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tdawg ,

Look, it’s me never returning

LemmyFeed ,

These prices are crazy. Lemonade costs as much as a beer. Drip coffee for $5. One cookie for $4. Over $15 for a kid’s plate. Geeze.

Mango ,

Yesterday I bought some alcohol that was literally cheaper than the water they were selling.

CodingCarpenter ,

My man never cheap out on the liquor

Mango ,

Meh. It was a good time. D&D is better with alcohol.

Buffalox ,

Oh boy, the unlawfulness of USA. This would be clearly illegal in EU, as misleading pricing.
Even if stated there’s an 18% extra fee, I’m pretty sure it would be illegal to state prices exclusively without it.
I would simply refuse to pay that fee if it was here, and report them to authorities.

skullgiver , (edited )
@skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl avatar

deleted_by_author

    •
    Hawk ,

    Where is this common? I know you often see it in scummy tourist traps, but besides that I’ve not seen something like it.

    ook_the_librarian ,
    @ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world avatar

    Where is this common?

    I believe you most often see this in scummy tourist traps.

    ook_the_librarian ,
    @ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world avatar

    In America, the restaurant would have to post this on the menu. Thus we have fine-print on our menus. God bless the USA.

    It’s nice to hear the EU doesn’t let that crap slide.

    skullgiver , (edited )
    @skullgiver@popplesburger.hilciferous.nl avatar

    deleted_by_author

    •
    ook_the_librarian ,
    @ook_the_librarian@lemmy.world avatar

    You’re probably right. But judging from other comments in sounded like a small note on the front cover of a menu saying ‘there will be a flat rate surcharge’ would not be adequate.

    Obviously, this is a horrible way for me to collect legal advice, but would a fine-print note on a menu fly? (interpret ‘fly’ however, I’m clearly naïve here.)

    Obi ,
    @Obi@sopuli.xyz avatar

    Scummy businesses sure exist but you would never see this in Amsterdam or Paris. I’m pretty sure there are laws that whatever price is shown is the final price.

    Oka ,

    Many restaurants clearly state “we add gratuity of x% to tables of 5 or more”. Or something similar. It’s an asshole move not to share this until you get the bill, but if they tell you ahead of time, I think it’s fair.

    iforgotmyinstance ,

    Yeah for 5 adults. This is two adults and two kids meals.

    ChexMax ,

    But this isn’t gratuity. The bottom of the bill clearly implies they expect you to tip 11.5% ON TOP of the 18% service fee.

    TotalFat ,

    The real crime here is $125 for bread and pasta…

    LemmyFeed ,

    And almost $5 for drip coffee

    SpaceNoodle , (edited )

    And yet only $6 for a beer

    Edit: downvotes from dim bulbs who can’t divide 12 by 2

    SpaceNoodle ,

    $16.25 for each “kids shells”

    pete_the_cat ,

    I was gonna say “The real crime is $11 for a fucking cannoli”. I could get two, large, freshly made cannolis in downtown NYC for about $7.

    SpaceNoodle , (edited )

    You can also get a slice for $3. It’s about supply and demand.

    Edit: downvotes from hermits who don’t understand that things cost different prices in different places

    pete_the_cat ,

    You could get a slice for $1, it won’t be fancy and served with a fresh cannoli though (they served both, a slice was like $4 and it was huge)

    TWeaK ,

    Refuse to pay the service charge, offer the amount minus the charge.

    This why even today, cash is king. With cash you can just leave the amount and they can take it or leave it.

    possiblylinux127 ,

    Its probably some socialist country. Anyway I’m not entirely against it but it seems pretty high

    buddhabound ,

    What socialist country has restaurants that give an itemized bill in English with USD for the currency?

    possiblylinux127 ,

    It could be in Canada

    SatansMaggotyCumFart ,

    If you think Canada is socialist you need to educate yourself on the definition of socialism.

    WoefKat ,

    It’s most probably the US actually which is one of the least socialist countries in the world.

