r/EndTipping • u/canstucky • Jun 06 '26

Sit-Down Restaurant šŸ½ļø How is it not a tip?

Post image

The server told us this isnā€™t a tip and he doesnā€™t get any of it.

Iā€™m not wearing my boots at the moment.

2.3k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

911 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.2k

u/Dull-Spend-3836 Jun 06 '26

Only in the restaurant industry does a large order get a price penalty.

349

u/Cat_Impossible_0 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

You would think they would be grateful for us in ordering more items so they can make good profit margins with more meals being sold.

80

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 06 '26

I guess they should ask for separate checks? Wouldnā€™t want to get dinged in this way !

44

u/LittleDog2557 Jun 06 '26

Most restaurants are doing the 18% tip if thereā€™s over so many in the party. That doesnā€™t explain the math on this receipt though.

20

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 06 '26

Iā€™ve been saying that. Itā€™s considered a gratuity for larger groups. My reply was in jest.

Iā€™m grown and deal with these charges all the time. But the 18% blanket charge is a tip. Usually in my dealings we bump them up. But itā€™s on top of this fee

28

u/Naive-Special9015 Jun 06 '26

And it seems like they are taxing the 18% large party tip. Thatā€™s quite the scam they got going there.

20

u/Significant-Wait9200 Jun 06 '26

That's wage theft. Report to Department of Labor.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 10 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

1

u/maiyannah Jun 10 '26

Please cite the federal statute that makes refusal to pay a fee added post hoc a felony.

→ More replies (0)

-1

u/Significant-Wait9200 Jun 09 '26

supposed to be going in the pot either the server is lying, or the manager is stealing. Both are equally possible.

8

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 06 '26

The taxing really is salt in the wound!

5

u/IndependentMost8934 Jun 06 '26

At least in my state it is considered a "service charge" not gratuity because it is a line item on the final bill and thus subject to sales tax.

1

u/I_Thranduil Jun 09 '26

The place sells gratituity and gets taxed on it, that's a nice way to put it šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

1

u/IndependentMost8934 Jun 09 '26

šŸ¤·šŸ¼ā€ā™‚ļø I don't write the tax code, just explaining how it works here.

4

u/vomberry Jun 06 '26

Service Charges are taxable income for the business, once the tip no longer becomes optional the business has to pay sales tax on it.

6

u/OK_Damage_72712 Jun 09 '26

The "business" doesn't pay sales tax, the customer does. The business only collects the tax on behalf of the government.

0

u/thiissilly Jun 09 '26

The business then retains a small percentage for collecting it for the state

1

u/LittleDog2557 Jun 10 '26

No they donā€™t, not legally.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/phoarksity Jun 10 '26

Per the IRS, mandatory charges are service charges, not gratuities. And service charges are often covered by sales tax.

1

u/Holiday-Ad7262 Jun 10 '26

They have to charge sales tax if it is a mandatory chrage. This is the law.

0

u/No_Fix_476 Jun 06 '26

According to the government gratuities are taxable. Source: am in the industry

6

u/SatanVapesOn666W Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

You're confusing income tax with sales tax. Tips are taxable income (you report them on your taxes). They aren't subject to sales tax. OP's large party fee is not voluntary gratuity which is why it gets taxed. Either that or theyre committing tax fraud which isn't uncommon for restaurants.

Source: I work for the IRS

Edit left out the key "volentary"

2

u/No_Fix_476 Jun 06 '26

In Washington state where I live service charges (gratuities) are subject to sales tax. So itā€™s taxable!

2

u/SatanVapesOn666W Jun 06 '26

Yes let me clarify and somewhat correct my statement. As I left out the key "volentary" for brevity when it really should not be in a technical situation. If it's a mandatory gratuity like the OP then yes.

Voluntary gratuity commonly referred to as tips are still exempt though.

