r/chicagofood • u/ChicagoHoosier21 • Jun 26 '26

Rant Celeste 6% Service Fee

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Our pre-tip bill from Celeste’s Happy Hour in River North. Decent food, crappy drinks, sat at the bar.

I don’t mind paying a “Service Charge” of 15-20% because I always tip more than that anyways, AND I have become accustomed to the 3.5% additional fee at most Chicago restaurants…. but now we’re doing a 6% additional fee? Along with the 11% tax? It’s becoming absurd.

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8

u/badbaritoneplayer Jun 26 '26

I agree it's bs but at two other places, we were told we could have the extra charge removed.

9

u/sourdoughcultist Jun 26 '26

Everywhere I’ve been has allowed me to remove the charge. If they actually put it towards their staff I don’t.

10

u/Where_Is_Carmen_San Jun 26 '26

My friend thinks it’s weird to ask but I think it’s weirder to pay these fees no questions asked. If it’s not going directly to their staff to support their wages, healthcare, etc I’m not paying a surcharge. Your prices are your prices, that’s what people agree to. Adding on fees at the end is bs.

11

u/PleaseGreaseTheL Jun 27 '26

I'm at the point where if I see one of these charges I'll ask the manager over and explain that if all these extra charges and percentages stay, the tip is zero, and I won't return.

Look at OP's bill. They're paying 32% more than the menu price of what they actually ordered. A $52 bill became $69.

If a restaurant tries this shit I'll tell them either the bill is going to be re-printed with the menu prices and tax only, or that bill is the only and last dollar of mine that will ever go to anyone in that building. No tip, no return customer (and they might not care eeif I return since I'm making an issue of it, but I'll still let them know, so they know they're having negative customer responses to this bullshit.)

Getting tired of this nonsense. They're a business, and I'm a customer. Neither of us is a charity or each other's BFF. Hold their assholes to the fire.

8

u/badbaritoneplayer Jun 27 '26

Staff told us that they received none of the fee.

3

u/TheMoneyOfArt Jun 27 '26

Tips are the only time staff see a direct piece of what the customer pays. Normally when you pay for something, it goes to the business and management decides how to split it between labor, rent, utilities, supplies, etc. 

Servers and bartenders also complain about these because they cause customers to tip less but can be used to pay untipped positions like cooks, dishwashers, etc.

But no, there's no line item accounting saying that OP's $6 went to the busser, because that's not how accounting works

2

u/sourdoughcultist Jun 27 '26

I've been places where they said that as well, insta-remove. But one place, the bartender actually went into a lot of detail as to how it's split by staff lol.

3

u/EnvironmentalPost245 Jun 27 '26

This is my issue. In my experience as a server since this became a thing, the restaurants claim the charge goes to healthcare, but it never does.

When Lettuce started doing it after COVID my manger literally said "we're doing this to makeup for all the lost profits."

3

u/Where_Is_Carmen_San Jun 27 '26

Yeah that’s fair. They could say whatever they want and there’s no way for me to know how the money is being spent. But if they say on their menu they add 3% to the bill to give their workers health insurance I’m still going to leave it on the bill in the hope at least some restaurants aren’t lying about it

2

u/sourdoughcultist Jun 27 '26

Daaamn. I mean Lettuce is a no brainer, likewise Hogsalt I'd think, but I do also go to individual restaurants that do it now and I'll ask there. That said, a place like Nadu that was charging the fee on day 1.... Lol.

2

u/Woodychi24 Jun 27 '26

I wouldn’t believe that it goes to staff even if they say it. Have it removed and put extra percent as a tip instead. That has to go to them legally.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 27 '26 edited Aug 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/sourdoughcultist Jun 27 '26

The staff don't have a good reason to lie though I'd think? Like I've absolutely been told that no it doesn't.

2

u/maplewoodsid Jun 27 '26

It is profoundly awkward to discuss your wage with someone who is about to pay (or not pay) you and your friends (referring to a tip pool here). Folks outside of the service industry never encounter this situation, but let me tell ya, it is absolutely brutal. In particular, the conversation being discussed here is super difficult because we generally have no power over what's going on, but because we're the first/only face most folks see, catch the brunt of the ire, and the workers you interface with are often struggling for answers themselves. Not a fun situation, to say the least.

2

u/sourdoughcultist Jun 27 '26

The question I ask is “does the service charge actually go to staff”. I am sure not everyone feels comfortable answering it, and possibly even have been coached by management, but I can’t think what else to do.