The discount is in full force at all but one of the chain’s 157 branches – Ben Gurion International Airport.
The company’s CEO, Noam Zimerman, told Globes the initiative was intended to “encourage more respectful conversation in Israel society”.
Owner Ronen Nimni admitted that the aim was also to boost sales of takeaway coffee. He told Haaretz: “A cup of coffee costs us 3 to 3.50 shekels, so if we sell it at 6 shekels and sell a lot, we are still earning 80 per cent to 100 per cent on the product without having to provide service or a place [to sit].”
If successful, the deal could be extended to sales of takeaway food too, according to Mr Nimni.
However, cynical competitors are unlikely to follow suit. An unnamed executive at a rival firm told Haaretz: “It’s a public relations move and nothing more,” he said.
“As I see it, there is no reason to provide a reward for the required use of words like ‘thank you’ and ‘please’.”