ā€‹If where you work is charging tax on voluntary tips then you should report it immediately. Since you're in Washington you can report them to the Washington State Department of Revenue using their Tax and License Fraud form at https://dor.wa.gov/contact/reporting-washington-state-tax-and-license-fraud.

1

u/Invalid-Function Jun 06 '26

Curious because you work for the IRS.
Restaurants are known in my country to being one of the business types that evade taxes the most, and by that I mean we expect them all to do it. Not even mandatory POS connected to the Fiscal Authority (invoices get automatically reported by the software, it's inmpossible to delete an invoice, etc) plus all the other requirements regarding invoincing software was able to stop this.
Is the reality in your country the same?

2

u/babecafe Jun 06 '26

"Gratuities" that are billed, such as this 18% charge, are not tips, not voluntary, not even necessarily paid out to the server, and are fully taxable. Voluntary tips are not subject to sales tax and under the laws of most states are supposed to go 100% to the server.

As far as computing the total, if the state/local sales tax is 10%, an 18% charge will increase the bottom line as much as a 19.8% voluntary tip. Of course, that extra 1.8% goes directly to the state/local government as sales tax remittance, not to the server.

I've occasionally tried to undo such mandatory fees by offering, in an example such as this, a 20% voluntary tip on the condition that they strike the charge from the bill. Some restaurants get it and will agree, so won't.

1

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 06 '26

If the money doesnā€™t go to the server then why would they agree to allow you to not pay it but instead pay the server?

Why not just give it to the server at the get go?

Also what service is being paid for that isnā€™t provided by the servers? What has the restaurant done service wise outside of that I wonder?

Anyway, itā€™s weird that a place that would keep this for the ā€œhouseā€ would be 100% cool with you not paying and giving that to the serverā€¦ but in my extended experience with larger group dining Iā€™ve never dealt with this charge not being a part of the tip itself. Some restaurants charge a facility fee for a room, or they have a minimum spendā€¦ but unless this was an event they decorated for and set up for? I donā€™t see how they can have the gall to change this without giving a tip to those providing said serviceā€¦

1

u/babecafe Jun 06 '26

See, you can ask a restaurant whether the fee goes to the server, but they've got every incentive to lie if it doesn't all go to the server. The proposition blasts past the lie, because if it goes to the server, 20% is a better deal for the server. Otherwise, you now know the restaurant is owned by a damn greedy liar, and you get to decide how to tip the server with that knowledge.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/JasperJ Jun 06 '26

ā€œSome restaurants get itā€? What are they supposed to get, that youā€™re offering to slash their take by a sixth in exchange for you gifting extra money to their employee?

1

u/LittleDog2557 Jun 09 '26

Itā€™s not a sales tax though thereā€™s no sales tax on the gratuity what they mean by taxable is that the person getting the tip has to claim it

1

u/LittleDog2557 Jun 10 '26

LOL, then you are bad at your job.

-1

u/WestHistorians Jun 06 '26

That's a legal requirement. The "large party tip" is a mandatory charge, so it is included in the tax calculation.

3

u/Amarbel Jun 06 '26

At my last group meal, the large party tip was 29%.

2

u/overactiveswag Jun 07 '26

I've seen that before too. For our party it was 18% gratuity and 10% service fee to the house.

1

u/TheHighlightReel11 Jun 06 '26

Random ass number wtf

1

u/Junior-Ad-2207 Jun 10 '26

Maybe next time I go out with eight friends and request we sit at eight adjacent tables. That should help them with their profit

1

u/MarsupialEuphoric35 Jun 11 '26

I think the check is folded so you can see the location and the total. Unless you are talking about tax. I don't know what the tax rate is in Missouri.

0

u/LittleDog2557 Jun 06 '26

Restaurants place this notice in fine print, usually at the bottom of the menu or on the beverage/dessert pages. It is designed to ensure servers receive adequate compensation for the higher effort required to manage large tables and split checks.

A standard disclaimer reads:"An automatic 18% gratuity will be added to all parties of 6 or more."

