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One aspect not mentioned is that in Germany when you sell liquid drinks AND provide seats to sit down you also have to provide a toilet for customers. I'm not

One aspect not mentioned is that in Germany when you sell liquid drinks AND provide seats to sit down you also have to provide a toilet for customers. I'm not sure this initiative is actually improving matters. I more believe it is trying to stem the tide of key codes at toilet doors. See this article from last year mentioning "nice toilet" initiative: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/wc-nur-fuer-gaeste-frankfurter-cafebetreiber-schliessen-toiletten-ab-13402228.html http://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/wc-nur-fuer-gaeste-fra... Google translate: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.faz.net%2Faktuell%2Frhein-main%2Fwc-nur-fuer-gaeste-frankfurter-cafebetreiber-schliessen-toiletten-ab-13402228.html https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=h...

elecengin 10y ago
Many coffee shops in downtown NYC have the code/key situation. There are similar regulations in NYC (and I think most of the US, although it is at a local level) that mandate customer bathrooms although they do not sound as strict. For example, small coffee shops (less than ~15 seats) frequently have no customer bathrooms.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- nefitty 10y ago
  Wow, that would be one of the first places I'd expect a restroom. Here in Vegas I continually find myself asking for a public restroom at convenience stores. It's usually hit or miss. Most do have seats for gamblers, so it's not the seats, most have hot prepared foods, so it's not that either. I've always thought that places that provide public facilities on their own initiative should maybe get some kind of subsidy for upkeep from the county or city government.
- paganel 10y ago
  > For example, small coffee shops (less than ~15 seats) frequently have no customer bathrooms. That sucks. As a person with a mild case of "what's-the-closest-toilet?"-angst I would feel quite awkward drinking a coffee and probably eating a cookie on the side knowing that there's no toilet close-by. As a matter of fact that would make me avoid those coffee shops entirely. Bonus link, here's this Seinfeld clip where George speaks for all the people like me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYVBRQ7t46g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYVBRQ7t46g
- kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
  Bathrooms are only mandatory in NYC with 20+ seats. Some places will have "staff only" bathrooms you can use if you're not obviously a junkie.
50CNT 10y ago
There's also the program called "Die Nette Toilette" (The nice toilet http://www.die-nette-toilette.de/ http://www.die-nette-toilette.de/) where the City pays Restaurants a fee for making their toilets public, which works out to 17.000EUR/year instead of 40.000EUR/month in maintenance costs for public toilets. This is currently done by 127 cities in Germany.
- lazerwalker 10y ago
  Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is literally the program described in the original article.
  - 50CNT 10y ago
    whoops, usually read the comments first and then the article. my bad.
- gumby 10y ago
  umm, that's precisely what this article is about.

elecengin 10y ago

Many coffee shops in downtown NYC have the code/key situation. There are similar regulations in NYC (and I think most of the US, although it is at a local level) that mandate customer bathrooms although they do not sound as strict. For example, small coffee shops (less than ~15 seats) frequently have no customer bathrooms.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
nefitty 10y ago
Wow, that would be one of the first places I'd expect a restroom. Here in Vegas I continually find myself asking for a public restroom at convenience stores. It's usually hit or miss. Most do have seats for gamblers, so it's not the seats, most have hot prepared foods, so it's not that either. I've always thought that places that provide public facilities on their own initiative should maybe get some kind of subsidy for upkeep from the county or city government.
paganel 10y ago
> For example, small coffee shops (less than ~15 seats) frequently have no customer bathrooms. That sucks. As a person with a mild case of "what's-the-closest-toilet?"-angst I would feel quite awkward drinking a coffee and probably eating a cookie on the side knowing that there's no toilet close-by. As a matter of fact that would make me avoid those coffee shops entirely. Bonus link, here's this Seinfeld clip where George speaks for all the people like me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYVBRQ7t46g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYVBRQ7t46g
kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
Bathrooms are only mandatory in NYC with 20+ seats. Some places will have "staff only" bathrooms you can use if you're not obviously a junkie.

50CNT 10y ago

There's also the program called "Die Nette Toilette" (The nice toilet http://www.die-nette-toilette.de/ http://www.die-nette-toilette.de/) where the City pays Restaurants a fee for making their toilets public, which works out to 17.000EUR/year instead of 40.000EUR/month in maintenance costs for public toilets. This is currently done by 127 cities in Germany.

lazerwalker 10y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is literally the program described in the original article.
- 50CNT 10y ago
  whoops, usually read the comments first and then the article. my bad.
gumby 10y ago
umm, that's precisely what this article is about.