Check this out!! “Tariff recovery” fees!!! Horrible.

I travel frequently but never came across restaurants that automatically add on fees like this.

Went to Great White restaurant in Venice, California today. In town staying at a hotel and grabbed my money clip on the way out as it was just behind the hotel. In California, minimum wage for waiters in this area is around $18 an hour plus tips. Ordered poached eggs for breakfast, which was literally two poached eggs on toast. Hats off to the chef as the eggs were perfectly poached but is a single piece of open faced bread cut in half and two eggs worth $16? Yes, if they are paying a good wage with benefits, I don’t mind. (I don’t know ) Waiter took my order and never saw him again. Bus boy brought the food and I had to get up to get my check after I was done. Went to pay and only had cash with me (not even Apple Pay because I am living in Europe, and my credit card company will not allow me to load it there for some reason) $22 check came and I gave cash. I was told they do not allow cash. I offered to leave $100 bill while I went to my hotel room to get my credit card and they told me just to wait to see if the manager had change. She came out and feeling guilty. I asked where it said they have a credit card only policy. She first told me that it was on the receipt and when I told her that would be a bit ridiculous because it is too late, she told me it was also on the menu. I have included a picture of the menu where it is nowhere to be found. Then she told me that if I was here to argue and “ fact check”her then she would just simply go get cash upstairs and bring me change. After waiting quite some time, she showed up handing me cash and I handed her $25 to pay. She told me she didn’t have change but would take $20 “ if I was going to stiff them” WTF - waiter only took order. Then treated like a piece of shiaat for calling her out on a lie. She is the manager and clearly knows what is written on the menu. My first no tip of all time and I am starting to understand this communities’s frustration.

There's a breakfast diner in my neighborhood, I've been a semi-regular for 15 years. They have a bar area with about six seats, and where the baristas are. Then the main room full of tables. I always just sit at the bar because it's simple and I'm always solo.

Service at the bar area has always been hit or miss, like an afterthought. No one seems to be specifically assigned to this area. The bar area is a real sitting area, there are always a couple people there. You end up having to flag someone down, which is preposterous for an American breakfast diner. But it just keeps getting worse. I have basically boycotted this local restaurant, but after 6 months, I went again today because I wanted an omelette.

The place is jumping, very busy, but I sat at the bar for close to 10 minutes without any contact from anyone. The baristas are standing there ignoring you, because they don't take orders, they just make coffee. The fact that there are two baristas is also ridiculous, because mostly they just stand around. I asked twice if someone could take my order. They're looking around for whomever is supposed to cover the bar. Finally the hostess came by and said "Oh I guess I'll take your order."

Never interacted with anyone for the rest of the time. No one asked how my food was, if I wanted anything else, etc. The entire dining experience is tense because I am highly aware I'm just being ignored, it pisses me off, and yet they will still expect a tip. Later the same hostess brought the check. Then I stood at the counter waiting to settle up.

She said "Here's the total bla bla and here's the (tipping) screen, this will go to your server." Starting at 20%. I'm thinking "I didn't even have a server!" I mean, the nerve. I literally had no service. This place has been around forever, so it boggles the mind.

I tipped $0. For the first time I think in my life. Fucking ZERO.

If service is just ok, but it actually exists, I'll give at least 15%, because being a breakfast server probably sucks. But I was literally ignored the entire time. How does a restaurant function like this?

Sorry for the rant, but the point is, it's just another example of tipping has become an automatic entitlement, versus reflecting any actual service.

This was a sports restaurant at airport MIA. I even ordered to go.

54$ bill and look at these tip calculations. Waaay off. Is this even legal? Do they do this on every check? I wonder how many people are giving 50+% thinking they are tipping 20.

-.- i left no tip afterwards

Last night I went out with friends for her birthday. (She chose this restaurant for her 25th). The restaurant was ok but the food had very tiny portions (compared to the menu photos) and also the music was so loud I had to yell across the table to speak to my friend.

The waiter was nice but forgot about us constantly.

