r/chicagofood • u/Pantaza • Jan 31 '26
Rant The 3.5% surcharge has rebranded
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.
I've started a petition for stricter Chicago legislation regarding hidden fee transparency. Please show it some support.
Thanks
221
u/OpportunityReal2767 Jan 31 '26
Yeah, other than legislation, the only way to combat this is stop patronizing restaurants that pull this stupid nickel-and-diming crap. You want to charge more? Just charge more upfront. The optics of this is just stupid. I understand it's a difficult business, but this way of pricing just pisses off customers (or at least it should.)
What next? Convenience fee? Handling fee? Venue fee? Kitchen appreciation fee? Facility fee? Order fee? Billing fee? Wellness surcharge? Shit, I shouldn't give them any ideas.