    TheOakTree ,

    You post Star Trek memes and you think Canada is socialist? AHAHAHAHAHA

    orion2145 ,

    In many jurisdictions it’s not legal to charge this fee unless it’s advertised when ordering such as on the menu or posted signage.

    makatwork ,

    When will people have had enough and demand change? I stopped going to restaurants entirely due to bs charges like this & tipping culture.

    I would, however, happily eat at an establishment with higher prices if they paid thier employees well & had accurate menu pricing.

    Mr_Blott ,

    About 95% of restaurants I’ve been to in Europe have lower prices than this receipt and don’t expect a tip.

    WTF is going on over there?

    kent_eh ,

    WTF is going on over there?

    Unrestrained capitalism

    AKA greed.

    allywilson ,

    In the UK we tend not to tip if there’s a service charge.

    BritishJ ,

    If they add on a service charge at a bar. I always ask them to remove it. A service charge for me walking to the counter and ordering a drink… Really!

    TWeaK ,

    The rip is that service charges tend to be higher than the tip. I’ve always worked to 10% all my life, or I’ll add 10% and then round up to a nice sounding number. This was even considered reasonable in a lot of US places back in the early 90’s, but these days restaurants typically set their service charges at 12.5% or higher.

    That might be fine; if the service is actually good I won’t mind, but if it’s just half assed service and the food isn’t great then I’ll kick up a stink.

    I mean, I probably won’t, but I’ll fantasise about doing it while in the shower for a few days after.

    WoefKat ,

    In Spain we don’t generally tip at all.

    mifan ,
    @mifan@feddit.dk avatar

    Neither do we in Denmark. I think that’s generally how Europe works. The price on the menu is the price you will be expected to pay. Nothing more, nothing less.

    If I have a restaurant or bar experience out of the ordinary or just have pleasant time with the staff I will tip. Otherwise I won’t, at it will be perfectly fine for everyone.

    Bonehead , (edited )

    The service charge is not a tip or gratuity, and is an added fee controlled by the restaurant that helps subsidize the staff wages so that management doesn't have to while still seeming to have reasonable prices on the menu. Also, management takes a cut as it subsidizes their wages too.

    Edit: I get why this upsets some people, but the downvote button is not a disagree button. I merely restated the restaurant's explanation in plain language. I'm not agreeing with it...

    cerevant ,

    If you charge me for service, I’m not paying extra for service.

    Call it what it is - a junk fee so they can make their prices look lower than they are. I wouldn’t go to this restaurant a second time.

    MxM111 ,

    The cost of food in American restaurants includes service charger. It just not itemized. Waiters do have salaries, so it comes from somewhere.

    cerevant ,

    That’s my point. This restaurant is try to bait and switch their customers by giving a misleading food price and adding a service charge. It is like a cell phone company adding garbage fees.

    As for my initial comment - if you add a percentage for service, that ends my obligation to tip.

    MxM111 ,

    Ah! I see. You were talking exclusively about not coming back into US restaurant, not restaurant in general anywhere in the world. It was not clear for me.

    squaresinger ,

    Hey, look at our cheap food!

    Oh, btw, we didn’t tell you, but it’s actually 18% more expensive than the prices on the menu.

    Also, it’s $10 extra for the plates and silverware.

    And we also charge you for eating in as well, that’s another $10.

    And if you don’t tip on top of that, we get really angry.

    Please leave a 5 star review!

    MxM111 ,

    I was talking about service charge, not tips.

    SatansMaggotyCumFart ,

    American waiters get paid, Parisian ones do it for the pleasure of serving their fellow man.

    dan ,
    @dan@upvote.au avatar

    And we also charge you for eating in as well, that’s another $10.

    Some areas actually have different pricing for eating in vs taking out, as it’s treated differently by the tax laws. Some areas also tax differently based on if it’s cold or hot/cooked food, so a toasted sandwich costs a bit more than an untoasted one. Very small differences, though.

    squaresinger ,

    Yeah, my post was a bit of hyperbole, but I’ve been to a fancy restaurant a while ago, where they did make you pay for cutlery and also for the table separately.

