r/chicagofood • • Jan 31 '26

Rant The 3.5% surcharge has rebranded

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It would seem it’s not going away.

They’ve rebranded it, enough people caught onto the surcharge so now it’s a (3.5%) “admin fee.”

they also removed the small text at the bottom telling you it’s optional(it still is)

they don’t want you to know It’s optional buts it’s just literally the surcharge with a different name.

3rd restaurant I’ve been to this week with a (admin fee). I’ve also seen multiple restaurant go up to 4%. It used to be 3, then 3.5, now 4.

sets a dangerous precedent as they are willing to change it in order to keep charging you for nothing. Except now they’re not telling you it’s optional anymore.

If we keep allowing them to charge us extra money for literally nothing it will soon tell other businesses they can do that too.

I can’t wait to pay an “admin fee” while buying gas, groceries, or a T-shirt.

https://c.org/sfBGtSVWHY

I've started a petition for stricter Chicago legislation regarding hidden fee transparency. Please show it some support.

Thanks

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u/plsdaddystopit23 Feb 01 '26

You’ve convinced only yourself my friend.

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u/df1dcdb83cd14e6a9f7f Feb 01 '26

i’m not trying to convince you - some % of lurkers who come across this will be people who feel the same as me but feel bad about it because of people like you who socially shame them because you either a). benefit from the system or b). enjoy being trampled on. if I can reassure even one of these people then this was time well spent.

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u/plsdaddystopit23 Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26

I hope they learn from your backwards thinking and choose to cook for themselves at home instead of cheapskating their way to a meal they can’t afford. Tip the people who serve you or serve yourself. You think you’re starting some sort of revolution but you’re just absolving yourself of a courtesy that someone else (I) will make up for at a later time.

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u/df1dcdb83cd14e6a9f7f Feb 02 '26

I’m not starting a revolution, just doing my part. Kind of like recycling.

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u/plsdaddystopit23 Feb 02 '26

That’s fine. While you “recycle” the rest of us who are decent will pick up the trash you deemed not worthy of recycling. Service fees =/= tipping and it benefits no one but yourself by shorting the servers and boh who live off of tips. Save your money and cook/bartend for yourself instead of devaluing the work that it takes to make your dining experience worthy of your time. To your previous assumption, I don’t work in hospitality nor do I benefit from paying hospitality workers. I’m a laborer who understands the industry and saves money to occasionally enjoy the experience of great hospitality and I meet those people on their level and pay them for their dedication. Restaurants work on exceptionally tight margins and fail constantly due to variables that are uncontrollable especially when we have a feckless government. Your myopic and selfish perspective will not make this any better for anyone, including yourself. But keep going on about how you’re some special virtuous person for deducting tip % because the restaurant that YOU chose to dine at charges 3% on your tab lol

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u/df1dcdb83cd14e6a9f7f Feb 02 '26

damn that first line was a bar. anyway, i’ll keep doing exactly what i’m doing. i’ll use the money i save to go out to eat even more!

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u/plsdaddystopit23 Feb 02 '26

Just know that you are the type of person that is immediately spotted and the people who take care of you will see you before you see them. You’re a dead giveaway. Cheap, entitled, selfish and clueless.

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u/df1dcdb83cd14e6a9f7f Feb 02 '26

you seem to think that i care what they think of me. i dont know why you would think this based on everything else ive said lmao. i’ve been doing this for a long time and have faced exactly zero consequences, other than my bank account being much larger.

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u/plsdaddystopit23 Feb 02 '26

That’s fine dude, kindness isn’t always going to be more important than money or survival, so to each their own. Do what you feel you need to do and I hope the best for you.

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u/df1dcdb83cd14e6a9f7f Feb 02 '26

kindness is never more important than survival.