Resturants are learning from ISPs... additional "fees" attached to bill?

[VirtualLarry]

'All of a sudden the bill comes out ... 30% to 40% higher': Here's why restaurants are suddenly serving up airline-style fees (msn.com)

When I order out, a pizza, sub or burger, and a salad, delivered less than a mile down the road, with a tip, hit $70 last week.

 

[Captante]

Exactly how many "pizza, sub or burger, and a salads" did you have delivered for $70?



Factoring in Grubhub or Doordash fees for a quality sushi-meal or even an overpriced XL Wooster-street pizza from Pepe's or Sally's for example(s) delivered we are still only talking about $40-$45 with a nice tip included! (and New Haven isn't cheap)


EDIT: In fact my pandemic "regular" chicken katsu bento-box with 2x extra maki delivery meal comes to exactly $34.65 with 25% tip on Doordash right at this moment. *(GH is the same price despite supposedly "free" plus-services via Amazon)

 

[JEDI]

'All of a sudden the bill comes out ... 30% to 40% higher': Here's why restaurants are suddenly serving up airline-style fees (msn.com)

When I order out, a pizza, sub or burger, and a salad, delivered less than a mile down the road, with a tip, hit $70 last week.

eh..
20% mandatory tip, a 5% San Francisco health care tax and an 8.625% sales tax.

we're all used to sales tax.
I've seen the menu say mandatory 18% tip for parties 6 or more. (but now it's 20%? )
If the 5% san fran healthcare tax is mandatory for all, then it's just like the sales tax.

i've also seen 1% covid supplies surcharge. (i think it recently got dropped at my local restaurant.)
$30 check = .30 surcharge

But the rest are nuisance charges:
- $2 surcharge help alleviate “macroeconomic” pressures
- a 20% hospitality fee on all tabs to “ensure livable, competitive compensation for all staff”
aka mandatory 20% tip
- 3% “wellness fee”

F them and their nickle and diming fees.
I wouldnt eat there if i knew in advance and wouldn't go back if i didnt.
especially the mandatory 20% tip for everyone!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Exactly how many "pizza, sub or burger, and a salads" did you have delivered for $70?

Pizza (large) $22
Burger + fries $16
Salad $11

$49

$4 delivery fee
$1 web fee
$5 tax
$7 tip

$66

I must have added a 2-liter of something $4.

That's not GH or DD, they do their own deliveries in town, and are less than a mile away.

(Edit: to add, that's where all my mining money went, practically.)

 

[NutBucket]

The food adds to $52

But other than a pricey burger that doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I'm also a cheap bastard so I never get food delivered.

 

[JEDI]

The food adds to $52

But other than a pricey burger that doesn't seem unreasonable to me. I'm also a cheap bastard so I never get food delivered.

yup, same here.

order to go or call to order/give credit card/pick up.
no delivery fees, and no tipping.
win/win

 

[Captante]

That's a lot but it's also dinner for at least 2-3 people I'm assuming?

Or just barely enough to feed me when I was in my 20's!

 

[NutBucket]

Also, less than a mile? You should walk after eating that garbage (not judging, I eat the same stuff).

 

[BoomerD]

eh..
20% mandatory tip, a 5% San Francisco health care tax and an 8.625% sales tax.

we're all used to sales tax.
I've seen the menu say mandatory 18% tip for parties 6 or more. (but now it's 20%? )
If the 5% san fran healthcare tax is mandatory for all, then it's just like the sales tax.

i've also seen 1% covid supplies surcharge. (i think it recently got dropped at my local restaurant.)
$30 check = .30 surcharge

But the rest are nuisance charges:
- $2 surcharge help alleviate “macroeconomic” pressures
- a 20% hospitality fee on all tabs to “ensure livable, competitive compensation for all staff”
aka mandatory 20% tip
- 3% “wellness fee”

F them and their nickle and diming fees.
I wouldnt eat there if i knew in advance and wouldn't go back if i didnt.
especially the mandatory 20% tip for everyone!

ALL of those "fees" beyond state sales tax had better be explained plainly on the menu BEFORE ordering...or I'd refuse to pay them.
If service is decent, we tip 15%. If it's exceptional, we'll top more, but if service sux...we might not tip a penny. As for the "healthcare tax," fuck you.