    But they didn’t have a take-away option.

    NateNate60 ,

    By tradition, the service charge is supposed to be paid to the staff. Therefore, it’s not customary to tip when you’re assessed a service charge, although many restaurants choose to ask for a tip anyway.

    If you work in a restaurant that charges a service charge but pockets it… you’re being robbed.

    BrandoGil ,

    Unfortunately, this isn’t true anymore. At least in PA.

    34 Pa. Code 231.114. Service charges.

    § 231.114 b

    The notice required by subsection (a) must state that the administrative charge is for administration of the banquet, special function or package deal and does not include a tip to be distributed to the employees who provided service to the guests.

    www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/se…

    Rivalarrival ,

    If this restaurant was passing the entire service charge to its waitstaff, it would be advantageous to call it a gratuity and exempt it from sales and income tax. The IRS does not tax tips/gratuities as income.

    By charging (state) sales tax on the service fee, they also have to declare it as revenue, which increases their income and thus their income tax. They have to pay a portion of that service fee in income tax, so they aren’t going to be passing the full amount to their waitstaff. The restaurant will be keeping the bulk of that service fee.

    Mango ,

    Heck, I wouldn’t even pay this restaurant the first time. I’m out. You ain’t making me pay extra after the fact.

    Gork ,

    subsidize the staff wages so that management doesn’t have to

    Yeah that’s a pretty shit reason to levy this fee unsuspectingly.

    ilikecoffee ,

    Sounds like it does much the same thing as tipping then, right? But then the receipt says you should pay the service charge and a tip on top 🤔

    I’m not American so maybe someone can explain this to me, haha…

    wolfpack86 ,

    It doesn’t make sense to any sane person. But basically:

    The restaurant feels that costs have increased and in order to remain profitable they must raise prices. Instead of raising prices on the menu, take the canoli as an example, from $11 to $13, they decided to add it after the calculation.

    This means the customer may go out with an idea of what they would like to spend (maybe it’s a special treat for them) orders based on the menu, figures tip and tax… Expects to be out for $100… But surprise! You owe a fucking service charge.

    Now-- I’m not into this particular restaurant’s finances. Let’s be generous and assume they need to charge more to break even. This is the shady (and should be illegal) way to do this. They should instead raise prices and be honest with the customer what they feel they need to charge.

    Wermhatswormhat ,

    The problem is, this is still decietful. If this is an issue then the correct move would be to make every item on the menu 18% more expensive as a base. Because now, they still get to say “oh well our prices are still low come eat here and get “X item” for “Y price” but that’s not true anymore because of the service charge. It’s just a way to keep menu items lower in price but increase the price at the end.

    kent_eh ,

    that helps subsidize the staff wages

    Allegedly

    But If that’s the reality, I feel no need to add a tip.

    Rivalarrival ,

    They probably pay $1/hr over minimum tipped wages. About $0.75 of that $17.22 fee goes to paying that increased wage, and the rest is pocketed.

    If they wanted to subsidize worker wages, they would include a mandatory gratuity rather than a service fee. Gratuities are passed directly to workers.

    This is truly scummy behavior.

    fishos ,
    @fishos@lemmy.world avatar

    Except you’re wrong. It is a tip because the tip is the service charge. The tip specifically is “we pay them less than minimum wage and your tip covered the rest of their service cost”. A tip AND a service charge, especially a service charge not levied because there were X+ people at the table, is double dipping on the tip. Both fees are for the same thing. Either increase prices or increase the tip(or pay your workers fairly and don’t expect me to subsidized the rest with these secret fees). Make them upfront and honest. This isn’t. This is a perfect invitation to say “you already charged me for the service, so no tip is needed, because that’s what it is for”.

    dan ,
    @dan@upvote.au avatar

    The tip specifically is "we pay them less than minimum wage

    Not everywhere. Some areas don’t allow wages that are lower than minimum wage for tipped jobs. The area I live in in California is around $17-18/hr minimum wage regardless of if the job is tipped or not.