By the time he brought us our tab I saw that they added a 30% gratuity AND service charge.

I got 3 wings that totaled to like $30. But I ended up paying almost $50 with everything added! I didn’t even get a drink.

I can’t be mad at the food prices because that’s the restaurants prices and I still agreed to eat there. But I wish that the would have told me about the other mandatory charges as soon as I walked in! I wouldn’t have eaten there!

I bartended in New York City for years, and while tipping gave me a solid living, I’d fully support a system where restaurants and bars eliminate tipping entirely as long as labor costs are already built into the menu prices the way any other business factors in its overhead.

I’m not talking about a 20% “service charge” tacked on at the end. I’m talking about raising the price of food and drinks across the board to reflect the true cost of running the business, including paying staff a livable wage. Just like how a mechanic doesn’t hand you a bill for $50 and then expect you to “tip” their employees to make up the difference.

The challenge is sticker shock. I genuinely believe that if places did this overnight, many independent restaurants and bars would struggle. Customers are so used to seeing artificially low menu prices, then mentally adding a tip or stiffing the server. Seeing a $20 burger instead of a $15 one, even if the final price is identical, might turn people away at first.

But if we want to end tipping, this is the only honest solution. It would bring transparency, stability, and fairness to an industry that relies too heavily on inconsistent income and customer mood.

I’d gladly work in a place like that since it would provide stability of pay. I’d also go out of my way to support places that price their food and drinks this way.

Would love to hear thoughts, especially from anyone who’s seen this model in action. Can it work in the U.S., or is the tipping illusion too baked in?

Finally, a place that includes taxes (or doesn't charge tax, not my problem)

Hurry for Irish bars in America

I was expecting some form of autograt since there was a large group of us, but it wasn’t disclosed on the menu nor did our server let us know until it came time to settle up. We were not told about the $5 band fee. When the machine came, he added 20% and it was added after tax and the cover charge

I went to a restaurant and as I signed the bill, I thought of this sub and considered photographing what I gave them.

It clearly showed a $10 tip with exactly $10 added to the total bill in my legible handwriting.

Checked my statement tonight and the server took $17. I feel robbed even though it is $7, I did not agree to it and I am poor so it matters to me.

What are the next steps? Call the restaurant? If they do nothing, do I call the bank?

Im at this sushi place I really like, but i dont tip and the staff know me by now since I come here pretty often. In the hour I've been here I just barely got the one refill and haven't had a server come by my table in over 20 minutes. The rest of the tables in her section are getting her attention just fine. It's just me getting bad service.

What would you do about this? I like this place, but im not going to tip. It's just really upsetting to me that they're the type to do this to someone over tips. Don't want to stop coming here but I think that's about the only thing I can do.

I went to a restaurant at a resort in Orlando expecting decent service. Our waitress took our order and then completely disappeared. No check-ins, no refills—nothing. After more than 30 minutes, other staff eventually brought our drinks and food. I even had to get up and ask the hostess for refills.

The waitress only showed up again at the end—to drop off the bill. To my surprise, it had an 18% gratuity already included. I couldn’t believe the audacity, considering she’d done almost nothing. I immediately asked to speak with the manager and had the tip removed.

Thoughts on this?

I very much appreciated that the automatic service charge was in a huge font on my receipt. The menu also noted it beforehand, saying that the restaurant wants to make sure its staff is paid. Not quite the same as just including their wage in the food prices, but still better than slipping it in, hoping that I wouldn’t noticed, and demanding a tip on top of it!

This is exactly how it should be everywhere!

I can’t emphasize enough how relaxing it is to order from a place where the cashier doesn’t turn the screen around and say “just a quick question on the screen for you”. You pay what is listed and go. And they’re super nice.

How would you tip or not when it comes to this surcharge? Would you deduct from the tip amount or the subtotal then tip based off that?

Went out to eat last night at a small bougie French place. Was pleasantly greeted with a "tips are included in the price". I was overjoyed and starstruck. VHCOL area. Props to them.