In the past month I’ve had 2 completely bullshit charges on bills at restaurants (both in the Boston area)
Rounding charge - small asian restaurant, had a bill that was $15.92 for lunch with an 8 cent “rounding charge” so that the bill was presented as $16.00. WTF is that? 8 cents - big deal and from a change perspective I don’t need the 8cents back but isn’t that my decision as the customer? Where do you get off just adding to my bill?
Kitchen Appreciation Charge - higher end location in downtown Boston (Yvonne’s - they deserve to be named) WTF is that? If you want to tip out your kitchen staff fine, that’s on you. Your prices are already high (IMHO) so if you can’t pay your staff enough that is on you. WTF is this adding “fees” to a bill. Utter bullsh*t and totally sneaky crap if you ask me. $8.10 on a $389.50 bill (pre-tax).
Does anyone else see these fees in other parts of the country? Thoughts about them to help give me some perspective on them?
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Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
2
We have a phrase in this part of the world for that sort of thing - “taking the fucking piss”.
Never seen them. Did they mention these charges in the menu or on the premise? If not, not only are they BS, they are probably illegal as well, since you didn’t agree to them.
I don’t get the Rounding charge. Don’t people tip on top of the total anyway? And if they are, that 8 cents hardly matter except to potentially piss people off.
I tip on the pre-tax total. I would not be inclined to pay a surprise rounding charge And would give the tip in cash directly to the server. I also wouldn’t return.
I think I had similar experience, not that they round off the numbers on the bill, but when you paid by cash, the server wouldn’t never come back the changes.
This was an interesting article - talking about how people are going out to restaurants less frequently. Part of the attribution is to meal delivery kits . . . . . but some of it (of course in my opinion) is because many restaurants have forgotten or have chosen to ignore why people are coming (these bullshit charges being one case in point) and that they have MANY other options than dealing with bullshit when dining out.
Alright - it’s time for me to let it go already . . . .
Don’t get me started on the stupid 3% “the law says we have to provide insurance to our workers, and we don’t like it, so we are adding it to your check separately, so you’ll get mad, too” bill charges all over Los Angeles. I don’t pay it.
A local Chinese restaurant I used to frequent would charge for extra wraps for my Moo Shu Pork. What does it cost them: pennies? They never give you enough. And I found it frustrating.
This is so classist, but do you notice that the poorer the neighborhood, the more likely you will be charged for extra sauce or ketchup or whatever? Even at the fast food places, like McDonald’s or Popeyes.