    ReluctantMuskrat ,

    Except you’re wrong. Service charges are not considered tips under FLSA rules within the US. Many states and local jurisdictions have special rules for tipped wages, how they’re taxed and those taxes are collected, and service charges are not included in that definition.

    www.dov.gov/agencies/…/15-tipped-employees-flsa

    fishos ,
    @fishos@lemmy.world avatar

    Nice reading comprehension. The TIP is a service charge. You got that backwards buddy. So a service charge and a tip is service charge x2. Or you’re admitting that a tip is only for “above and beyond thanks”, in which case it’s not mandatory and this is again a scam.

    Rivalarrival ,

    A tip is money paid directly to the worker providing the service. The restaurant can’t keep any part of it. They are not taxed on it, either as sales tax or income tax. That money is only counted as income to the worker.

    This service fee was subject to sales tax. It will also be subject to income tax by the restaurant. The restaurant gets to keep as much of it as they want.

    “Mandatory gratuities” are tips that the restaurant obligates the customer pay to the waitstaff. Where these are charged, you are not allowed to stiff the waitstaff. The restaurant cannot keep any part of that gratuity.

    Tips/gratuities and service fees are not the same thing at all.

    fishos ,
    @fishos@lemmy.world avatar

    I’m not talking the law, I’m talking what the tip actually is in practice. It’s the service charge. You’re paying for the server to serve you. The tip isn’t for the food. It for the server serving. Just because you’ve been conned and guilted into accepting this as normal doesn’t make it right. And just because it’s taxed doesn’t mean it’s still not extra income to the resturaunt. Would it be ok if I mugged you but paid taxes on the money and gave it a cutesy name?

    Rivalarrival ,

    A “tip” is for the server serving.

    A “mandatory gratuity” is for the server serving.

    A “service fee” is for the restaurant existing. Service fees do not go directly to the staff. The restaurant keeps most of that service fee.

    I mentioned taxes not to suggest that the practice is legitimate, but to demonstrate that the money is income to the restaurant. Tips are not income to the restaurant. Tips are income only to the staff.

    I acknowledge that there is no significant distinction to the customer between a tip and a service fee, but there is a highly relevant distinction between the two for the restaurant and the server. The service fee this restaurant is charging is money stolen from its staff.

    This restaurant could support its workers by adding a mandatory gratuity to the bill, in which case I would agree that no tips should be paid. But a service charge is not a tip. A service charge is not a gratuity. A service charge is not paid to the servers. A service charge is kept by the restaurant.

    ReluctantMuskrat ,

    You might want to read it again

    Service Charges: A compulsory charge for service, for example, 15 percent of the bill, is not considered a tip under the FLSA. Sums distributed to employees from service charges are not tips, but may be used to satisfy the employer’s minimum wage and overtime pay obligations under the FLSA.

    A place implementing a service charge cannot classify it as a tip, even if it’s 100% passed onto the employee… a mandatory charge is not a tip, even if the restaurant encourages you to treat it that way. Certain states and jurisdictions tax tips differently than regular wages, and service charges are wages, not tips.

    Rivalarrival ,

    If they charged a mandatory gratuity, I would agree with you. An 18% mandatory gratuity is an 18% tip to the waitstaff; you are not expected to pay an additional tip on top of that.

    A tip is money directly to the waitstaff. The restaurant can’t touch it. The restaurant is not charged sales tax nor income tax on money collected as tips. When they collect a gratuity, it goes directly to the staff.

    This “service fee” was taxed. It did not go directly to the waitstaff; it was recorded as sales revenue, and thus income to the restaurant. The restaurant is being taxed on it before any of it gets to the staff. They would only do that if they are keeping a part of it, which they could not do if it was considered a “tip” or “gratuity”.

    Charging a “service fee” is a legal way for the restaurant to steal tips from employees, while making you think they are paying it to their staff.

    Most likely, they pay minimum tipped wage plus $1/hr. They are making $3.13/hr plus tips instead of $2.13/hr plus tips. That extra $1 is the higher “base wage” they are talking about.