 

[VirtualLarry]

That's a lot but it's also dinner for at least 2-3 people I'm assuming?

Or just barely enough to feed me when I was in my 20's!

Food for me for 2 + 1/2 to 3 days.

 

[Captante]

Food for me for 2 + 1/2 to 3 days.

At roughly $22-$33 per day that's not great but not terrible?

I've done the same thing but with usually with mass-quantities of Chinese food!

Even so if they have to raise the price just raise the freaking price (!!!) don't try to sneak in fee's for dubious reasons after the fact or I'd very likely tell them to stuff it where the sun (hopefully) never shines!

The other thing that I've noticed eating out which pisses me off lately is that many prepared food items that the prices have not actually increased on have decreased in serving-size substantially. (some only stayed the same price but still got smaller too!)

 

[MtnMan]

I have not eaten at a "chain" or brand name restaurant in a long time... and I don't miss them at all.

We do frequent single storefront eateries, run and owned by locals, usually either part of or housed in a brewery, or food trucks that circulate around the breweries.

Couple of days ago, brewery visit with a taco food truck there, ordered 4 different tacos, 2 were $5, and 2 were $4. Guy says that will be $18.00. I was figuring at least tax (7% here), so I had $25 cash in hand. I put a $7 in his tip jar. Yea, I still "do" cash, especially with small businesses like this so they don't have to pay CC processing fees.

OBTW, beer and tacos were great.

 

[NutBucket]

Agree 100% for using cash for small businesses. Screw the taxman.

 

[MtnMan]

Agree 100% for using cash for small businesses. Screw the taxman.

And VISA, Square, etc.

 

[NutBucket]

At least the CC companies are providing an actual service. I'll stop before I delve into P&N

 

[JEDI]

$49

$4 delivery fee
$1 web fee
$5 tax, $7 tip

$66

I must have added a 2-liter of something $4.

That's not GH or DD, they do their own deliveries in town, and are less than a mile away.

(Edit: to add, that's where all my mining money went, practically.)

be careful when ordering from some restaurant websites.

There are web companies offering free web portals for small restaurants who cant create/maintain their own web domain with online credit card processing.

the way these web companies make $ is they add a small upcharge to every item on the menu!
so if a salad is normally 4.95 at the restaurant, it's 5.25 on the website.
a $14.95 entrée might be 15.95, etc

 

[snoopy7548]

I don't know how they do it, but the local Chinese place is still cheap as hell. $10 gets me a pint of wonton soup, an egg roll, and a main dish.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I don't know how they do it

Cat tastes like chicken... but you didn't hear it from me.

 

[NutBucket]

You're confusing Vietnamese and Chinese. Chinese don't eat cats...that I know of. Dogs yes.

 

[sdifox]

You're confusing Vietnamese and Chinese. Chinese don't eat cats...that I know of. Dogs yes.

Chinese eat anything that walks, flies or swims.

 

[Torn Mind]

Restaurants don't operate on the high margins. Furthermore, the culture held by voters in San Fran is that big bad business needs to be taxed and ordered to pay ethically. But the face of "business" to them is Walmart and that every other business in the local business registry is as deep-pocketed as Walmart.

 

[NutBucket]

Chinese eat anything that walks, flies or swims.

As someone of Chinese decent with some Vietnamese relatives...can't argue with that. But hey, equal opportunity!

 

[Torn Mind]

Chinese eat anything that walks, flies or swims.

Depends on the locale and possibly class level. My mom never goes beyond the usual pork, beef, chicken, and she hates chickens raised by modern methods in the USA.

 

[sdifox]

Depends on the locale and possibly class level. My mom never goes beyond the usual pork, beef, chicken, and she hates chickens raised by modern methods in the USA.

She is one person.

 

[Torn Mind]

That's a lot but it's also dinner for at least 2-3 people I'm assuming?

Or just barely enough to feed me when I was in my 20's!

Larry is 400 lbs, iirc. Scarred mentally, and also on some drugs to treat him psychologically.

Too "irl" personal, too pointed, not acceptable here.

Perknose
Forum Director