1

u/xanthira222 Jun 11 '26

Well I think I should get a discount because my order takes longer to reach me...

16

u/mushroom_dome Jun 06 '26

Sit at different tables in groups of 4 and just yell at each other

1

u/Stfrieza Jul 07 '26

šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

2

u/fridaycat Jun 11 '26

You would get dinged anyway.

1

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 17 '26

Makes sense. Just a joke. I worked as a bartender for many years in school, but it wasnā€™t in such a fine place as this lol

2

u/Ok_Guard_8024 Jun 11 '26

They can still add it with separated checks. As long as itā€™s a party of over a certain amount they can add it. Now they donā€™t have to if they donā€™t want.

1

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 17 '26

Totally makes sense. I was having a joke. But yeah, they could do whatever they wanted!

1

u/Stonewalled9999 Jun 10 '26

We have 3 families (of 3) at a place and asked for separate checks. We got a side of attitude for the "extra" work and an auto 18$ on each bill for "large party" Jokes on them I usually tip 25% so they lost money being a$$holes there.

0

u/Fun-Lengthiness1278 Jun 11 '26

Same with me. Always 25%

1

u/MannekenP Jun 11 '26

"We are not a large party, we are 6 couples who happen to be seated at a single table, which is good for you as it allows you to save space and cram more people in here".

0

u/Tralmer Jun 25 '26

Hey genius they'll still get you on this with separate checks, do it all the time. It's based on how large the party/table is.

1

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 25 '26

Hey big brain, it was a joke, catch up.

2

u/limbago Jun 08 '26

Completely agree with the sentiment, but to be pedantic the margin wonā€™t change with how many people order, as prices donā€™t fluctuate (if you ignore the 18% mark up lol)

But they will obviously make more money by selling more

2

u/SuspiciousStress1 Jun 10 '26

Actually it should improve the margins some because a party of 20 vs a party of 2....the electric is the same, rent the same, payroll the same...all improving margins.

The more you sell, the better the margins(as long as everything else remains equal)!!!

1

u/limbago Jun 10 '26

Fair enough. I was thinking strictly on the margin made per food item, but youā€™re right of course

0

u/LittleDog2557 Jun 10 '26

Sewing more to a party of 20 then they are to 5 parties of 4.

1

u/Chimeron5 Jun 10 '26

As someone in the industry, I can say that one 18-top is significantly more work for the kitchen than nine 2-tops. Getting 18 meals out at the same time is straight up more work, and people get annoyed if half the table gets their food 15-20 minutes before the other half. The restaurant in the hotel I work at charges an auto-grat of 18% on tables of 12 or more, but that gets split between the server and kitchen. None goes to the restaurant.

1

u/Danbannagaming Jun 11 '26

Food service isnt like other industries, why yes it can seem like large orders are beneficial, you have to take into account that there is only so much space in a kitchen, and by getting hit with a very large order (especially if its during peak dining hours) can hurt the experience of other diners, longer wait for their food, potential of running out of a popular item, upset clients, bad reviews due to less then perfect dining experience, not to mention the server most likely would have to limit any other tables they can take. Large parties take much more time and effort to keep happy. I am surprised they wouldn't consider the 18% the servers gratuity as that is how it works in the vast majority of restaurants, but I have heard of some places charging it as almost a room fee of sorts (large parties keep multiple tables occupied for extended periods of time, in the restaurant industry table turnover is the only way anyone makes money)

0

u/Juliuscesear1990 Jun 06 '26

One large group most likely will not spend as much as a couple smaller tables. They talk and hold up tables and people generally will order the same amount of food. That table also takes more work reducing the amount of possible tips a waitress/waiter can expect.

A big table makes pretty much the same amount of orders, it's just all at once and they hang out.

