I’ve seen that at some restaurants in the US too. There’s usually a CYA clause like “you can ask for this fee to be taken off,” but it’s deliberately a policy

I’ve seen that at some restaurants in the US too. There’s usually a CYA clause like “you can ask for this fee to be taken off,” but it’s deliberately a policy designed to make customers uncomfortable and accept the surcharge. I normally tip 20% or so, but if there’s a mandatory surcharge, I just subtract it from the tip.