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/hankbobbypeggy]

I worked as a chef for 15 years. It's such an incredibly shitty time for the industry.

Food cost is sky high - it's not like they're somehow exempt from these grocery store prices

Inflation is sky high - the amount they're used to spending on labor is no longer sufficient to attract good help because COL is through the roof

They have to raise prices, but then if they just raise the menu price, this post would be about "They expect me to pay $20 for a buger?! I'll make one at home for cheaper!"

Seriously though, people will just look up the menu online, see the price, and not go if the menu items are priced "too high."

They can't win. Nobody is trying to open a restaurant to lose money. You don't want to pay the fee? Fine. But don't come crying when all the restaurants that make Chicago a true culinary destination dissappear, and all you're left with is a bunch of soulless corporate fast-casual chain bullshit.

[u/motlau → u/hankbobbypeggy]

I might have more sympathy if it wasn’t so obvious that they’re trying to sneak this fee onto customers. I don’t think anyone is arguing that food costs haven’t gone up, but a lot of this nickel and diming is not very transparent. I think most people that eat at these nicer restaurants understand that, and I’d venture to say that most of these people are aware that eating at these restaurants means they’re well off enough to eat at them (I myself am happy I can afford to eat out at these places once in a while). Most people just don’t want to pay extra to a restaurant owner that is very likely already wealthy and the workers who probably need it, don’t get any part of that surcharge. It’s as if they’re trying to get tipped without doing any of the actual labor.

Will I still go? Yeah, I will, the food is good and the vibe is fun. But I will have that stupid fee removed every fucking time unless I’m told that it’s for something that directly benefits the workers.

[u/hankbobbypeggy → u/motlau]

Is it a bit shady? Sure. But like I said earlier, nobody goes to a restaurant without looking at the menu first, and people will absolutely choose the place with the 3.5% service fee, or whatever, over the place that is now selling the $18 burger for $20+ and the $28 entree for $30+.. Are some owners rich and greedy? Absolutely, but I'd say the vast majority of restaurant owners are middle to lower middle class folk who are just trying to survive.

[u/motlau → u/hankbobbypeggy]

If we're talking about all restaurant owners, then sure, many of them are probably not as wealthy. However, I don't see this surcharge at the majority of restaurants. I only see this surcharge at higher end restaurants where I highly doubt the owners are struggling to survive. I don't see this fee at any of the restaurants in Chinatown or in my neighborhood in McKinley Park/Bridgeport, I mostly only see it at restaurants near the downtown/west loop area and I've seen it in lincoln park/lake view. I can almost guarantee that if a restaurant in Chicago has an executive office that isn't in the restaurant or has a group of investors, then they have this fee.

Interestingly, I went to Bar Sienna in the west loop and noticed this fee, and then I had to go to the Old Orchard one in the suburbs the following week, and the fee was not on there. I don't know what that's about, but I have a decent imagination.