Valet Parking is a Scam

I've had it with restaurants that think they need to get inside my car so that I can enjoy my dinner. As a car enthusiast, and someone who values privacy, I don't want some kid driving my cars, and I think it's absurd that I should give someone $10 bucks to drive my car 30 feet and park it. Further, I don't want to wait around while some guy goes to fetch my car and bring it back after I eat. I'm quite happy to just walk to my own car and fetch it myself. These guys can keep their hands off my cars. I understand that valet parking can be a valuable service when parking is difficult, but when it's not difficult, or when it's difficult only BECAUSE of the valet, I'm out.

New personal policy – I will cancel reservations on the spot every time I'm told parking is valet only and it appears to be that way for no good reason but to extract another $10 bucks (sometimes more) from me. Especially if the parking lot is immediately adjacent to the place I'm going and it's been blocked off just to make my life difficult. Nothing personal, but my car is my personal space, and it is an expensive asset, I'm not going to just hand it over to some guy in a red vest because he says so. This is not NYC, and I'm not paying for an inconvenience that is created just to force me to pay.

I encourage other people to object to this kind of nonsense too… next time you're waiting around for a valet to bring your car, remember that you paid to sit there and wait and let someone else in your personal vehicle.