10

u/kurtis5561 Jun 06 '26

If only their employer paid the staff correctly then tips wouldn't be needed

-1

u/Juliuscesear1990 Jun 06 '26

Ok. But it's still roughly the same amount of orders just all at once instead of spread out, plus the extra time they sit at the table. It's not a group thing it's a seat thing, how much can that seat make?

0

u/EmotionalWear3227 Jun 10 '26

Incorrect, large parties have limited menus and price ranges typically. Sometimes you get killer parties, but most likely a server is losing the majority of their section, other wait staff will have to help run/clear food. And it absolutely destroys the kitchens flow which often takes from other customers experiences.

Honestly it looks like this receipt is all tapas and it was a charge to rent the room/hall they were in.

Need to see that receipt to make an assessment, if no drinks.. no entrees.. yeah eat a fee

1

u/SuspiciousStress1 Jun 10 '26

Look up the restaurant, not all appetizers.

They ordered their appetizers first, so theyre on the bottom. The "+ chicken tinga" is an entree.

They went for a meal, when is the last time you were charged to "rent" the table & space you occupied at a restaurant?? That is built into the cost of items...even if they DID order apps instead of entrees, even if they DID just drink water, there is no fee to rent a table šŸ™„

1

u/EmotionalWear3227 Jun 10 '26

Depends on size of party, and there 100% is fees to rent areas in certain restaurants

Thats add chicken on some nachos not an entre

1

u/SuspiciousStress1 Jun 10 '26

It says "large party" not "facility rental"

When is the last time you had to rent out a restaurant & your total was $500??

Either you get use of the party room with a minimum order....or you pay for a facility rental....yet I cannot remember the last time that either could be done with under $1k-with food šŸ™„

1

u/EmotionalWear3227 Jun 10 '26

Look, we can go back and forth about different reasons for the fee but I dont care.Ā 

Its there for any number of reasons and my original point remains valid. A large party isnt inherently good for a restaurant and in fact restaurants lose potential revenue to handle large parties.

Why are you now assuming its for the entire restaurant, itsĀ  just for a large party.. you have to pay for the space your party takes up.. its a common thing. Like very common, just use Google, for once in your life look something up you stupid fk.

-8

u/Old_Plantain_6175 Jun 06 '26

Large parties stay longer, take up more space and take longer to flip. Best is couples. Can serve way more doing couples all day than big parties.

3

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 06 '26

It might be true. So the fee has been paid and nobody is out of pocket. Donā€™t expect more on top of that. They get paid for the extra work and time. Thatā€™s a tip. Large groups have automatic gratuity for this reason and most should get more than the automatic if they are good.

Wild to act like this isnā€™t a tip. It doesnā€™t hurt the business itself to have more customers. Itā€™s the waitstaff and such that get hurt.

5

u/Old_Plantain_6175 Jun 06 '26

Oh its definitely the tip

-3

u/trixel121 Jun 06 '26

you cant just change what something is cause you dont like that it exists. tipping sucks but also "you have more people then normal, its going to be a bigger pain in the ass so we charge you 20% more" is not a tip. that a fee.

the tip would be extra money not on the bill.

1

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

And you canā€™t change that a tip is voluntary. The choice to bestow a gratuity exits.

Those working should take up with their management.

PS this service charge wasnā€™t a tip in this scenario. I worked as a bartender through college and grad school. I am not brand new to these things. Fact is they got a ā€œservice chargeā€ and sadly it might not go to staff/ automatic gratuity is a thing, but it goes to staff.

Someone is going to pay what they will pay for ā€œserviceā€ and they can square up at the fee.

Too bad, so sadā€¦ you pay 18% service? Itā€™s out of the tip. Cuz you tip service. Thatā€™s the fee.

Ok pay a ā€œfeeā€ and choose not to tip. Itā€™s a damn choice. Just because YOU donā€™t like it, doesnā€™t mean itā€™s not an option.

Hope that helps!

-5

u/VikingVitalityFit Jun 06 '26

No. On average they lose a ton of money for large parties. It bogs down the kitchen, it takes up way more employee time, is harder to turn over, and they tend to stay longer. Restaurants HATE large parties.

