Restaurants ask for credit checks, down payments in wake of record home loan defaults

WEST VALLEY — Credit checks and down payments are no longer limited to consumers buying a home. Those looking for a bite to eat can expect them too.

In the wake of a severe downturn in the sub-prime lending sector, several local restaurants have instituted the policies in hopes to prevent ending up in a similar predicament.

“How do I know the customers aren’t just going to come in here, order a Grand Slam and default on the bill?” asked Wendy Stetson, manager of the swing shift at Denny’s. “All we’re asking is for customers to submit to a credit check and pay 20 percent of the meal upfront before we serve them.”

Skipper’s, Del Taco and Chuck-A-Rama have also launched similar practices designed to weed out those with bad credit. The restaurants claim to have seen an increase in the number of customers who ask to wash dishes after seeing the bill.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but this is really going to benefit everybody in the end,” said Chris Parker, a Skipper’s spokesperson.

Larry Firenze, a frequent diner at Chuck-A-Rama, said he does not like the idea of revealing his spending habits to those who already know he likes creamed corn, bacon and sticky buns in his salad.

“It’s none of their business to know what I pay and what I haven’t yet gotten around to paying,” Firenze said. “That down payment is coming right out of their tip, I can tell you that much.”

editor@thesugarbeat.com