I don’t know if you have yet noticed, but “sneaky fees” have landed and are rapidly spreading, appearing in nearly every restaurant located in our area. Unless we loudly voice our opposition, this deceitful practice will soon become “un fait accompli”.
Once, a 15% restaurant tip was customary, but now it’s often pushed to 22% or even 25% if one isn’t vigilant. Adding insult to injury, restaurants now tack on various “sneaky fees” to their bills, disguising them as “appreciation,” “supplemental fees,” or even “taxes.” It’s a sly and underhanded tactic to boost their profits.
I find this practice not only outrageous but also on the brink of illegality.
While the affluents may continue to make merry, many of us are beginning to feel the financial strain. These “fees” feel like persistent mosquito bites every time the restaurant bill lands on your table.
If restaurants need to make more money, let them openly increase the fares on their menu and not ape “third countries” practices. (In modern terms, these countries would be less developed or still developing countries, or nations without stable governments or ways of life.”
America no longer embodies the mythical Land of Cockaigne; now, the Statue of Liberty is holding a sign reading “closed.” It no longer welcomes “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” … unless you are willing to “donate” some “hospitality fee”.
To me, this practice is akin to inviting some friends for dinner, and when presenting the Tiramisu, tacking some “appreciation fee” to the invitation for contributing to the welfare of our establishment.
Miss Manners strongly disapproves of this low-class ploy.
Alain