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

[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.

When I sit down, I expect to pay menu price plus tax, plus 20%. That's what I'm paying. If the restaurant has surprise fees, then it's coming out of the tip.

What if the fee is advertised on the menu when you sit down?

I tell them I’ve decided to eat elsewhere, why, and leave.

[Anonymous]

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

I ate out 3 times in the past week. None of the restaurants charged a recovery fee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Founding farmers still had this

Maybe it is a bad restaurant thing. I've been to many restaurants, both regular and Michelin star, none of them charged a fee even in late 2021.

[Anonymous]

Put them on blast on review sites. Get receipt photos into Google Maps.

Never go back.
Fight it in store if you have the "stomach" for it.

[Anonymous]

Please name the restaurants doing this do we can avoid them. I haven’t been to any that charge this fee..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please name the restaurants doing this do we can avoid them. I haven’t been to any that charge this fee..

Clyde’s still has this fee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please name the restaurants doing this do we can avoid them. I haven’t been to any that charge this fee..

Since you doubt this exists, here’s a list that someone created: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1UrAuD1TcfX546IEJL34I37ACVWljSi4lhIRA0w15-_Y/htmlview#gid=1486084773

From this article: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/investigations/what-to-do-about-unexpected-restaurant-fees-dc-attorney-general-warning/65-b8ac01af-2a8f-4ea1-9f2e-479994321378

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I complained about this a couple of months ago. Clyde’s charged a restaurant recovery fee, on top of their higher prices and reduced portions. I still tipped, but I won’t be going back.

15% is very high, and I would not be surprised if people are not paying a tip on top of this.

I went yesterday and I didn’t see the recovery charge.
There was 3.75% surcharge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I complained about this a couple of months ago. Clyde’s charged a restaurant recovery fee, on top of their higher prices and reduced portions. I still tipped, but I won’t be going back.

15% is very high, and I would not be surprised if people are not paying a tip on top of this.

I went yesterday and I didn’t see the recovery charge.
There was 3.75% surcharge.

Same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I complained about this a couple of months ago. Clyde’s charged a restaurant recovery fee, on top of their higher prices and reduced portions. I still tipped, but I won’t be going back.

15% is very high, and I would not be surprised if people are not paying a tip on top of this.

Went to Clydes over the weekend. I thought it was me thinking portions had shrunk. I saw the recovery fee on the menu before ordering and I didn’t like it. But I also didn’t stand up and leave the restaurant. I won’t be going back either but I think if I had left after drinks and cited an objection to the recovery fee that would have sent a direct message. They won’t know if I don’t return and they don’t care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Founding farmers still had this

They will remove it if you ask. Or at least they did in November 2021, which is the last time I went because it was such a hassle getting the manager over to remove it.

[Anonymous]

I went to a restaurant that had this (they said something about supply chains etc) but the restaurant had opened in January 2023! Don't tell me you couldn't have just made the prices higher- it was printed on the menu so they could have printed the menu with higher prices. I tipped 20% minus the fee (I think the fee was 2% so I guess I tipped 18%) and put a note next to tip that I assumed any fee went to service staff so was making my tip whole at 20%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a restaurant that had this (they said something about supply chains etc) but the restaurant had opened in January 2023! Don't tell me you couldn't have just made the prices higher- it was printed on the menu so they could have printed the menu with higher prices. I tipped 20% minus the fee (I think the fee was 2% so I guess I tipped 18%) and put a note next to tip that I assumed any fee went to service staff so was making my tip whole at 20%.

Savage.

[Anonymous]

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

I have nearly stopped going to restaurants. I’m finding the price isn’t worth the meal I’m getting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

I have nearly stopped going to restaurants. I’m finding the price isn’t worth the meal I’m getting.

+1

I would say I have reduced my restaurant consumption by 90%. I might go only once every other month. The price increases and portion sizes are so much larger, and smaller that I don’t see value in it. One restaurant meal would be enough for two meals for me. Now it really is just one serving at about $15-$20 a pop x 5 (my family), not worth it for me. And then you add a surcharge on top of that? I’m staying far away.