Restaurants adding fees

[scootr]

I read more and more complaints about restaurants adding fees to your food bill like gratuity and now cost of living. Basically the price they tell you a burger costs is not the price you will pay.
When I grew up a tip was money you gave a service worker for a job well done. It was something they earned by rendering exceptional service. They provided the service expected whether that was serve the food or mow the lawn and you freely paid extra (a tip) based upon your satisfaction. Exceptional service got exceptional tips. And it made both parties feel good.
Then prices went up and service declined. Tips shrank or disappeared. So restaurants added the tip to your tab. Mandatory tipping removed the excellent service motivation. Now we see a cost of living % added. Basically this added fee is cover a decent wage not paid by the restaurant owner or the cost of goods not adjusted to cover increased costs of operation. Whatever it is for it is not good to advertise a $7 hamburger and then charge $9 to $10 for it

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

We are starting to see around here some places that add a city tax on top of the sales tax. I choose to not go back because of that. There are so many places that don't they are not hard to find. Bury it in the cost of doing business like everyone else... At least that way I won't feel like I have been gyped.

I generally leave 20% or more if services is as I expected. It's ok with me if they want to decrease the tip I normally would pay. I am certain though there are folks who don't tip, and the wait staff has to make a living.

It also encourages me to just eat at home or just pick it up and bring it home.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I won't go back to a restaurant that adds the tip for you. Tips are not mandatory, they are for appreciation of the service. I'm from the foodservice industry, I know how hard it can be to work there. I was on the cooking end. That said, while I usually am a 20% tipper on average service, I go higher for better service. And it's more than that, I tip on total, which includes tax, so 20% is actually more. I know it should be on food/drink only, but that's how I roll. If we get ****ty service, I hand the bill to my wife and let her tip. I know I would tip 10% or less. She knows it too.
There are now fees called tourism tax. Hotels use them, some restaurants too. Makes no sense, lets tax the people who come in to help businesses survive...

 

[2manyrocks]

Pre2020, a large coke on special at the drive through was $1.00 + sales tax at McDonalds. Think it went to $1.50? Don't know what it is now because I stopped going there.

Mrs Rocks went to a coffee shop and paid something like $10-13 for an ice coffee drink over the weekend.

Takes a lot of $ for wage earners to pay apartment rent these days.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

I'm not a health nut by no means, but I just read that a DD frozen coffee has as much sugar as 17 glazed donuts. I weened myself off sugar drinks decades ago, but no sweet confections.

 

[jyoutz]

I read more and more complaints about restaurants adding fees to your food bill like gratuity and now cost of living. Basically the price they tell you a burger costs is not the price you will pay.
When I grew up a tip was money you gave a service worker for a job well done. It was something they earned by rendering exceptional service. They provided the service expected whether that was serve the food or mow the lawn and you freely paid extra (a tip) based upon your satisfaction. Exceptional service got exceptional tips. And it made both parties feel good.
Then prices went up and service declined. Tips shrank or disappeared. So restaurants added the tip to your tab. Mandatory tipping removed the excellent service motivation. Now we see a cost of living % added. Basically this added fee is cover a decent wage not paid by the restaurant owner or the cost of goods not adjusted to cover increased costs of operation. Whatever it is for it is not good to advertise a $7 hamburger and demand $9or $10 for it

I haven’t seen that yet. The tab shows various tip percentages, but what you choose or don’t choose is voluntary. And never heard of a cost of living fee. I wouldn’t patronage any place that did those things.

 

[caver]

Tipping culture has gotten out of hand. What next? I'm expected to give the self checkout machine a tip too?

You see the big chain restaurants gong under. I don't know how families go out to eat anymore.

 

[ultrarunner]

Surcharges… Utility for eateries like fuel for Field Service then add City Imposed Fees…

This is how the $20 combo is calculated.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I give the guy at the self checkout a tip every time I use it... I tell him you're fat. He always tells me he wants a second opinion, I reply you're ugly too.

 

[D&D]

I am certain though there are folks who don't tip, and the wait staff has to make a living.

And it's up to the other customers to subsidize them?

I read more and more complaints about restaurants adding fees to your food bill like gratuity and now cost of living. Basically the price they tell you a burger costs is not the price you will pay.
When I grew up a tip was money you gave a service worker for a job well done. It was something they earned by rendering exceptional service. They provided the service expected whether that was serve the food or mow the lawn and you freely paid extra (a tip) based upon your satisfaction. Exceptional service got exceptional tips. And it made both parties feel good.
Then prices went up and service declined. Tips shrank or disappeared. So restaurants added the tip to your tab. Mandatory tipping removed the excellent service motivation. Now we see a cost of living % added. Basically this added fee is cover a decent wage not paid by the restaurant owner or the cost of goods not adjusted to cover increased costs of operation. Whatever it is for it is not good to advertise a $7 hamburger and demand $9or $10 for it

The restaurant industry seems to be pricing themselves out of business. Mega pricing on soft drinks, drinks and food is getting too high for me to want to go out. Adding "kitchen staff appreciation", "wellness", "living wage", "wage increase", "employee health care" fees is absurd. Until people quit going, it will continue though.
Service everywhere has sharply declined or ceased.

