• SeaJ@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I don’t return to restaurants that pull this bullshit. Raise your menu prices to provide a living wage or take a hit to your profits.

      • cheesepotatoes@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Ya this. The extra 18% should be baked into the menu pricing so that at least the cost is known up front. This is kind of like sneaking it in.

        • DacoTaco@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          As a european, not knowing and legit asking: isnt that the thing all over the usa? I mean, you pick up something at the store, go to the counter and then SUPRISE, tax is added on top of the price. Like, that also feels like sneaking in extra costs?

          • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Basically. People just get used to the nebulous mental calculations of how much tax one can expect. It encourages a culture of routine overspending and should be illegal.

            People expect to budget roughly tax and tip, they are basically mad because this is not a cultural norm and they got stung by surprise.

          • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            A sales tax is expected in most states and is generally fairly similar within each state and almost never come to more than 10%. That also pays for services that most people use.

            This extra charge at this restaurant is not common nor is it expected. They also set it at 18% which is a standard tip rate but specifically say it is not a tip. They claim it is to provide decent wages but considering they still allow tips (some places do this but do not allow tipping on top) , that pretty obviously is not true. This is just a bullshit tactic to have prices seem lower than the menu price.

            • albert180@feddit.de
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              1 year ago

              Yes, we have sales tax too. It’s just stupid that it isn’t included in the sticker price

              • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                Sales tax is fairly rare outside of the US. Most countries have a value added tax instead. The end result is largely the same but a VAT has fewer incentives to skirt it.

            • DacoTaco@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Sale tax is everywhere. And still, if its a static amount per state, why not include it on the sticker price so you know exactly how much you will be paying?

              Inventory and sticker work is done by computers, they know the price …

              • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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                1 year ago

                Believe it or not, some states do not allow that to be included on the sticker price since the sticker is there to note the price of the item. The sales tax is a tax on the transaction. You could probably note both but that might confuse dumb people.

                I really wish we just switched to a VAT.

      • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Yes, prices on each item should increase. This is just a sneaky way of avoiding doing that. A bunch of dick head restaurant owners tried doing shit like this when my city passed a law making $15/hr the minimum wage with no exemptions for tipped workers. Restaurant owners like Tom Douglas had to raise prices but didn’t want to so they tacked on an extra fee and claimed it was a living wage fee but you were still expected to tip just as much. If I was certain that money was actually going to workers, I might be okay with it but there is nothing forcing them to give it to workers. Also, it is straight up admitting that you were paying starvation wages before.

        People expected tons of restaurants to close after the minimum wage went up. None really closed and prices are fairly similar to most large cities. Some place did love to a no tip model with higher prices but generally it has been the same where you to 18-20% on the cost of the bill.

      • s_s@lemmy.one
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        1 year ago

        So, restaurants might do this to avoid the cost of printing new menus with new prices.

        Much easier and cheaper to just put signs at the table or print inserts, especially if you think prices will go up again soon.

        But this honestly just looks like they’re trying to screw you.

      • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        That would be the ‘take a hit to profits.’ Yeah, I don’t expect that either. What’s annoying is that it is always the very profitable douche bag restaurants that do this. Most restaurants struggle to make ends meat.

    • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      That’s literally what they did and you just posted this comment flipping shit because they had the audacity to tell you it was going to the workers.

      • Marin_Rider@aussie.zone
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        1 year ago

        even in countries that actually pay their staff right, there’s no way those base prices don’t cover the cost of food, staff and overheads.

        then they have the gall to charge a “service charge” to pay the staff.

        THEN they have the gall to imply you still need to tip

        fuck that to hell

        • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          That’s not implying anything that’s just listing the amount that any given percentage would be if you want to tip the waiter specifically, you might notice that all the percentages are below what’s seen as the base for a good tip, save the 15% which is just at it depending on where you’re eating at.

          The service charge is for the pool for all the staff while the tip on this one is actually a good service reward since they adjusted price to facilitate a better wage, like they literally said at the bottom of the stub.

          • Marin_Rider@aussie.zone
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            1 year ago

            absolute crazy bullshit. don’t stand for that. restaurant price here what you see is what you pay. no stupid surcharges and no stupid tipping. fuck all that