A Kpop Fan's Guide to Not Being Creepy when Visiting Idol Parents' Cafes and Restaurants
Maybe I should start a series of these or something.
I just heard that some K-Inspirits released the location and phone number of Hoya's mom's restaurant. And I have a lot of feelings about this.
1. Remember that you're not the only person who will be at this cafe/restaurant.
A restaurant or a cafe is a place of business, and places of business rely on patrons to make money and stay open. No matter how much of a cafe or restaurant's startup capital was provided by an idol child, it's still a business-it needs revenue in order to continue operations. As a result, you will not be the only person in the cafe or restaurant at any given time, straight up.
Because you will not be the only person in the cafe or restaurant at any given time, here are a few things to bear in mind:
1. The servers and waitstaff will have other patrons to attend to.
2. When you talk, others can hear your conversations-just as they would if you were in any other establishment.
3. You are a customer just like any other person off the street; while the waitstaff of the cafe or restaurant will treat you with respect because your money contributes to the continued operation of the establishment, you are not due special treatment because you're oppa's fan.
Similarly, other businesses in the vicinity of the cafe or restaurant also rely on customer revenue to continue operating, and if oppa's fans are always hanging out around the cafe and being noisy and disruptive, that's not good for business. Be respectful of the other customers in the restaurant or cafe, and be respectful of the businesses in the surrounding area.
2. Don't pester the owners or waitstaff for details about oppa's life.
When you go to a restaurant (any random restaurant) to get lunch, you would never ask the person behind the counter for the intimate details of their lives. The owners and waitstaff of an idol-sponsored cafe or restaurant are no different. Even if it's a restaurant or cafe owned by an idol's parents (such as Kona Beans, which is Kyuhyun & Sungmin's moms' cafe, or Handel and Gretel, which belongs to Yesung's parents), they are not obligated to give out any personal details about their children.
Let me repeat that for emphasis' sake: Idol parents do not owe you anything. They do not owe it to you to answer questions about their son or daughter's habits, living situation, friendships, phone number, or any other information not made readily available to the public. Asking them to give you any information like that is disrespectful and rude and will not endear you to anyone.
3. You are not special just because you're oppa's fan.
The brutal truth of the matter is that if an idol's parents own a restaurant or cafe, you're not the first fan who's come to visit and you will not be the last. This is related to the above point, that idol parents don't owe you anything-you're not entitled to special treatment because you're oppa's fan. You are not due any extra attention or any discounts. You are not entitled to linger in the cafe or restaurant for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of oppa without actually buying anything-you're taking space away from customers who might pay and thereby contribute to the continued operations of the restaurant or cafe.
Actually, here's the real gist of it: Because you are oppa's fan, you should be just as polite and respectful (if not more polite and respectful) than you would be if you were a patron of a cafe not owned by oppa's parents. Say thank you. Be courteous and aware of the customers around you. Don't linger for too long, and don't overstay your welcome. Don't pester the waitstaff or the owners. Tipping is uncommon in Korea unless a server has truly gone above and beyond the scope of their job description, so don't worry about tipping, but do be appreciative of the services rendered.
If you want to be memorable, be remembered as the incredibly well-mannered fan who was polite and gracious, not the annoying, creepy, disruptive fan who ruined everyone's day.
I wish that it was as simple as saying "don't be a douchebag" but it seems that a lot of fans don't really know what that means, so.
I just heard that some K-Inspirits released the location and phone number of Hoya's mom's restaurant. And I have a lot of feelings about this.
1. Remember that you're not the only person who will be at this cafe/restaurant.
A restaurant or a cafe is a place of business, and places of business rely on patrons to make money and stay open. No matter how much of a cafe or restaurant's startup capital was provided by an idol child, it's still a business-it needs revenue in order to continue operations. As a result, you will not be the only person in the cafe or restaurant at any given time, straight up.
Because you will not be the only person in the cafe or restaurant at any given time, here are a few things to bear in mind:
1. The servers and waitstaff will have other patrons to attend to.
2. When you talk, others can hear your conversations-just as they would if you were in any other establishment.
3. You are a customer just like any other person off the street; while the waitstaff of the cafe or restaurant will treat you with respect because your money contributes to the continued operation of the establishment, you are not due special treatment because you're oppa's fan.
Similarly, other businesses in the vicinity of the cafe or restaurant also rely on customer revenue to continue operating, and if oppa's fans are always hanging out around the cafe and being noisy and disruptive, that's not good for business. Be respectful of the other customers in the restaurant or cafe, and be respectful of the businesses in the surrounding area.
2. Don't pester the owners or waitstaff for details about oppa's life.
When you go to a restaurant (any random restaurant) to get lunch, you would never ask the person behind the counter for the intimate details of their lives. The owners and waitstaff of an idol-sponsored cafe or restaurant are no different. Even if it's a restaurant or cafe owned by an idol's parents (such as Kona Beans, which is Kyuhyun & Sungmin's moms' cafe, or Handel and Gretel, which belongs to Yesung's parents), they are not obligated to give out any personal details about their children.
Let me repeat that for emphasis' sake: Idol parents do not owe you anything. They do not owe it to you to answer questions about their son or daughter's habits, living situation, friendships, phone number, or any other information not made readily available to the public. Asking them to give you any information like that is disrespectful and rude and will not endear you to anyone.
3. You are not special just because you're oppa's fan.
The brutal truth of the matter is that if an idol's parents own a restaurant or cafe, you're not the first fan who's come to visit and you will not be the last. This is related to the above point, that idol parents don't owe you anything-you're not entitled to special treatment because you're oppa's fan. You are not due any extra attention or any discounts. You are not entitled to linger in the cafe or restaurant for hours hoping to catch a glimpse of oppa without actually buying anything-you're taking space away from customers who might pay and thereby contribute to the continued operations of the restaurant or cafe.
Actually, here's the real gist of it: Because you are oppa's fan, you should be just as polite and respectful (if not more polite and respectful) than you would be if you were a patron of a cafe not owned by oppa's parents. Say thank you. Be courteous and aware of the customers around you. Don't linger for too long, and don't overstay your welcome. Don't pester the waitstaff or the owners. Tipping is uncommon in Korea unless a server has truly gone above and beyond the scope of their job description, so don't worry about tipping, but do be appreciative of the services rendered.
If you want to be memorable, be remembered as the incredibly well-mannered fan who was polite and gracious, not the annoying, creepy, disruptive fan who ruined everyone's day.
I wish that it was as simple as saying "don't be a douchebag" but it seems that a lot of fans don't really know what that means, so.