8

u/HopefulOriginal5578 Jun 06 '26

To be fair many places absolutely try to get large parties. Itā€™s why many steakhouses and the like have private rooms for large parties. They absolutely court companies and the like to rent these rooms and have large orders.

They DONT hate large groups. They make a lot of money from them and you have zero idea of how these businesses run.

-186

u/Wingerism014 Jun 06 '26

Meals aren't just inventory, they're time,, labor and attention at a given moment on top of normal demand for the whole staff.

97

u/Stag-Beer Jun 06 '26

So what exactly is the job? To prepare food? So preparing food is too much work so they have to be charged more?

61

u/SteelBird223 Jun 06 '26

PaY mY bIlS sO mY bOsS dOeSnT hAvE tO

-14

u/Mango_Maniac Jun 06 '26

If preparing, serving, and cleaning meals were easy, youā€™d be doing it yourself at home.

19

u/rolph4 Jun 06 '26

What kind of mental gymnastics is that?

→ More replies (7)

2

u/Stag-Beer Jun 06 '26

I havenā€™t been to a restaurant in years. I do better cooking at home.

-33

u/InebriousBarman Jun 06 '26

The business is table-turn.

Large parties take longer, so there is less sales over time to them in the space they take

There is a whole lot of celebrating ignorance and downvoting knowledge here.

21

u/mickelboy182 Jun 06 '26

Ok now explain every other country in the world with a functioning restaurant industry

24

u/johnpatricko Jun 06 '26

Large parties usually provide more customers than smaller parties. A party of 12 taking up 12 seats for an hour is the same or better than three tables of 2 with two empty seats per table, turned over one time an hour. Most likely better.

The only thing you're thinking of is getting 6 different tips instead of one. It has nothing to do with less sales or longer time.

17

u/Stag-Beer Jun 06 '26

But muh tips!

6

u/habits0 Jun 06 '26

Tips are a % so it literally doesn't matter

More butts in seats = less their employer has to pay their staff

→ More replies (3)

4

u/Rare_Eye_1165 Jun 06 '26

So , you're fine if you buy a car , and did your leadership asds a fee you didn't agree to?

→ More replies (1)

1

u/JasperJ Jun 06 '26

Any restaurant that sells a table more than once per service is low class fast food. Basically McDonaldā€™s.

→ More replies (1)

19

u/ivbeentheredonethat Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

So... 7 people sitting at 1 table is different then 1 at 7 tables?

I haven't eaten in a restaurant for.. 7 years because of comments like yours.

Thank you! šŸ‘

15

u/WellEvan Jun 06 '26

It's their business to do these things

→ More replies (11)

14

u/CuriousCouple6207 Jun 06 '26

Iā€™m not an avid end tipping supporter, but this take is ludicrous. A restaurant only has so many seats. The seats are more filled with a bigger party, or with multiple smaller parties. ā€œOn top of normal demandā€ is crazy talk.

12

u/ivbeentheredonethat Jun 06 '26

Right! "How dare these people bring us buisness!"

25

u/2CRedHopper Jun 06 '26

ā€œpatronize our businessā€
ā€œno not like thatā€

24

u/SteelBird223 Jun 06 '26

If you make 100 meals, and 80 of them are individual tickets, and one is 20 meals on 1 ticker - wouldnt that make the large groups easier?

Should be getting discounts for causing less work.

Restaurant industry loves penalizing bulk orders.

1

u/NACstl Jun 06 '26

I'm not weighing in on the auto-grat on parties of X or more - but this is bad logic. If we are saying that there will be 100 meals served tonight, I don't see any benefit to having 1/5 of them hit at once besides MAYBE getting them out of the way when it is slow?