    About $0.75 of that $17.22 service fee goes toward increasing the “base wage”, with the rest counted as income to the restaurant.

    This is not the perfect opportunity to say “you already charged me for the service”. This is the perfect opportunity to name and shame this scumbag restaurant for its shitty business practices, and never eat their again.

    XEAL ,

    The downvote button is a lazy disagree button, but people is also dumb.

    MisterFrog ,
    @MisterFrog@lemmy.world avatar

    In Australia this would be illegal drip pricing. JUST INCLUDE EVERYTHING IN THE PRICE OF THE FOOD! Is it so hard?

    Absolutely wild you also don’t add tax in the price in the US.

    Is it too much to ask to just be told the price upfront on the menu?

    Nollij ,

    Possibly illegal, depending on your local laws.

    If it is legal, contact your congressman (local, state, national) because it sure as hell needs to be illegal.

    CanadaPlus ,

    So you carefully included every possible level of US government, but still forgot about the entire rest of the world.

    Sabin10 ,

    The rest of the world doesn’t exist, it’s just a scam made up by the passport cartel to fleece you of your money every few years.

    CanadaPlus ,

    Can confirm, I’m just standing in a blank white space. It’s weird I get wifi.

    gdog05 ,

    Do a search for the Tianamen Square massacre. You’ll at least know if you’re Chinese white space or non Chinese white space

    CanadaPlus ,

    Oh no, it’s turning black. Chairman forgive me!

    Nollij ,

    First, many places have a local, state, and national government. Particularly the ones that use dollars and expect an additional tip, as shown on the receipt.

    Stop trying to be offended at everything.

    CanadaPlus ,

    My country, which has dollars and expects tips, doesn’t. And this read like it was addressing unexpected fees at restaurants in general.

    Stop pretending Americans don’t do this constantly. Everyone who’s not American is very familiar with it, and honestly it’s understandable with how big and self-contained that country is. I might not even have commented if it wasn’t for the remarkable thoroughness short of that detail.

    Nollij ,

    I presume you’re in Canada. Aside from calling them provinces, and possibly having a different name for your legislative representatives, are you saying you DON’T have a local, state, and national government where my advice would be relevant?

    CanadaPlus ,

    No, you’re advice was great. I just found the phrasing weird enough to point out. Sorry if it came across as angry.

    DeepFriedDresden ,

    Let's see... dollar sign? Well that cuts out a lot of the world. Written in English, so that leaves about 3 countries. Australia doesn't have a tipping culture the same way we do in North America so that leaves either Canada or the US, in which case you can replace state with province and cover your bases.

    CanadaPlus ,

    Don’t forget New Zealand. They do tip down under, but it sounds like they don’t recommend tips the same way.

    Yeah, sure, the jist applies everywhere. OP could have saved words just saying “representitives”. That’s the part that was interesting, and now people are big butthurt I pointed it out.

    Nollij ,

    I mentioned all 3 because people (at least around me) tend to forget the first 2, despite those being much easier to make these types of changes.

    wolfpack86 ,

    Percentages on the tip are lower than US tip amounts. So I would guess not US, though this would obviously happen in the states.

    DeepFriedDresden ,

    Good catch, I didn't even notice the percentages. I did look at the date but of course the meal was purchased on the one day this month where that's not helpful

    Nollij ,

    Do other countries itemize tax separately? I thought the US was alone on that.

    Also, 9.5% is in line with sales tax in a few US states, as is calling it tax instead of VAT (or similar)

    wolfpack86 ,

    Idunno. don’t remember what they do in Canada.

    Spaghetti_Hitchens , (edited )

    Looks at a picture of a receipt that is almost certainly from the US:

    What about the rest of the world?!

    CanadaPlus ,

    It looks exactly like a receipt that could be here, too. As has been repeatedly pointed out to me, there’s only 2 to 4 countries this could apply to, but you’ll excuse me for expecting the same thing as always was happening.

    flipht ,

    Very unlikely. There's a statement at the bottom that explains what the fee is. There's a QR code at the top for more information, which OP cut off.

