Why do teahouses in Guangdong charge for tea tables?

Tea place fee is closely related to Guangdong morning tea.

The habit of drinking morning tea in Guangdong can be traced back to the reign of Xianfeng in Tongzhi, Qing Dynasty. At that time, there was a small pavilion called "Yili Pavilion", and a sign of "Tea Talk" was hung at the door, offering passers-by a cup of tea to rest. Because it costs only one plum to drink a pot of tea, this small teahouse is called "one plum restaurant", and its consumers are the poor at the bottom.

Later, in the Republic of China, an upgraded version of "Yili Pavilion" appeared gradually, which was called "Erli Pavilion" and was the embryonic form of modern tea houses in Guangdong. There is not only tea, but also various snacks, and the service is quite in place and the price is cheap, which soon became popular in Guangdong.

During this period, there also appeared relatively tall teahouses, generally 2-3 stories high, which provided tea and exquisite snacks and services, but they were all consumption places for dignitaries and wealthy businessmen, so there was a saying that "there is money to go up, but there is no money to go down", which is what teahouse means. Here we can see that drinking tea is an important part of Guangdong morning tea culture, and this kind of tea is never free.

When you enter a teahouse, the waiter will first give you a card, ask how many people there are and what tea to order, and make a note on the card. This is called coffee table, and everyone will charge by place.

Tea fee has a long history, but somehow it has spread from the teahouse serving morning tea to other types of restaurants. Now in Guangzhou, those who don't provide tea service, such as Hunan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine, will charge for tea, which is a bit stale.

Personally, I think it is reasonable for the teahouse to charge for tea, because you provide tea and service, so you should pay this fee. But not anywhere else.