Quote“We’re saying, just be up front with people. Don’t be deceptive. If the steak is $50, say it’s $50, don’t say it’s $50 plus 3 percent. Otherwise, they find out at the end of the meal that the steak is really $51.50. They shouldn’t have to sit there and figure out how much it costs.”
If I'm going to be angry about paying $51.50 for a steak, it's not the 1.50 part that's going to inspire the rage.
On the one hand, why not just build it into the menu price? On the other hand, I looked at the online menu for Sammy's Woodfired Pizza and Grill and disclaimers are clearly visible on their 'select location' page as well as at the top of the menu itself. This isn't fraud. What about something on the menu that says 'a 15% gratuity will be added to orders of 8 or more'? I see that all the time.
It looks like some restaurants want to say "Here's your share of the fallout from the new minimum wage law (which we [ahem] support entirely)." While the other side is either trying to suppress that message, or, um what? Trying to protect their rather dimwitted $50 steak consumers?
C'mon man, a surcharge may not be very consumer friendly, but do we need to get the courts involved?
[edit]And, BTW, if I pay a $1.50 surcharge, should I subtract that from the tip?
