- Redditors are compiling a list of Los Angeles restaurants that charge diners extra fees on their checks.
- The Google Sheets document has more than 200 entries for bars and eateries across the city.
- The additional costs include security charges, service charges, card fees, and “administrative fees.”
As the cost of living remains high, customers are increasingly getting fed up of companies adding extra charges to their advertised prices.
Restaurants are among the worst offenders.
Some restaurants have gone viral on social media after customers noticed extra charges being added to their checks, and it’s sparked debate over whether the surcharges should just be included in the menu prices.
Redditors have begun compiling a list of restaurants in Los Angeles that charge diners additional fees on their checks. The Google Sheets document, which started in r/LosAngeles, has more than 200 entries, with fees including corkage charges, service charges, and credit card fees. Some are a bit more vague, described on their menus or websites as “administrative fees” or “restaurant fees.”
In many cases the fees are stated on company’s menus. While some are optional and diners can ask to have them removed, others are mandatory. Many add suggested gratuities to the bills of larger parties, typically of six people plus.
Some fees cover staff health insurance and wages
Many of the restaurants explicitly say that they charge a fee to cover their employees’ health insurance.
At Xuntos in Santa Monica, customers have to pay a 20% “mandatory service charge,” which the restaurant says is “non-negotiable, non-discretionary, non-removable.”
“We disagree with systems that have heavily recognized only the front-of-house,” the restaurant says, noting that the charge is designed to help “push our industry towards a more equitable wage distribution between the kitchen, bar & floor teams.” It adds that a tip is “not expected,” but diners can still leave one if they wish.
Kali in Hollywood adds a 5% “kitchen appreciation charge.” Chulita in Venice says that it adds a 4% surcharge “to support our dedicated kitchen team and to help provide benefits for all eligible team members.” The surcharge isn’t shared with service staff, it notes.
Il Fornaio, a chain of Italian restaurants, says that it adds a 3% surcharge “to comply with wage, benefit and insurance requirements and continue to provide healthcare & benefits for our eligible employees,” like paid sick days, training, 401(k) plans, and staff meals.
Some of the restaurants on the list have no-tipping policies and instead charge a set-percentage service fee, which they clarify isn’t a gratuity or tip. These include Hinoki & The Bird in Century City, which adds a 20% fee to all checks, and the chain KazuNori, which says the revenue from its 16% fee “is used to fund all of our operations.”
Some restaurants are charging security, card, and eco fees
Customers can dine for less at some restaurants in Los Angeles if they opt to pay with cash. Vino Wine & Tapas Room in Encino says that prices on its menu “reflect cash pricing” and card transactions incur a 3.8% fee, per a photo of its menu posted in a review from May. Oceanview Cafe in Manhattan Beach similarly says that its menu prices include a “4% cash discount,” according to a photo of a receipt submitted by a Reddit user.
Two of the restaurants in the document – the Ruby Fruit in Silver Lake and Perch in Downtown Los Angeles – charge security fees of 4% and 4.5% respectively, which the Ruby Fruit says is “to ensure the safety of our guests and staff.”
Hodori Korean Cuisine in Eagle Rock adds a $1 surcharge for each item ordered to-go.
Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra adds a 1% Zero Footprint Restore the Planet fee, which goes towards things like building healthy soil and carbon farming, though the restaurant notes that customers can opt out of this.
Some of the fees are a bit vague. Otium in Downtown Los Angeles and Katsuya in Hollywood, for example, add a 5% surcharge to help “defray” the rising costs of the restaurant industry, which customers can have removed from their check.
Are you fed up of being charged extra fees when you dine out? Or do you work at a restaurant that charges additional fees and have to face the wrath of annoyed customers? Contact this reporter at [email protected].
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