No.
ETA But I have had salads that I think made a decent profit for the establishment. I still enjoyed them, and felt they were “worth it”.
Are steakhouses not the worst ( or maybe best!) when it comes to “mark ups”?
I don’t know that trying to make a profit and run a business is the same as “inflated” prices, but I can’t really comment on how to survive in the restaurant business.
Yes we all know this. So just factor it into the price. They also pay utilities. Should there be a utility surcharge because gas prices spiked? If you are running a restaurant where dinner for two routinely runs $100 or more a person, it’s ridiculous to expect people at this point to be carrying that amount of cash around. 90%+ of people will pay with a card. Or at least be up front about and be like the gas stations that put a cash and credit price. That way you know upfront instead of when they hand you the check. I know a guy who has run a family owned restaurant for generations. They used to be cash only. Business was fine. He made the decision to take credit cards. The amount of each ticket went up dramatically more than paying for the cost of taking cards. When people didn’t worry about having enough cash they spent more.
Not just on alcohol, although the mark-up on booze is astonishingly high, but on all non-tap water, too. ISTR that my old boss used to say that the running the ice maker was the most expensive part of soft drinks we sold, and in places that use paper cups, it’s the cups that cost the most, not the soda.
No, it’s a bon vivant thing. 
I need you to dine out with me from now on.
I was having a nice Vietnamese lunch with three friends several years ago. We pretty much all ordered various bun. The bill came, and one said- “I NEVER tip on the tax!”
So I sat there wondering how much less it would cost her not tipping on the 9% tax for a $7 lunch. And resolved not to dine out with her any more.
What ever happened to leaving a tip 20 percent or more when the service was nice . Or less if not so nice
That’s still the the general consensus.
I’ve always felt that menus should have the all-in price, then gibe a discount for cash, but I’m apparently in rhe minority
In Maryland, the sales tax on alcohol is 9 percent, applies to both restaurants and package goods. Regular sales tax is 6 percent, which is charged basically on all food except for market groceries. So a bar tab on a restaurant bill can become even heftier. This is a fairly new increase.
Yes I am seeing this more too. For me, I usually figure tips on a pre-tax amount, so it’s also a little sneaky that their math is almost always based on the amount with tax already included. I honestly don’t think this is something that restaurants are being calculating and configuring the software or devices to do - but I would almost bet my life that this was part of the pitch to the restaurants who buy this tool that this can help get tips up… 
I made it a point to notice this when I went out last night. You can safely attend happy hour at Pretty Ricky’s without concern that you will be auto-tipping on the tax.
I’ve been seeing similar for a decade or more (Southeastern US), except that 10 years ago the amounts were less, and they were not check-boxes but rather just written lines of text to help those with a little less arithmetic facility.
But even back then, they nearly always were calculated post-tax, which I normally don’t tip on. At least, not intentionally. I tend to round up to the nearest whole dollar, so on a less expensive meal I’m probably hitting the as-taxed amount anyway.
I agree these are likely intended both to drive the tips up (don’t some people still tip 15%? and if lazy might they just grab that 18% box? or feel bad that their norm of 15% isn’t even included?), and I think honestly also just intended to be helpful to people having a bit of math trouble.
Reminds me of the tip calculator episode (Seinfeld).
LoL, about 11.6 cents, assuming the $7 was the post-tax price. I wonder if she was capable of squeezing a penny hard enough to split it into 0.6 cents and 0.4 cents? Just kidding.
But that brings up another personal “rule” for tipping. If at table service and the meal is fairly inexpensive, my minimum tip tends to be $5, even if that means I’m tipping at 40-60+ percent.
Those pre-calculated amounts have been there for a long time. What is new is 3 amounts each with a box to check. Not a line to fill in for the tip and then add up the total. Just tick a box and go.
That was always my rule. Exceptional service 20%, good 15%, lousy 10%. I never blame poor food on the server, though. I never blame the food for poor service, either. Talking the whole experience. Last year, my wife and I went to a supper club and the service and food were outstanding, and then some. 30% for those folks. Just a great night. We had both had very trying weeks, and that Saturday experience washed away a lot of GRR in us. 30% for mental health bennie.
A number of years ago we went to a fancy restaurant in Manhattan. I don’t remember the name. And I ordered an extremely expensive bottle of wine. It was because of the wine that we went to the restaurant. I didn’t even enjoy the wine that much. When the check came, I tipped on the cost of the food plus that of a normal bottle of wine. As we were leaving, the waitress looked at me as if I were a criminal.
Why on earth would anybody, anywhere in the world want to pay 10% of their bill for “lousy” service?
As well she should have. You significantly docked her pay for the night for something she had exactly zero control over…she can control neither whats in the bottle nor your perception of it.
Even if you had requested to speak to the sommelier (if there was one) or the manager and they had comped the bottle of wine (did you drink it?) she worked for and therefore deserved the tip on the full amount.
(Which brings up…that yes. Even if you have a coupon or are comped you tip the server on the original amount because they gave you full…not discounted… service.)
