4 ms·

I don't know that the consumer expenses for dining out rise to the same level of importance as those for internet service in the digital world. On the luxury/ne

by cvoss 3y ago

I don't know that the consumer expenses for dining out rise to the same level of importance as those for internet service in the digital world. On the luxury/need spectrum, the former is decidedly on the luxury side while the latter is increasingly on the need side. That being said, I am curious what cities/regions or restaurant types you see this happening at. I don't think I've ever encountered anything like that where I live (southeast) except for things like the customary mandatory 18% gratuity for parties of 6 or more.

hot_gril 3y ago
Bay Area and California in general. San Francisco was first with the 5% restaurant healthcare fee, which I think was a citywide tax that explicitly allowed businesses to list the fee separately. Maybe this inspired other restaurants in adjacent cities to start adding similar things despite not having any law like that, usually (but not always) mentioning the fee in fine print. It got even more widespread lately with the classic "covid fee" which later got changed to "inflation fee." The other less rigid thing is asking for a 22-30% tip on the credit card machine, often for things you don't traditionally tip for; at those places I use cash. Highest I've seen is 8% while also asking for a tip, but at least the fee is clearly listed at the top of the menu: https://asliceofny.com/sunnyvale/menu/ https://asliceofny.com/sunnyvale/menu/
- meindnoch 3y ago
  "An 8% Co-op Wellness service charge is added to all orders and is split 40/60 between employees+managers and the cooperative. It is not a tip." Yeah, this is the kind of bullshit I'm talking about. It's a percent-based surcharge, so why can't they just increase their prices by 8%? Prices on the menu are meaningless at this point. With sales tax, the "obligatory" tipping and these new bullshit fees you'd be closer to the real price by mentally doubling everything on the menu. How people put up with this shit is beyond me.
  - hot_gril 3y ago
    It's more like 30-35% but yeah. Don't forget the credit card fee if you're using that, except that one actually makes sense since you can opt out.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    Just deduct it from your tip and move on.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - hot_gril 3y ago
      It's take-out pizza, shouldn't have a tip anyway.
no_wizard 3y ago
With the absolute proliferation of hidden / undisclosed / hard to find fees since 2020, the trend only seems to be accelerating. For instance, I went out to eat the other day, and I hadn't gone to a regular restaurant in awhile. Prices seemed reasonable. Then the final bill came, and had almost $7 dollars worth of various little fees. Prior to 2020, this was nearly unheard of, and I certainly never experienced it. I have vowed to not eat out for the foreseeable future without a really compelling reason. The calculus would be different if that had to be listed in the price or otherwise disclosed in an obvious manner. This happens in other establishments too. For another example, apparently, my apartment mandates a cleaning "charge". This is not disclosed in the lease, nor on the website, or anything of that nature. Its taken out of your deposit, non optional. Apparently, this is completely legal, and its frustrating.

by cvoss 3y ago

hot_gril 3y ago

Bay Area and California in general. San Francisco was first with the 5% restaurant healthcare fee, which I think was a citywide tax that explicitly allowed businesses to list the fee separately. Maybe this inspired other restaurants in adjacent cities to start adding similar things despite not having any law like that, usually (but not always) mentioning the fee in fine print. It got even more widespread lately with the classic "covid fee" which later got changed to "inflation fee." The other less rigid thing is asking for a 22-30% tip on the credit card machine, often for things you don't traditionally tip for; at those places I use cash. Highest I've seen is 8% while also asking for a tip, but at least the fee is clearly listed at the top of the menu: https://asliceofny.com/sunnyvale/menu/ https://asliceofny.com/sunnyvale/menu/

meindnoch 3y ago
"An 8% Co-op Wellness service charge is added to all orders and is split 40/60 between employees+managers and the cooperative. It is not a tip." Yeah, this is the kind of bullshit I'm talking about. It's a percent-based surcharge, so why can't they just increase their prices by 8%? Prices on the menu are meaningless at this point. With sales tax, the "obligatory" tipping and these new bullshit fees you'd be closer to the real price by mentally doubling everything on the menu. How people put up with this shit is beyond me.
- hot_gril 3y ago
  It's more like 30-35% but yeah. Don't forget the credit card fee if you're using that, except that one actually makes sense since you can opt out.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  Just deduct it from your tip and move on.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - hot_gril 3y ago
    It's take-out pizza, shouldn't have a tip anyway.

no_wizard 3y ago

With the absolute proliferation of hidden / undisclosed / hard to find fees since 2020, the trend only seems to be accelerating. For instance, I went out to eat the other day, and I hadn't gone to a regular restaurant in awhile. Prices seemed reasonable. Then the final bill came, and had almost $7 dollars worth of various little fees. Prior to 2020, this was nearly unheard of, and I certainly never experienced it. I have vowed to not eat out for the foreseeable future without a really compelling reason. The calculus would be different if that had to be listed in the price or otherwise disclosed in an obvious manner. This happens in other establishments too. For another example, apparently, my apartment mandates a cleaning "charge". This is not disclosed in the lease, nor on the website, or anything of that nature. Its taken out of your deposit, non optional. Apparently, this is completely legal, and its frustrating.