Until recently, many restaurants asked and required staff to tip. Now they are adding a new fee to the bill, which sounds very strange. Canadian Marina Rudan, who goes by @marinaa.rudan on TikTok, shared a video explaining how restaurants charged kitchen service fees. She asked, “Have you ever heard of a kitchen service fee?'' Ms. Rudan said as she began the video. To avoid confusion, she asked her server if he could explain the kitchen charges.
“She said the owner decided that the kitchen staff should be paid more, and a kitchen service charge was automatically added to the bill,” the woman said. So she continued her conversation with the server and she asked if she had to tip out the back of the house even if she received a tip, to which she replied “yes”. “So not only do we tip them 18 to 20 percent, but they automatically get a service charge on the back of the house,” Rudan said.
Mr. Loudan was very angry that restaurants were charging customers money they didn't ask for. “You’re adding automatic charges and you don’t even let us know,” the woman said. She said, “If owners want their kitchen staff to earn more, shouldn't they pay them more per hour instead of charging us a fee? Or maybe they want to add an optional kitchen service fee? “Maybe I should ask,” he concluded. Eventually, Rudan asked people if they would like to pay a kitchen service charge.
Those who commented said they would not pay the new fees. @blondie01010 commented, “I wouldn't pay. They already get a portion of the tip. For the backstage staff, it's double his tip.” @beneficiascriminal wrote: “Employees make above minimum wage in Europe, but here they overpay for crappy meals and then overpay and then pay their workers.” @jackiejoseph1996 said, “No, I don't. I agree there should be an option to add that fee. Yes, it was shady. I will be more careful with my bills from now on.” Told. @j1234567891011125 said, “I decided it's better to eat at home. I make better food anyway.”
In another story, a woman (@poorandhungry) shared a video in which she made it clear to her server that she didn't tip. They said, “Sure, we can accommodate you. Please save your water, but please come back to the host stand in about 15 minutes and we will place your to-go order.” She then demanded that the woman be kicked out of the restaurant for not paying her tip. The server told her that her tip was a service charge for having her sit in the dining area and serve her.
The fact that she's not going to tip means she doesn't care about the service and can pick up a take-out order. The woman said she found the behavior “disgusting and appalling”, to which the waiter told her “people are waiting 45 minutes for table service to get to the dining area”. So even if someone doesn't want to pay the same price, they will still be given food through a takeaway order.
For more fashion and travel content, follow Marina Rudan (@marinaa.rudan) on TikTok.
