“If it's optional, you don't want to be the person who says, 'I don't want to pay this,' because then you look stupid.”
BUFFALO, N.Y. — I've seen tip fees added to restaurant bills for large parties.
However, a new fee is creeping into the restaurant industry: the so-called kitchen appreciation fee. Although voluntary, customers feel ambushed.
Matthew Mancini is one of them. “A, what is this? B, do I have to pay for this?” he said.
Mancini said he understands why the fee is being added and will pay it.
“If that's an option, you don't want to be the guy who says, 'I don't want to pay this,' because that makes you look like an asshole,” Mancini said.
Melissa Freichut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association, said the fee is only seen in Western New York and averages about 3%.
“This is going to help increase wages for kitchen staff,” Fleischat said. “Consumers are becoming increasingly price-conscious and opposed to price increases. [really] They stop selling because they are afraid the price will rise too much. ”
In closing, Freischute said customers need to be warned. In any case, customers say it's not about the reason for the price, but how they perceive it when they see the price.
In South Buffalo, Steve Marchioine owns Casa Di Francesca's.
“I often hear people in the kitchen say, 'I made those chips,'” Marchionne says.
He doesn't have money for a kitchen. He understands why restaurants have it. he doesn't agree with that.
“It should be something more spontaneous, not something [that’s] Submit the bill,” Marchionne said.
We have contacted the restaurant regarding the price and are awaiting a response.
Overall, Mancini said, “I want prices to go up. People don't accept that the price of a product goes up because they don't question it. They say, 'Oh, prices go up, that's good. 'But what if, there's a section called tip, which makes some people uncomfortable.'