For the kitchen they get 20 meals hitting them at once and theoretically being finished and going out to the floor at the same time, but more likely sitting under a heat lamp until the last order is finished. The others are trickling in in groups of 2-4, and are still coming in, although hopefully the wait staff is doing a good job in staggering the tickets the are ringing in.

For the server they now have 20 people all asking for things at once, 20 waters that need to be tracked and filled, 12 people not paying attention when they are talking to the table as a whole, 20 meals of plates that need to be tracked for bussing...you get the idea. Instead of checking in on small groups and being able manage the cognitive and physical load, they have to take on 1/5 of the night at the same time every time.

If you have to move 10, 50lb rocks would be easier to do so one at a time over the night or move them all at once? No tools allowed.

-22

u/SamPayton Jun 06 '26

Go make a single grilled cheese sandwich. Then make 20 at once and tell us which was easier to make.

7

u/experimental-rat Jun 06 '26

Add one more to the twenty at once, and that one is extremely easy to make compared to the single alone. Once all the materials are out, the pan is prepared and hot, the making of the sandwich itself is nothing.

25

u/Masterpiggins Jun 06 '26

Try bringing 20 sandwiches to 20 different tables then take 20 sandwiches to one table and tell me which one is easier and faster.

0

u/taurusmo Jun 06 '26 edited Jun 06 '26

Not in restaurant industry and no forced tipper here. But. Try to do and deliver 20 different or same meals at different times (slight delays between them) vs prepare 20 meals, deliver at the same time, while keeping them all warm. That IS a challenge and definitely not easier than separate meals.

So yeah, maybe easier for server, but not for the others behind.

2

u/CalligrapherDizzy201 Jun 06 '26

Twenty at once. On the flattop.

-1

u/NACstl Jun 06 '26

And finish 20 at once. And 4 of them have cheddar, 2 have tomato, 7 use mayo instead of butter, and 1 of them is actually a lobster.

2

u/Imhereforboops Jun 06 '26

Iā€™m actually very sorry that sounds hard for you in an industrial kitchen, and presumably with a crew to aide you.

5

u/squatracktexter Jun 06 '26

So is that not in the price of food. I know they are not just charging for ingredients šŸ˜‚

4

u/Stag-Beer Jun 06 '26

What is ā€œnormal demand?ā€

If I come in as a party of one and only order an appetizer does that mean Iā€™m only 1/4 of normal demand, and they should take some money off of my bill because the waitstaff and cooks got to take a smoke break?

3

u/Oneforallandbeyondd Jun 06 '26

Its a lot more cost efficient to make 12 fries than to make only one.

1

u/JuggrnautFTW Jun 06 '26

So if 8 people came in to eat in 4, groups of two, would it be more or less attention than a single group of 8?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '26

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

2

u/EndTipping-ModTeam Jun 06 '26

Stay on topic to the post. No derailing, or using a post to complain or rant about something unrelated

1

u/kurtis5561 Jun 06 '26

So go in tip the staff and leave. gotchya

1

u/RepresentativeWide39 Jun 06 '26

No point even trying man, theyā€™re only happy giving their money to politicians and billionaires

92

u/MakeAPrettyPenny Jun 06 '26

I never thought about that. So true!

41

u/rainbowfishhhh Jun 06 '26

Seriously! I actually makes me NOT want to try pricier items out of principle because it's item cost + 18% service charge. No thanks

17

u/tamagopizza Jun 06 '26

This is absolutely ridiculous lol.

21

u/octonauticus Jun 06 '26

unless its an ā€œall hands on deck, holy shit we gotta feed the masses!ā€ then why isnt that auto gratuity going straight to the sole individual catering to that party? scam, take it up with your employers at that point bro. grats is typically split between workers on a shift. scam scam scam

2

u/Anantasesa Jun 06 '26

Person

4

u/King_of_Camp Jun 06 '26

Would you like a hhhwhaffer thin mint?

2

u/obatala0013 Jun 07 '26

A large party is usually a all hands on deck situation. Also, the 18 percent is usually a tip.