    I doubt they went through the effort of updating their POS system, providing links to info on the receipt, and chose not to post a sign or put a note on the menu. Everywhere I have been with a service fee like this posts it, which would negate any legal issue.

    Caveat emptor.

    LufyCZ ,

    It’s illegal if the fact that a service fee would be added wasn’t shared before ordering (on the menu / by the waiter /…)

    Nollij ,

    Possibly. Local laws vary heavily, and could limit hidden fees like these. If the franchise is in one of these places, but the parent chain is not, it could easily be implemented despite being illegal. It’s a similar case if the local operator didn’t have the required notices in the required way, since it would be done separately. Not necessarily out of malice, but a ton of places simply do not run a tight ship. The receipt is absolutely not the place these notices are required; that’s just a convenience.

    It’s also possible that the POS has a bunch of options that can easily be set by management without involving lawyers. A required tip (often for large groups, but not always) is an easy use case for this. So are the various messages, including the tipping scale, or adding a promotional QR code (e.g. scan the code to fill out a survey and get $5 off your next visit)

    In any event, I stand behind my advice- check if it’s illegal, and push to make it illegal.

    corship ,

    It’s simple, if a restaurant adds something to the bill I did not agree to beforehand I’ll never eat there again.

    BassaForte ,

    If a restaurant adds something to the bill I didn’t agree to beforehand, I’m not paying.

    corship ,

    That would be consequent, but usually it’s not worth the trouble.

    I’d rather leave with 20 quid less than wasting 30 min of my time.

    LemmyFeed ,

    So your time must be worth 40/hour or more to make it not worth the trouble?

    Lupus108 ,

    Not OP but my nerves are definitely worth more than 20 bucks.

    Mango ,

    Mine too. I have the nerve to tell them to fuck off with their bullshit.

    corship ,

    It’s a risk reward analysis and not strictly a 1:1 hour pay relation. No one guarantees you any positive outcome here.

    Best case I get the fee removed after a short conversation.

    Worst case, I have to engage in a long drawn argument still having to pay full afterwards.

    Or anything in between, such as still having to pay full, but they’ll make this clearer in their menu.

    best case was a simple mistake and I just have to ask politely. This can be considered very unlikely in this case because the recipient has a dedicated section for the fee, indicating that they’re not going to make any change to the bill. So the risk reward is highly leaning towards the worst case as the expected outcome.

    AeroLemming ,

    I’m pretty sure it’s illegal for them to try to make you pay the service charge you didn’t agree to.

    corship ,

    Surprise surprise, People attempt illegal things all the time

    Neato ,
    @Neato@kbin.social avatar

    That's like $80k a year. Not that much.

    NightAuthor ,

    Literal poverty washes in SF

    fushuan ,

    My time is worth way more than 40/h when I’m out with friends trying to have a good time. I’m never going to the restaurant again and that’s it.

    ColeSloth ,

    Oh. It wouldn’t take me nearly 30 minutes. It would be less than 5 total minutes.

    Hamartiogonic ,
    @Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz avatar

    How about just leaving the correct amount of cash on the table and walking away without saying a word.

    snooggums ,
    @snooggums@kbin.social avatar

    I have never eaten at a restaurant that did not disclose a mandatory gratuity ahead of time, but I suppose it could happen.

    alignedchaos ,

    That’s wonderful for you, but it does happen.

    Frozengyro ,

    They should have it listed somewhere in large print and/or verbally inform people so patrons are aware ahead of time

    jasondj ,

    Went out to a pizza place the other night. Thought it was a brewery (one of my favorite local brews, actually), and had been there before and enjoyed flights from them…only to find out the place was a joint between the brewmaster and the restaurateur. Brewmaster took his share, his recipes, and dipped a couple days prior.

    Anyways while the food was pretty good, I mostly went for the beer and that’s a big part of why I won’t go back (they only had a couple cans from the brewery left and nothing on tap, only some other regional breweries).

