. Sometimes all it takes is a chalkboard and a sense of humor to remind us that please and thank you still matter—even if we're just ordering coffee.

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