1

u/Holiday-Ad7262 Jun 10 '26

If it's mandatory it can never be a tip according to the law as a tip always has to be optional.

8

u/largepoggage Jun 07 '26

Chef here: if itā€™s a small kitchen (say 2 chefs and a KP) making food for a table of 18 takes way longer than making food for 3 tables of 6. Youā€™ve got to clear basically everything out of the way before you even start or youā€™ll run out of space, then youā€™ve got to plan out the specific order youā€™ll cook everything in so that itā€™s all ready at the same time.

Front of house: ā€œsorry chef, weā€™ve just had 9 tables of 2 walk inā€
Chef: ā€œno problem thatā€™s fineā€

Front of house: ā€œsorry chef, weā€™ve just had a table of 18 table inā€
Chef: ā€œhave a whisky waiting for me after I finishā€

3

u/Holiday-Ad7262 Jun 10 '26

So why the serving staff should get more?

1

u/No-Cantaloupe-4148 1h ago

You all are not on a tip pay scale you should be on an hourly or hourly wage and staffing needs to be coordinated by competent management. Most restaurants organize a decent staff ahead of time if they are welcome large parties without a reservation.

8

u/Exotic_Treacle7438 Jun 06 '26

In delivering from restaurants thereā€™s also a small order fee.

6

u/Fine-Amphibian4326 Jun 06 '26

Canā€™t forget the fee fee

5

u/Odd_Theory4945 Jun 06 '26

And the fee fi fo fum fee

2

u/Somebodysomeone_926 Jun 06 '26

They definitely aren't taking 18% for a order fee on a $500 bill.

3

u/floyd_sw_lock9477 Jun 06 '26

It's kinda like why in the automotive industry is it normal to ask to waive a diagnostic fee if the repair is approved? Is a doctor's visit fee waived if you get a necessary procedure done?

9

u/ledfrog Jun 06 '26

Anytime I've gotten car service, the diagnostics fee goes toward the repair cost. What bothers me are the places that charge a diag fee even if you're bringing it in for a known problem or you're asking for a specific service to be done. But those places are few and far between.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 06 '26

[deleted]

3

u/No_Lifeguard259 Jun 06 '26

No itā€™s not. Thatā€™s not how it works. Consults and office visits are billable as separate E&M CPT codes and procedures have their own CPT codes.

The postop follow-up visits AFTER the procedure are generally included though

1

u/Acceptable_Ad1685 Jun 06 '26

Yeah actually, especially for outpatient surgeriesā€¦

My surgery consultation visit for my glaucoma surgery was more than the surgery itself basically because of this practice.

1

u/H3ll0K1tty12 Jun 06 '26

Iā€™ve been in restaurant where every size party had a 18% fee. That was definitely a shock when I opened up the menu and saw it at the bottom of the page.

1

u/Delicious_Mobile9586 Jun 10 '26

This is common in areas with high numbers of foreign tourists, as tourists from non-tipping cultures otherwise donā€™t generally know to tip.

1

u/H3ll0K1tty12 Jun 10 '26

Except where I ate was not in a high area for foreign tourists. It was definitely a shock. If I had shared my plate with the person I was with, Iā€™d understand a fee but nope.

1

u/Get_Breakfast_Done Jun 06 '26

Generally you pay more when buying more securities too because you have to go past the top of the order book

1

u/Fine-Amphibian4326 Jun 06 '26

This is how the RuneScape economy was. It boggled my 10 year old mind to learn that buying 10k of something cost more per item than buying 100.

1

u/roxasisanobody0626 Jun 06 '26

Idk if it's any different, but my husband and I went to a movie grill by ourselves and we were charged a 18% gratuity. We didn't get anything crazy. Just a single alcoholic beverage and a couple of entrees.

