If the restaurant is charging a 15% recovery fee, are you still tipping?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Founding farmers still had this

They should pay you for a recovery fee for you to recover your taste buds after you eat that garbage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Big question: Do you tip on the recovery fee?

Not unless you are a sucker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't take it out on the server. Ask to speak the manager and complain. Then, don't eat there again.

But please still tip your server.

Agreed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take it out on the server. Ask to speak the manager and complain. Then, don't eat there again.

But please still tip your server.

Agreed

Nope.

[Anonymous]

5%

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Such fees strike me as deceptive if not disclosed clearly up front before ordering, and as adding needless complexity to pricing even if disclosed. Why not just set prices to their actual level instead of breaking them up and assigning them different labels to arrive at the end result? If it's not a service fee/tip, that too should be clear as otherwise it's reasonable to expect that some patrons will interpret it as such while others won't. I wouldn't patronize a business which is coy and less than fully transparent like this.

I’ve read articles about this. Restaurants just can’t raise prices. Customers balk. It’s entirely psychological. The only way for restaurants to make profit these days is for a burger to really cost $25, but customers refuse to pay. So now we have a system where a burger might cost $18 plus a 15% recovery or inflation charge at the end. If we got true inflation pricing, people would start eating out a lot less and maybe inflation would be over more quickly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem is everyone is doing this. Are we never going back to every restaurant?

Yes, correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take it out on the server. Ask to speak the manager and complain. Then, don't eat there again.

But please still tip your server.

Agreed

Nope.

+1

[Anonymous]

The Twitter account BarredinDC has been discussing this over the past few days, coming from a discussion on how Dacha uses its service fee (allegedly doesn't go to employees at all). There was also a Post article yesterday about the tipping...sorry I don't have a gift link but if you have a DCPL account you can access the Post for free.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/05/25/dc-tipping-guidelines-after-initiative-82/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such fees strike me as deceptive if not disclosed clearly up front before ordering, and as adding needless complexity to pricing even if disclosed. Why not just set prices to their actual level instead of breaking them up and assigning them different labels to arrive at the end result? If it's not a service fee/tip, that too should be clear as otherwise it's reasonable to expect that some patrons will interpret it as such while others won't. I wouldn't patronize a business which is coy and less than fully transparent like this.

I’ve read articles about this. Restaurants just can’t raise prices. Customers balk. It’s entirely psychological. The only way for restaurants to make profit these days is for a burger to really cost $25, but customers refuse to pay. So now we have a system where a burger might cost $18 plus a 15% recovery or inflation charge at the end. If we got true inflation pricing, people would start eating out a lot less and maybe inflation would be over more quickly.

I disagree. I believe many, if not most, restaurants are raising prices and have been moreso in the last year or so. It has resulted in my not being able to afford to eat out very often, especially at nicer restaurants. When restaurants raise prices that money does not go to the servers so I do tip appropriately when I do go out. My philosophy is if you can't afford to eat out or tip appropriately then buy some groceries (at Aldi) and eat at home. Eating at restaurants is not a constitutional right in America.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such fees strike me as deceptive if not disclosed clearly up front before ordering, and as adding needless complexity to pricing even if disclosed. Why not just set prices to their actual level instead of breaking them up and assigning them different labels to arrive at the end result? If it's not a service fee/tip, that too should be clear as otherwise it's reasonable to expect that some patrons will interpret it as such while others won't. I wouldn't patronize a business which is coy and less than fully transparent like this.

I’ve read articles about this. Restaurants just can’t raise prices. Customers balk. It’s entirely psychological. The only way for restaurants to make profit these days is for a burger to really cost $25, but customers refuse to pay. So now we have a system where a burger might cost $18 plus a 15% recovery or inflation charge at the end. If we got true inflation pricing, people would start eating out a lot less and maybe inflation would be over more quickly.

It has already started happening in our household. We have reduced eating out by 80%.

[Anonymous]

I pay the fee and tip the server, but I don't go back. I'd really prefer that the restaurant just raise prices. It is more straightforward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such fees strike me as deceptive if not disclosed clearly up front before ordering, and as adding needless complexity to pricing even if disclosed. Why not just set prices to their actual level instead of breaking them up and assigning them different labels to arrive at the end result? If it's not a service fee/tip, that too should be clear as otherwise it's reasonable to expect that some patrons will interpret it as such while others won't. I wouldn't patronize a business which is coy and less than fully transparent like this.

I’ve read articles about this. Restaurants just can’t raise prices. Customers balk. It’s entirely psychological. The only way for restaurants to make profit these days is for a burger to really cost $25, but customers refuse to pay. So now we have a system where a burger might cost $18 plus a 15% recovery or inflation charge at the end. If we got true inflation pricing, people would start eating out a lot less and maybe inflation would be over more quickly.

I don’t buy that restaurants are that bad off that these fees are necessary. They would be worldwide if so.

It’s unsustainable to think that most patrons will be able to afford a meal + a 5-20% fee + a 20% tip. So the first thing to go will be tips. If there’s no staff then I guess there’s no business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Such fees strike me as deceptive if not disclosed clearly up front before ordering, and as adding needless complexity to pricing even if disclosed. Why not just set prices to their actual level instead of breaking them up and assigning them different labels to arrive at the end result? If it's not a service fee/tip, that too should be clear as otherwise it's reasonable to expect that some patrons will interpret it as such while others won't. I wouldn't patronize a business which is coy and less than fully transparent like this.

I’ve read articles about this. Restaurants just can’t raise prices. Customers balk. It’s entirely psychological. The only way for restaurants to make profit these days is for a burger to really cost $25, but customers refuse to pay. So now we have a system where a burger might cost $18 plus a 15% recovery or inflation charge at the end. If we got true inflation pricing, people would start eating out a lot less and maybe inflation would be over more quickly.

I disagree. I believe many, if not most, restaurants are raising prices and have been moreso in the last year or so. It has resulted in my not being able to afford to eat out very often, especially at nicer restaurants. When restaurants raise prices that money does not go to the servers so I do tip appropriately when I do go out. My philosophy is if you can't afford to eat out or tip appropriately then buy some groceries (at Aldi) and eat at home. Eating at restaurants is not a constitutional right in America.

Nor is tipping. I’ll continue to eat out and my service fee will reduce the tip.

[Anonymous]

https://www.washingtonian.com/2022/09/20/should-you-tip-on-top-of-a-restaurant-service-charge/