Angry diner slams Earls Kitchen + Bar in Denver after noticing an additional charge had been snuck onto their bill, ‘No tip for you!’
The patron questioned what the additional charge was for
A Denver diner has called out Earls Kitchen + Bar after they received an unexpected additional fee on their bill. The individual took to Reddit where they questioned a 3% admin fee that had been added to the overall cost.
The patron posted a photograph of their receipt online. It showed that they had ordered a single deluxe burger along with a side of truffle fries. The meal itself came to a total of $27.75 with the standard state tax and city tax also added on to the bill and bringing the price up more. However, an additional charge of 3% ($0.83) was billed as an “admin fee,” bringing the total cost for the meal up to $30.86 before any tip was considered.
“What the hell is even an “Admin Fee”?” The patron asked online. “Can a guy even enjoy a burger without being harassed and extorted in this God-foresaken place?” they said, before adding that they didn’t intend to tip for their meal. “No tip for you!” They wrote.
Restaurants and additional fees
The post sparked a discussion on additional fees added to bills by restaurants in the US. Admin fees are sometimes used interchangeably with service fees in restaurants to mean a mandatory additional charge that diners must pay. However, admin fees do differ from service charges.
According to MyShyft.com, an administrative fee is commonly used by business to cover the cost of “managing paperwork, legal obligations, administrative tasks, and more.” It can also be used to cover the cost of processing credit cards. Such fees are often used by rental agencies, consultancy firms, healthcare providers, and more.
However, diners have started to notice admin fees appearing on their restaurant bills too. Last month, another diner took to Reddit to question a 5% admin fee they noticed had been added on to their bill at an LA restaurant. The admin fee was allegedly added on top of a mandatory gratuity of 20%. Gratuity charges are typically applied to large groups in restaurants and are considered to be different from voluntary tips.
Additional charges added to a restaurant bill have allegedly caused confusion among US diners, according to an article from The Guardian. Diners have claimed that the extra charges are driving up the cost of eating. Many of the additional fees, such as the service charge, admin fees, and tax, can drive up the price of a meal significantly before the diner has even considered paying a tip to the server.
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