Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Dallas valet parking racket

By Fiona Norton

Maybe it seems churlish, in the current gloomy economic climate, to attack a business that is booming, but as a Dallas denizen and driver, I'm going to do so anyway. I am aggravated, not just by the lack of parking in Dallas, but the control of parking space to create an artificial demand for valet parking (and for its evil cousin, the tow company).

Look, I'm not suggesting there isn't a place and a natural demand for valet parking. If you shop at NorthPark and really don't have the strength to lug those heavy Neiman Marcus bags two steps beyond the front door, why shouldn't you pay for the convenience of a valet rather than struggling a few more steps to take advantage of the swathe of free parking? That's your choice. If you frequent the bars on busy Greenville or Henderson where parking is virtually non-existent, the valet option is a godsend. I mean, let the valets trek the the three blocks to park and retrieve your vehicle. I am all for that.

No, what irritates me no end is when there is available parking but you are forced to use the valet service. A number of restaurants are guilty of this. They have a good sized lot but will not permit you to self park. Now, usually they offer a free valet service, (although we all know there is no such thing as free because a tip is required) but some do charge an actual fee - and I'm looking at you, Bob's Steak and Chop House! But even when it is "free", it is not necessarily convenient. I had the laughable experience of valet service at Nick and Sam's. When I left the restaurant, there was my car, ten feet away in the first space. But the line of customers was huge and the valet service understaffed. After fifteen minutes I just asked one of the guys to just please give me my keys so I could extricate myself from the parking lot.

In years past, Dallas hotels usually offered a choice between self parking and valet parking, but those hotels are increasingly eliminating that choice and coercing guests to use valet at an exorbitant cost.

What I would really like to see are more businesses in the area cooperating with each other when it comes to parking. Those of you who go out in Uptown will know that parking has been a nightmare around the Quadrangle since the big free lot was dug up to make way for a new apartment block. It used to be that The Ginger Man and its neighbor, Tin Star, pooled their respective lots - good for the customers and mutually beneficial to the businesses. After Tin Star closed and reopened as Mooyah, the agreement evaporated and threatening towing signs appeared in their lot. Now Mooyah is closed and you would think the lot would be fair game, but no, a chain has been drawn across the entrance and it stands empty. That's pretty despicable in a parking-strapped area. The good news is that the apartment building is now up and running and there is free retail and restaurant parking available on the ground floor.

I count myself fortunate because I have a friend who has an office in the locale and very kindly allows me to use his lot after business hours. Interestingly, this lot has a view to another lot that belongs to several businesses (most of which only operate during the day). One evening, upon returning to my car, I found a woman in a white SUV lurking in my friend's lot. When I challenged her, she said she was watching the other lot so she could report "illicit" parking to a towing company. Yes, I know, towing companies serve a useful function too, but their over predatory nature is pretty unsavory.

Parking is always going to be at a premium in Dallas where too many people are competing for too few places, but things could be improved by more neighborly cooperation between businesses to create maximum parking space. And individuals in the Uptown area can do their bit too. The Uptown Trolley is free and runs quite late (I quite often use it when I anticipate a conflict between alcohol consumption and auto operation). There's another alternative. Admittedly it is a little antiquated and will be unfamiliar to many: walking!

This article was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.

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