Many customers frustrated over extra fees on restaurant bills

[dalton99a]

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/investigations/what-to-do-about-unexpected-restaurant-fees-dc-attorney-general-warning/65-b8ac01af-2a8f-4ea1-9f2e-479994321378

Many customers frustrated over extra fees on restaurant bills
D.C.'s attorney general is warning against "deceptive" restaurant fees. But WUSA9 found some restaurants will remove them if asked.
Author: Eric Flack
Published: 7:00 AM EDT March 17, 2023
Updated: 11:15 AM EDT March 20, 2023

WASHINGTON — Go out to eat in Washington, D.C., and you might have noticed something new on the menu.

Restaurant fees.

A taqueria on Capitol Hill called it a 2.5% environmental surcharge. A empanada shop on 14th street called it a 2% supply increase fee. Other restaurants visited at random by WUSA9 charged fees ranging from a 5% administrative fee for COVID recovery expenses, to a 4% “wellness fee” for an “employee benefits program” and a 5% “restaurant recovery charge” to “help cover pandemic related losses and debts.”

Sarah Stella was so confused by it all she started a spreadsheet on Reddit to keep track which is now up to 143 entries and counting. The open-source spreadsheet includes the restaurant name, amount of service fee and the reason for it, in addition to notes about whether the fee was properly disclosed.

What Stella wants to see changed is a standardization of the language being used to explain these fees.

"I think that a lot of places, they're not trying to be deceptive," she said. "But you know, this is kind of, like, new territory for everyone. So, you know, if there was something like, okay, you don't have to use this language, [or] here's an example of what we think is like, good, clear language. Let's just like settle on one or two names."

...

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They forgot to add a fee for breathing in their restaurants

[niyad]

1. Stella sounds like a Valley Girl.

[Earth-shine]

15. I take note of her ironic use of the phrase "good, clear language."

[WhiteTara]

2. there is a restaurant in town that charges 8%

for using environmentally friendly take out packaging.

[niyad]

3. I had recently read about "surcharges" at many restaurants, a rather sneaky way

to pretend that they are not raising prices. Shortly after I saw this, I was at a restaurant, and noticed, in VERY small print, that there was a Twenty per cent surcharge, not an automatic gratuity, on the prices. I had to tell my companion thst it was not a tip.

[Zorro]

4. Sounds just like Las Vegas "Resort Fees"

[Pobeka]

5. We are seeing this hidden fee stuff here in Puget Sound too.

If they need or want to raise prices, then do it, and have it part of the listed price on the menu.

There is a restaurant here that started slipping in a 20% charge on the credit card bill. They know a large percentage of the patrons will not notice and just sign the receipt.

This BS needs to stop.

[Hope22]

6. Time to start investigating

To make sure that the restaurant employees are actually receiving the benefits! I can’t imagine presenting my customers with a bill like this. These are business expenses. The same people want to pay servers $2.50 an hour!

[MissB]

7. They either raise prices, provide smaller portions or stuff in fees

There are a few restaurants that we get take out at on occasion. Portions have gotten smaller and prices have been raised. That’s fine. I get it.

It’s a struggle for them to survive. They have to pay more to retain employees. The costs of ingredients have gone up.

If folks want to not spend as much money, then stay home and cook, or be prepared to pay more than you used to for someone to prepare a meal for you.

I’m sick; Dh ordered out last night. We agreed on a restaurant. Turns out they just shifted their open hours to 11-4 daily. No more dinner orders. Times are tough for the restaurants.

[republianmushroom]

8. Just a little fleecing ?

[MineralMan]

9. Oh, well...

I'm not all that bothered. Some restaurants just raise their menu prices, but that involves printing new menus, I suppose. As long as such things are disclosed, it's not a concern for me, really.

It's all dwarfed by the tips I leave. I tip a minimum of 20%, because wait staff doesn't get paid well enough, IMO. If I enjoy myself and the server is good, I increase my tip. I'm not really bargain shopping when my wife and I go to a restaurant. We order what we want, being attentive to the prices on the menu. If stray charges are added, we just shrug. Dining out is a welcome treat for us, so we just go and enjoy ourselves.

Most of the time, I prepare meals at home for us. Those are also more expensive these days. Again, I shrug. Everything is costing more. If it crimped our budget, I'd plan different meals or we'd go to a cheaper restaurant.

And there it is.

[niyad]

16. The restaurant I mentioned above prints their menu on a nice single sheet that

changes often. The surcharge notice is printed very small, almost invisible. I have no problem with them raising prices, I understand that, but they should be upfront about it. And from what I hear, it isn't like any of that goes to the staff.

[Farmer-Rick]

10. Fees have never been common in restaurants

You pay the meal+tip+taxes here in TN and in most places I've eaten out.

If they add a "fee" without disclosing it, it's a shake down and I wouldn't eat there again. In fact it's a common tourist scam to have smaller prices on the menu, then surprise customers with huge fees. They don't post the fees because they only charge tourist or rich looking customers the fee.

If they are upfront and post it on the menu and boards that's fine. I have the option of leaving before ordering when they tell me they are charging more.

[kimbutgar]

11. Yesterday I was in a discount souvenir store in LA that had a 3.25% extra charge if you used a

Debit card. Luckily I had enough cash on me. Everything was $5 but they probably cost the store 50 cents for each item. As I looked around I realized it was a ripoff.

[Freddie]

12. Recently bought concert tickets on Ticketmaster

The original Masters of the Surprise Fee. This time there was a new one, a “Per Ticket Fee” of $30 each. Of course you only find this out when you pay, it’s not disclosed anywhere else.

[Lancero]

13. Ticketmaster loves all the extra fees they can slap people with.

[Beartracks]

14. And the classic "convenience" fee -- like...

... "Isn't it convenient that we are going to give you the ticket you paid for?"



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[moonscape]

17. During Covid, I wanted to support

a local restaurant by getting take-out from them. They’re on the pricey side but I eat there on rare occasions and figured it’d be a treat and support.

Their website announced they were adding a mandatory 25% gratuity to all orders due to covid. Now, my common tip for sit-down service is 20%, and it didn’t sit well that they had no actual work to do apart from cooking and putting in boxes of course (no extra dishes, service, setting/cleaning table, etc) and I had an inferior dinner by not having it freshly served hot. By the time I got home, reheated, served myself, cleaned up … naw. They were complaining about slow business, then slap a high mandatory gratuity? Just raise the prices if that’s the issue.

I passed, and haven’t been back since.

[hydrolastic]

18. When I was young I worked in a restaurant

It was seriously hard work. And thankless. The employer split tips with entire staff and back then people tipped with cash. so I always had pocket money but the paycheck could not pay the bills. Decades later the price of a meal is still low. It hasn't gone up much. Restaurants must be terrified to raise prices, as it could put them out of business.
I see a economic readjustment happening and it doesn't have to be a recession. it could be a boom.