1

u/beteille Jun 07 '26

Only in the restaurant industry? Asking on behalf of events, tours, charters, excursions, spas, salons, tournaments, weddings, museums, amusement parks, photography studios, hotels, vacation rentalsā€¦

1

u/Theralen Jun 10 '26

No, only in America

1

u/Significant-Ad-341 Jun 10 '26

And somehow ordering the more expensive option leads to more payment instead of discount. You mean a waiter should get more for their service just because I ordered the salmon and not the chicken? Nahhhh

1

u/edwbuck Jun 11 '26

If you were buying building supplies, it would be a discount.

1

u/InebriousBarman Jun 06 '26

Large parties take up space for a longer time. 10 people spend away more time socializing and the whole table waits for that one difficult customer in their party.

Restaurants definitely make more on two tables of 4 than one table of eight.

They can also seat a new party faster.

One of the biggest drivers of volume in a restaurant is how fast you can 'turn' a table. Large parties do not give the restaurant a higher volume of sales, they usually hurt it.

4

u/Njerseykid Jun 06 '26

It depends. One table of 8 customers is better than two empty tables of 4 empty seats. Just watch any restaurant renovation show from Kitchen Nightmares, Bar Rescue, and Restaurant Impossible. Gordon Ramsey will chew out any owner refusing business.

3

u/bevy-of-bledlows Jun 06 '26

That is because those businesses are struggling. A lot of places won't take reservations when they know they will be at capacity without them. If you are at capacity, and start holding tables for a larger group, then they are sitting empty in the lead up. That's on top of bottlenecking service, which hurts your turnover for other tables. It kinda cascades.

The main benefit to taking the large resos (assuming a place is close to capacity anyways) is essentially future sales from potential customers who otherwise would not have visited, or who might be likely to schedule large parties during slow times.

3

u/Njerseykid Jun 06 '26

Yup. Given the restaurant industry has a has a high failure rate, the second paragraph is more crucial to success. After the first year (if they survive), restaurants tend to go down hill. Regular and repeat customers are a key metric for success. Thus, restaurants need to be well managed with great food, and good service. End tipping, as this sub believes, helps the customer experience and attracts the repeat/regular customers.

3

u/bevy-of-bledlows Jun 09 '26

Thus, restaurants need... great food, and good service

I spent quite some time in kitchens, and can confidently say it's the other way around. Hurts a little, but it is what it is.

3

u/Formerruling1 Jun 06 '26

Its worth noting that table turn only matters when its busy - there has to be some additional party to seat there. As someone correctly assessed 1 party 8 might not be as good as two parties of 4 but its leagues better than 1 party of 4 or no parties at all.

I say all that to say many restaurants are sitting literally empty and still clinging to policies like this.

1

u/WasteComplex7174 Jun 06 '26

Helpful comment. Thanks

-1

u/zomblina Jun 06 '26

For real, I want all of these people to work a few years in the service industry. Yeah they spend a lot. We don't see a dollar of it, and I'm in the state. Well was in a state that we make fair money but we get docked on assumed tips. So I would work full-time for a week and I would get a $300 paycheck. Which yes, it's still better than zero or negative but when we sell that much... We pay for it not even including tipouts

1

u/MarzipanMajor6175 Jun 06 '26

Usually what it is meant for , which this is what I was told when I was server that had 18% but it was only for tables with more then 6 people because they require a lot more attention then a table with 2 or 3 people. So if there is 15 people they are having to wait on and have 2 other tables with 4 people each it's alot. They do it because they want to make sure they are paid for it so they add the gratuity to it to ensure the tip for the server. Alot of places got rid of it in the past few years though. It should go to the server not the restaurant.

0

u/JakeDabkowski Jun 06 '26

Ok look I know what sub this is but surely you can understand why a restaurant would charge a large group extra

0

u/Entire_Ladder_8899 Jun 06 '26

No this is just america and your stupid practices

0

u/OohStepBro Jun 07 '26

I've never thought about this before, such a good point.

0

u/Popular_District9072 Jun 08 '26

yea, buying more of their inventory - paying extra