Went to a restaurant in LA today and when I got the check I noticed that it was a bit higher than it should be. Then I noticed this 18% service charge. So… We, as customers, need to help pay for their servers instead of the owners paying their servers a living wage. And on top of that they have suggested tip. I called bs on this. I will bet you that the servers do not see a dime of this 18% service charge. [deleted a word so it wasn’t a grammatical horror to read]
So it’s a mandatory tip, and it’s also suggested you voluntarily leave a secondary tip.
Tip culture in America is so aggressive.
The thing is, by paying for food we should be paying the employees - that’s how salaries work. But in an effort to out-compete each other in the razor-thin margin business that is most restaurants, they don’t want their menu prices to go up, because that discourages customer spending. So many restaurants use underhanded tactics to screw customers instead. Hidden menu prices, sneaky service fees, and begging for point-of-sale tips at places where they’re not getting paid shitty server salaries (like fast food).
All the arguments about tipping here are missing the point. The restaurant owner just came up with a bullshit way of raising the prices without showing larger numbers on the menu. That should honestly be illegal.
Where the fuck did they come up with 18% being 20 odd dollars?
I’m gonna get lambasted for this, but I don’t see the issue.
If the restaurant paid them more in wages, the customer would pay for that too in the form of higher on-menu prices. That’s just how paying for goods and services works.
Unless this is some mega-restaurant where the owners are making so much money that they could take a pay cut and meaningfully increase everyone’s wages?
Sure, but I would be much happier with higher prices printed on the menu than a secret hidden fee at the end of the meal
