Lawmakers want to crack down on “junk fees,” but restaurants are trying to stay out of the fight.
Surcharges or fees covering everything from credit card processing to gratuities to “inflation” have become more popular on restaurant checks in recent years.
Last year, 15% of restaurant owners added surcharges or fees to checks because of higher costs, according to the National Restaurant Association. In the second quarter, 3.7% of restaurant transactions processed by Square included a service fee, more than double the beginning of 2022, according to a recent report from the company.
Opponents of the practice say those fees and surcharges may surprise customers, hoodwinking them into paying more for their meals at a time when their wallets are already feeling thin. Fed-up diners compiled spreadsheets via Reddit of restaurants in Los Angeles, Chicago and D.C. charging hidden fees. Even the Onion took a swing at the practice, publishing a satirical story in May with the headline “Restaurant Check Includes 3% Surcharge To Provide Owner’s Sugar Baby With Birkin.”
I’m sure your server will understand. They’re usually the ones in charge of decisions like these. /s
I hope they do understand, and quit. Workers need to stop working for shit employers.
The only employers that are hiring are shit. I’m very worried about the service industry.
Are you kidding? Everyone is struggling to find workers at that level. It’s also a great time to level up. Receptionists and various no experience needed office jobs are struggling to find people to hire too. It’s a workers economy right now, but it won’t stay that way long.
Everyone is trying to find workers for the piss-poor wages that are being offered. Add in tip pools and positions being tipped that have no business being tipped and it couldn’t be further from a worker’s economy.
Wages offerings are up significantly… https://restaurant.opentable.com/resources/minimum-wage-restaurants/
https://stateline.org/2024/01/09/hospitality-workers-wages-are-rising-faster-than-high-earners-in-most-states/
But you have to move to get them. And guess what, the good employees are more likely to be offering more money.
You mean the servers that are overwhelmingly opposed to minimum wage laws applying to servers?
The same ones that complain all day about their wage and make >$40/hour with no education or training while not reporting their cash tips to the IRS?
The same ones that just drop off your food, never come back and take 20 mins to process a tab?
lol.
You’ve clearly never worked as or known anyone working as a server holy shit lmfao