"LODI, Calif. (AP) - Bald is beautiful in Lodi - at least to Gary Arnold, a restaurant owner who charges customers according the amount of hair on their head.
A full head of hair will get you nowhere with Arnold, who sports a naked noggin himself.
But customers who come to Gary's Uptown Restaurant and Bar on Wednesdays with less than 50 percent of their hair get up to 50 percent off their food.
The real thing - a totally hairless head - will fetch a clean 100 percent off.
Arnold doesn't care if the customer shaves, or is naturally endowed with a lack of hair. The bald eat free - even the repeat customers, he said.
Not only that, but they get to chose from a special menu, which includes filet of snapper, flat iron steak and chicken fettucine.
Arnold calls it a ``win-win'' situation. News of the place has reached beyond Lodi to Modesto, Sacramento and Stockton. The hairless of the region congregate in his dining room, which can look like an advertisement for Hair Club for Men on any given Wednesday, he told the Lodi News. This has doubled business on what used to be his slowest day.
And the men can feel at ease in a supportive environment that nurtures their lack of cover.
``Years ago, being bald was looked down upon,'' Arnold said. ``Now I think it's trendy.''
Stockton resident Rich Handel, finishing off a discounted Caesar salad - the 50 percent reduction mirroring his half-gone locks - agreed, saying this was the first time he benefited from being bald."
I'm shaving me locks and moving to California!!