    But the other part is that my wife put a tip down on the slip for our party of four (us and two kids) and asked me to doublecheck her math. I thought it seemed high and it turned out they already put a tip on the bill. For a party of four. Never saw that before.

    phillaholic ,

    Yea they better have this charge displayed very well on the menu

    Audiotape ,

    I don’t see how paying your workers is infuriating

    SpaceMan9000 ,

    The bottom still suggest to tip… It’s not used to give their employees a better wage, it’s to show lower prices on the menus.

    papertowels ,

    I actually interpreted that is tipping is now optional because the service charge goes to the staff

    protist ,

    I agree, the tip at that point is entirely optional whereas without the service charge it would be expected. This seems no different than a “18% gratuity will be added to parties of 8 or more.”

    jimbo ,

    the service charge goes to the staff

    Does it? Tips are legally protected and must go to staff, but I don’t think the same applies to “service charges”.

    phillaholic ,

    This would reduce tipping a lot, so if the staff weren’t being paid well to begin with I don’t see how they’d continue working there.

    nogooduser ,

    It says on the receipt that they use the service charge to post a higher wage so if that is true then it does (indirectly) go to the staff. Like you say though - there’s no guarantee that it all goes to the staff.

    papertowels ,

    That’s how I interpreted the contents of the receipt, that’s all I can tell you.

    Tb0n3 ,

    At the very least they’re calculating the tip from the pretax/pregratuity price. Most places seem to calculate the suggested tips from the after tax total. So they’re not complete scumbags. Only mostly scumbags.

    ShortBoweledClown ,

    Tips exist because servers were/are paid below minimum wage. A service charge should replace the tip, not be added on top of it. Or the restaurant should factor labor costs into the price of their meals. The owners are double dipping to shift the cost onto the consumer.

    brygphilomena ,

    Service charges are bullshit. Businesses need to advertise the full price of the food.

    Imo, this is simply unacceptable.

    ShortBoweledClown ,

    I’m in the same boat. I think the costs should be reflected in the price of the meal.

    papertowels ,

    I wonder if the menu showed there was a service charge

    theneverfox ,

    While we’re at it, how about we make the price on the label be the price you pay at the register across the board?

    Other countries don’t do this… The price is the price, no surprise sales tax or service charges. The way we do it is insane

    brygphilomena ,

    Our taxes in general would need an overhaul for this. City tax, county tax, state tax. There is a different tax rate on different products.

    I’m not against it, it’s just that the way the USA is organized with city, county, state, and federal hierarchies each able to levy taxes makes the implementation burdensome. Not impossible, but very difficult.

    theneverfox ,

    Nope, not an issue. It’s easier even… You buy a frozen pizza, a bag of flour, and a case of beer. All three of those might have different taxes… You can add it up at the register, or you can add them separately when you print the price labels

    brygphilomena ,

    That’s if stores are the ones printing the price labels. Many prices are printed by the manufacturer on the packaging. They can print a single price on their product and ship it across the nation. All stores need to do is put it out.

    theneverfox ,

    They used to, but I don’t think that’s a common thing anymore. The few things that still print the price, like certain candy and Arizona iced tea, have a separate price at most places I’ve seen lately

    Even then, they could just factor it in… They would make less on each unit in more expensive states, but it is an option. I saw that in places when I lived in France - and everything ended in round numbers too, it makes shopping so much more pleasant

    kent_eh ,

    Or the restaurant should factor labor costs into the price of their meals

    This is the answer.

    WoefKat ,

    Well too be fair the cost will always be borne by the consumer. After all if it comes out of the operator’s pocket they’ll just up the food prices.

    But that’s really what should happen because it makes the pricing clear for everyone and a salary for the waiters makes them have a decent income even when it’s quieter.

    macarthur_park ,

    If they need to raise prices by 18% to pay their workers, then they need to actually raise the prices on the menu. Right now this is just bait and switch, it’s dishonest and possibly illegal depending on the location.

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