 

[Hughman]

There is the option of not eating out. We pretty much gave up that habit when COVID hit in early 2020.

 

[dstig1]

These got so bad in Minneapolis in particular, that the state legislature outlawed it a year or so ago. The restaurants cried to high heaven but it is a bait and switch pure and simple and should not be allowed. I still see it a bit in WI in a couple places, but they keep it pretty small so it becomes an issue of is it worth arguing about? The CC fee though is quite common everywhere now. Typ 3%

 

[Oaktree]

There are now fees called tourism tax. Hotels use them, some restaurants too. Makes no sense, lets tax the people who come in to help businesses survive...

As someone who lives in a state where tourism is a big part of the economy I can understand it. It's a way to shift some of the tax burden from the year-round residents to the tourists, who will probably pay it anyway. For example, we don't have a sales tax per se in our state, but there is a rooms & meals tax...essentially a sales tax on hotel rooms, campsites, etc. and prepared meals. The key is to strike the right balance...high enough to generate significant revenue but not so high as to discourage tourism.
How different is that than states that give a property tax break to a year-round residence but not to a vacation home?

 

[scootr]

How about I bid $7k for your new fence, you agree and when it's all done demand an additional $3k for living expenses on top

 

[Mtsoxfan]

How about I bid $7k for your new fence, you agree and when it's all done demand an additional $3k for living expenses on top

lol, that's funny too. Short side story about my deck. I asked several companies for a quote, not an estimate. I made sure it was perfectly clear that I wanted an out the door price, and any additions had to be discussed, as in changes I made. To the winning builder, I made sure again, that price quoted will be price paid, unless I changed something. I told him an estimate is an educated guess, a quote is a firm price. he agreed. I made a small addition, and was told $600 more. I agreed. Came bill time, his original price went up 50%, 12k to 18k. He said supplies were more expensive that he thought. If I did need help in future from any trade, I would have told him to pound sand. I agreed to 3k, which brought him up to two other bids.

 

[IXLR8]

I give the guy at the self checkout a tip every time I use it... I tell him you're fat. He always tells me he wants a second opinion, I reply you're ugly too.

Since I don't get an employee discount for checking myself out... I refuse to use self checkout. My local wally world is nothing but self checkout... I don't go there anymore.

 

[LittleBill21]

Since I don't get an employee discount for checking myself out... I refuse to use self checkout. My local wally world is nothing but self checkout... I don't go there anymore.

i agree, hd and lowes do this and it really drives me nuts

 

[CATRAT66]

Any establishment that adds a charge to your bill that is labeled a “tax” that is not an actual government (town, county, state or federal tax) is perpetuating fraud!!!!

If I enter a restaurant with a large group, I ask about mandatory tip additions and if they have them I say we will go elsewhere and it usually goes away.
Now I’m not a jerk and I tip according to quality of products and services received because myself and many family and friends are in the restaurant/service industry and that is how they make their living.
But I also feel that most people that are employed by others are as equally in the service industry whether your an accountant or a driveway sealer and with most employment the better you are at it the more you can charge for your labor/services.
Adding extra fees to me is cowardice and immoral.

I worked for county sewer department for 37 years and the only tip I ever got was to wash my hands before going to the bathroom. HAHAHA!!!!

 

[Oaktree]

Since I don't get an employee discount for checking myself out... I refuse to use self checkout. My local wally world is nothing but self checkout... I don't go there anymore.

i agree, hd and lowes do this and it really drives me nuts

I don't get the hate on self checkout. To me it's way more convenient than standing in line (and without fail, get in the line with the slowest cashier). I'm smart enough to figure out the scanner. Scan, pay, get on my way.

Do you pump your own gas? If so, what's the difference? You're not an employee of the gas station either.

 

[LittleBill21]

I don't get the hate on self checkout. To me it's way more convenient than standing in line (and without fail, get in the line with the slowest cashier). I'm smart enough to figure out the scanner. Scan, pay, get on my way.

Do you pump your own gas? If so, what's the difference? You're not an employee of the gas station either.

also not spending 45 minutes, i spend about 30 seconds to do gas.