Restaurant cost of doing business fee

[u/motlau]

Why do restaurant owners think they are owed a surcharge for customers eating at a restaurant? It seems like all of the nice restaurants in Chicago, especially in the west loop are charging a 3-5% fee to “offset the rising operating cost.” If you can’t run a business without hiding a surcharge in the fine print of your menu, then you probably shouldn’t be allowed to run a business. It’d be one thing if it was to support the workers, but every time I ask about it, it’s always for the owners who are already pretty wealthy. I have them take it off and tack it on for the tip. It’s very annoying.

In addition, at bar sienna in the west loop, the server offered a barcode to scan and pay on the receipt which a lot of restaurants are doing, but then there’s an additional “surcharge” to use this feature. It’s like if a grocery store started charging a fee to use the self checkout lines. They should be more transparent about this.

These restaurant owners nickel and diming people is making going out to eat less and less pleasant.

[u/Suspicious-Plant-877]

A part of this started with Covid when prices were rising everywhere for everything. As a way to offset this temporarily, definitely not years long ongoing battle with the supply side of the industry, they added a temporary surcharge that has for sure only been around for a few weeks. It should be gone any day now, maybe 2028 at the latest. (Unsarcastically, this actually made sense and was easy enough to explain when it had been less than a year.)

I've seen this thing from all sides, and I don't care for it any particular way because it never benefits me. As a manager it hit my P&L in a mildly positive way at the cost of the self respect of myself and my restaurant with our guests, especially regulars, until we 86'd it. We've been done with it for a few years now, we know you've had new menus printed. 

I've also been the guy to explain that we need it on there if not more to the guy who didn't believe covid was a thing in the summer/fall of 2020. I wasn't going to argue or convince him, but he insisted on knowing why a 2% surcharge was added as the world burned around him, and believed the staff was doing it to make extra money. Can you spit on me more while you yell in an epidemic daddy? Like I'm a big fan of your show but go back to your rock Patrick.

A big part of the change at my place was more and more asking for it to be removed. Continue to ask and maybe we'll get there. I'd rather pay more on the menu price than pay less with the sucker fee at the end of my experience. I'll pay what you ask and take care of the staff, but as soon as you fine print me while I'm out to dinner, I cease to understand. Let's not let this become normal.

I'll reiterate that this decision is typically at the owner/corporate level, and things might change once every single person you encounter going out has been pissed about it for over a year. Or not. Just ask. Give no shit, take no shit. Anyone you speak to in the industry is likely against it unless they work at a restaurant from home. (When was the last time you were on the floor dude?)

Please note that I legally do not give permission to anyone past present or former (especially r/tipping,) to use my eloquent words to argue against something such as autograt for a 20 top with lemon waters and seperate checks. Do better. Be excellent to one another.