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I've seen this at hotels and such, but never in my life have I been presented with a mandatory fee at a restaurant. I get the tax and I tip and that's it. Is t

I've seen this at hotels and such, but never in my life have I been presented with a mandatory fee at a restaurant. I get the tax and I tip and that's it. Is this a California thing in recent years? Is it just that I don't eat at the right kind of restaurants? Where and when did this start happening?

dboreham 3y ago
The original prime culprit iirc was Jon and Vinny's in LA. I've had the mandatory service charge (which is not given to staff like tips) for several years. There are whole Reddid threads on it with contributions from ex staff going back years.
kstrauser 3y ago
It’s not extremely common but I bump into it enough to triple-check my bill before deciding how much to tip. If there’s a service fee, I subtract that from what I was going to tip so that I’m not double-charged for service.
astura 3y ago
Here's an article on the new fees - https://www.today.com/food/restaurant-surcharges-t263507 https://www.today.com/food/restaurant-surcharges-t263507 >In the NRA’s August 2022 Restaurant Business Conditions Survey, of 4,200 restaurateurs surveyed, 16% have added surcharges. People have been sharing them online lately. Here's a few examples - https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/12huhmm/just_raise_the_prices_on_the_menu_i_dont_want_to/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/12huhmm/... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/w3nep1/the_bartender_said_it_was_an_inflation_charge/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/w3nep1/t... https://www.reddit.com/r/ImpracticalJokers/comments/18ee5l5/you_got_gouged/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ImpracticalJokers/comments/18ee5l5/... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/z89xci/this_bar_i_went_to_in_the_philadelphia_area_has/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/z89xci/t... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1c9t4b6/random_fee_on_my_carry_out_order/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1c9t4b6/... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/14ss46p/random_fees_on_restaurant_bills_becoming_more/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/14ss46p/...
- polotics 3y ago
  Thank You! these are hilarious. I love the helpful tipping math giving options for 18, 20, and 25% tipping. A hard sell is illegal in the as far as I know.
myrmidon 3y ago
Its probably unrelated, but this is widespread in Italy (for centuries), as "coperto" (per person fee; to pay for bread basket/silverware/tablecloth). Was originally intended to discourage people from sitting in a place all day without really consuming much. Personally I think the concept is fine, and actually much preferrable to tipping, but it needs to be culturally ingrained/expected; doing something like this in the US right now is just scummy.
gnicholas 3y ago
Happens all the time in CA (I’m near Palo Alto). It’s at high-end places (that I don’t frequent) and fast-casual joints, both chains and independent restaurants. I’ve even seen it at a bookstore that calls it a living wage surcharge.
- jghn 3y ago
  Also common where I live in the Northeast. Beyond autograts you'll see things like a "kitchen appreciation fee" which is often in the 3-5% range. But in MA it's illegal for back of house staff to take part in tip pools, and that's the reason for it.

dboreham 3y ago

The original prime culprit iirc was Jon and Vinny's in LA. I've had the mandatory service charge (which is not given to staff like tips) for several years. There are whole Reddid threads on it with contributions from ex staff going back years.

kstrauser 3y ago

It’s not extremely common but I bump into it enough to triple-check my bill before deciding how much to tip. If there’s a service fee, I subtract that from what I was going to tip so that I’m not double-charged for service.

astura 3y ago

Here's an article on the new fees - https://www.today.com/food/restaurant-surcharges-t263507 https://www.today.com/food/restaurant-surcharges-t263507 >In the NRA’s August 2022 Restaurant Business Conditions Survey, of 4,200 restaurateurs surveyed, 16% have added surcharges. People have been sharing them online lately. Here's a few examples - https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/12huhmm/just_raise_the_prices_on_the_menu_i_dont_want_to/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/12huhmm/... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/w3nep1/the_bartender_said_it_was_an_inflation_charge/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/w3nep1/t... https://www.reddit.com/r/ImpracticalJokers/comments/18ee5l5/you_got_gouged/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ImpracticalJokers/comments/18ee5l5/... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/z89xci/this_bar_i_went_to_in_the_philadelphia_area_has/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/z89xci/t... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1c9t4b6/random_fee_on_my_carry_out_order/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1c9t4b6/... https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/14ss46p/random_fees_on_restaurant_bills_becoming_more/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/14ss46p/...

polotics 3y ago
Thank You! these are hilarious. I love the helpful tipping math giving options for 18, 20, and 25% tipping. A hard sell is illegal in the as far as I know.

myrmidon 3y ago

Its probably unrelated, but this is widespread in Italy (for centuries), as "coperto" (per person fee; to pay for bread basket/silverware/tablecloth). Was originally intended to discourage people from sitting in a place all day without really consuming much. Personally I think the concept is fine, and actually much preferrable to tipping, but it needs to be culturally ingrained/expected; doing something like this in the US right now is just scummy.

gnicholas 3y ago

Happens all the time in CA (I’m near Palo Alto). It’s at high-end places (that I don’t frequent) and fast-casual joints, both chains and independent restaurants. I’ve even seen it at a bookstore that calls it a living wage surcharge.

jghn 3y ago
Also common where I live in the Northeast. Beyond autograts you'll see things like a "kitchen appreciation fee" which is often in the 3-5% range. But in MA it's illegal for back of house staff to take part in tip pools, and that's the reason for it.