Restaurants are losing customers and are imposing all of these tips, surcharges, and service fees. This makes people not want to eat at those restaurants. It’s a vicious cycle.

Personally, I will not eat at a restaurant that has service fees on top of high prices and smaller portions. On top of it, the service is now abysmal, and in many cases, the quality of the food has gone down as well.

A new restaurant in Olney opened up and already had a service fee. They received lot of feedback about it and removed the service fee. The service fee is just another way of making an extra buck by nickel and diming customers and when called out, restaurants will respond- or not and then lose customers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seventy cents seems perfectly reasonable to cover the extra labor and materials cost for a to go order

What extra labor and materials? Fish Taco is not a fancy restaurant. In fact, a takeout order probably entails less labor and fewer materials than an eat-in one does.

Someone has to pack up your order. If you eat in that person is paid by your tips but for to go orders it’s more work for someone else. Also they have to have to go boxes, cup etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mon Ami Gabi, note on the menu:

SURCHARGE
As a way to offset rising costs associated with the restaurant (food, beverage, labor, benefits, supplies), we have added a 3% surcharge to all checks. We do this in lieu of increased menu prices. You may request to have this taken off your check, should you choose.

Ridiculous.

I’d rather that restaurants raised their prices to accommodate all their costs than tack on all these percentages. I just end up feeling ripped off.

We requested that it be taken off our check. It's just a sneaky upcharge designed to get money out of those who don't read the small print and/or those who are too embarrassed to call Mon Ami Gabi out on this ridiculousness.

Anonymous wrote:We all rallied around restaurants during Covid ordering take out, buying gift cards, eating at outdoor picnic tables to keep them in business. The response is more fees upon fees upon fees. I'm out.

We didn’t do any of that. We learned to cook at home and haven’t really felt the need to patronize often-mediocre places anymore.

Anonymous wrote:Mon Ami Gabi, note on the menu:

SURCHARGE
As a way to offset rising costs associated with the restaurant (food, beverage, labor, benefits, supplies), we have added a 3% surcharge to all checks. We do this in lieu of increased menu prices. You may request to have this taken off your check, should you choose.

Ridiculous.

I’d rather that restaurants raised their prices to accommodate all their costs than tack on all these percentages. I just end up feeling ripped off.

Anonymous wrote:But - the fees should be disclosed and not just appear after you pay.

I know what tax is.
I know what the cost of items are.

The "Surprise" fee that is on my receipt but never disclosed at Z Burger is a reason we not going there.

How does disclosing fees after you pay work? I've never seen that. I've always seen places add fees to your bill.

Anonymous wrote:They lose a lot of revenue when you do takeout. Waiters, busboys, etc don’t get tipped out when there’s no table service. No alcoholic drinks, which usually has a large chunk of the restaurant markup. You can spare the buck.

But they can fill the table I would have sat at with a whole different party. They also do not have to clean up after me, do dishes, take the order.

But - the fees should be disclosed and not just appear after you pay.

I know what tax is.
I know what the cost of items are.

The "Surprise" fee that is on my receipt but never disclosed at Z Burger is a reason we not going there.

Anonymous wrote:We all rallied around restaurants during Covid ordering take out, buying gift cards, eating at outdoor picnic tables to keep them in business. The response is more fees upon fees upon fees. I'm out.

We should have let the good ones survive and the bad ones fail.
After all the waiters and the businesses got their help from the government and we are all taken for for rubes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They lose a lot of revenue when you do takeout. Waiters, busboys, etc don’t get tipped out when there’s no table service. No alcoholic drinks, which usually has a large chunk of the restaurant markup. You can spare the buck.

I sincerely enjoy watching these businesses lose customers and go out of business.
I can do without the restaurant experience.

Exactly. Make good tasty food and you will get a stream of customers and won’t need to mark it up

Anonymous wrote:They lose a lot of revenue when you do takeout. Waiters, busboys, etc don’t get tipped out when there’s no table service. No alcoholic drinks, which usually has a large chunk of the restaurant markup. You can spare the buck.

They should take the hint - we don’t want their lousy table “service”. We eat at home, in peace.
-not OP

Anonymous wrote:They lose a lot of revenue when you do takeout. Waiters, busboys, etc don’t get tipped out when there’s no table service. No alcoholic drinks, which usually has a large chunk of the restaurant markup. You can spare the buck.

I sincerely enjoy watching these businesses lose customers and go out of business.
I can do without the restaurant experience.

Anonymous wrote:We all rallied around restaurants during Covid ordering take out, buying gift cards, eating at outdoor picnic tables to keep them in business. The response is more fees upon fees upon fees. I'm out.

+1

Op here. I support small businesses. I want to eat out and do so often. I take out sometimes too. For me, and I am sure lots of people, it's the principle. Yes, you saw this coming. It all adds up (for me, the consumer, and for the establishment). Where do you draw the line? A packing fee for dropping my tacos in a bag is totally unnecessary and irritates customers. Next they will charge a container fee. Or I will be paying for their heat in the restaurant.

We all rallied around restaurants during Covid ordering take out, buying gift cards, eating at outdoor picnic tables to keep them in business. The response is more fees upon fees upon fees. I'm out.