A documentary has exposed how restaurants rank customers according to looks - and place the people they deem to be pleasing to the eye at the front while hiding the less attractive ones at the back.

    Channel 4's new four-part series, "Tricks of the Restaurant Trade," sent models into three top London restaurants where they were given "golden tables" - prominent seats near the front.

    But those considered to be less attractive were relegated to the areas near the kitchen or toilets - or were even simply told there were no tables available.

    The show is presented by Simon Rimmer, Kate Quilton and actor Adam Pearson, who suffers from neurofibromatosis, which has left his face covered in dozens of non-cancerous tumours.

    During the experiment Pearson hired the models and sent them into the restaurants shortly before he and a friend also attempted to get a table.

    In all three cases the women were given seats in prime locations while the men were either hidden away or refused tables.

    Pearson said, "It's disappointing. The next time you get sat at the back of the restaurant, you know why."

    Two restaurateurs interviewed for the show admitted such discrimination is common practice.

    TV chef Simon Rimmer, who owns Greens in Manchester and Earle in Cheshire, said, "Every restaurant has a golden table where they sit the best-looking customers.

    "A restaurant's clientèle give off a certain message about the place. Good-looking customers attract more people and make you more cash so you sit them where they can be seen."

    Neil Gill, who owns London's Season Kitchen, told The Sun, "Everybody likes to associate themselves with cool and good-looking people. You want to feel like you are eating in a restaurant where there are other cool people."

    "Tricks of the Restaurant Trade" aims to find out how customers can ensure they get the best-quality food and reveals some of the techniques that restaurants regularly use.

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    驱逐

    qūzhú

    relegate

    banish or exile

    歧视

    qíshì

    discrimination

    unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc.

    纪录片显示餐厅看脸给座位

    一部纪录片显示，餐厅会对顾客的外表进行排序，安排养眼的人坐靠前的座位，相貌平平的坐靠后的座位。

    英国4频道的四集纪录片《餐厅诡计》派出一些模特来到三家伦敦顶级餐厅。他们都被安排到了靠前又显眼的“尊享位”。

    而长相不起眼的人则被安排到靠厨房和厕所的座位，或者直接被告知没有座位。

    这档节目由西蒙?里默、凯特?奎尔顿和演员亚当?皮尔逊主持。皮尔逊患有多发性神经纤维瘤，这导致他的脸部长有许多良性肿瘤。

    测试中，皮尔逊请一些模特到目标餐厅就餐，随后自己也和朋友到这些餐厅找座位。

    在测试的三家餐厅中，女性都被安排坐到了最佳位置上，而男性则被安排到不起眼的位置，或是直接被拒绝。

    皮尔逊说：“结果让人堵得慌。下次你被安排到餐厅靠后的座位，你就知道为什么了。”

    节目还采访了两位餐馆老板，两人皆承认这种歧视性做法在业内很常见。

    电视名厨西蒙?里默在曼彻斯特和柴郡开了两家分别名为“绿色”和“厄尔”的餐厅。他说：“每家餐厅都有一张'尊享位'，留给那些最养眼的顾客。”

    “餐厅的顾客会传达出特定的信息。长得好看的顾客可以吸引更多的人，让你赚更多钱，所以你把他们安排到显眼位置上。”

    尼尔?吉尔是伦敦“四季厨房”的老板。他告诉《太阳报》：“大家都喜欢和时髦、漂亮的人待在一起。你想要这种感觉：你正和其他同样时髦的人在餐厅吃饭。”

    《餐厅诡计》致力于寻找帮助顾客判断食物质量的方法，并揭露了一些餐厅常用的伎俩。