At pop-up restaurant, customers wash the dishes instead of paying

A French washing liquid brand has created the Mir Restaurant, which is charging customers in the form of dishwashing tasks instead of money.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but we’re increasingly seeing businesses offer their service in exchange for other forms of currency than plain old cash. We recently wrote about several NYC gyms that are using work-trade programs to enable volunteers to get free workout sessions. Now a French washing liquid brand has created the Mir Restaurant, which is charging customers in the form of dishwashing tasks, instead of money.

As part of a marketing exercise, Mir redesigned La Bastide d’Opio, a popular bistro on the 6th arrondissement of Paris, to bring the dishwashing sink into the main dining area. Opening last week, customers could order items from a set menu, including starters, mains and desserts. Rather than listing the prices, however, each dish had an icon next to it indicating what each customer would have to wash up in order to pay for the meal. For example, a tomato and mozzarella gratin starter could be bought for four pieces of cutlery, while a duck pie would require cleaning a whole pan. At the end of the meal, diners were presented with the list of duties that would cover the cost of their table.

Watch the video below, which acts as an promotion for the campaign:

The campaign turns the age old idea of washing the dishes when you can’t afford to pay into a reality, instead enabling diners to pay the eatery with a helping hand rather than money. Although a marketing stunt that was designed to promote Mir washing up liquid to consumers, could this business model be implemented in the real world, perhaps as a discount option for cash-strapped diners?