Florida woman issues warning to customers who pay on Toast tablets at restaurants like Chipotle after what happened to her: ‘They added an extra $30’
Noticing that your restaurant bills are higher than usual?
For the most part, this is just because everything is more expensive now. While officials insist inflation numbers are low, shoppers aren’t seeing it. In fact, many find that getting even basic staples puts one at risk of breaking the bank.
But could there be another reason why your restaurant bills are increasing? One user on TikTok has a theory.
What Should Diners Look Out For?
In her video, TikTok user Lisa (@lisalollirock) warns viewers about an issue she says she’s been noticing at restaurants.
“Make sure you check your receipts,” she states. The reason? Lisa says she recently discovered “four different times that I have almost been scammed on my receipt when dining out.”
According to Lisa, this happens because many restaurants use digital POS systems, like Toast. These tend to skip over the receipt and go directly to the customer payment portal. While this makes things faster, it also makes errors more difficult to spot.
“I have had to go back to double-check every single item on the receipt that we ordered,” Lisa says. “I have found twice that an incorrect appetizer or an incorrect drink was added to our bill.”
She then provides specific examples.
“I’ve seen on my receipt at Chipotle that they charged me extra for added protein when I didn’t ask for that,” Lisa states. “Last night, when I went out to drinks with my friends, when they brought over the bill, we saw that they added an extra $30 to the bill. So, we had to ask the waitress, ‘Why is it so much extra on here?’ And then she admitted that there was a mistake and brought it back with the correct version.”
Is This Getting More Common with Toast tablets?
Lisa states that this has occurred several times in her recent memory. Given this, it could be a sign that these sorts of sneaky additions are becoming more common.
“There has been an uptick, I feel like, in people getting scammed by not looking at their total,” she says. “So make sure you’re doing a deep dive. Especially when they bring the Toast tab over to you and they just click ahead to the tip section.”
She continues by noting that one should be vigilant about automatic tip suggestions, as they can be significantly higher than one might expect.
In an email, Lisa said this has happened to her “at both quick service restaurants and full service sit-down restaurants and bars.”
“I don’t know if there’s anything else to be done besides double-checking the receipt,” she added.
Do Others Have Similar Stories?
There’s no concrete data that shows whether diners are finding more errors on their receipts that lead to bigger charges.
However, some recent stories suggest that, at the very least, diners should be more diligent in reading their receipts.
For example, diners at restaurants with Ziosk systems claim that they’ve been repeatedly and fraudulently charged “entertainment fees” for games they did not play. Typically, these fees are removed after talking to a server.
Numerous other internet users have also noted shady practices when it comes to tipping. Not only are customers expected to tip more and more often than ever, but some have even spotted restaurants providing incorrect tip suggestions, which tend to overcharge the customer.
Still, it should be noted that no study or survey indicates overcharging, intentional or otherwise, is a growing problem.
@lisalollirock no bc why have I been scammed so much lately ? #restaurants #scam #scammed #diningout #restaurant ♬ original sound – ??????❄️
Commenters Have Similar Stories
In the comments section, many users said they had experienced something similar.
“Yesss i used to think that my dad was crazy looking at every receipt and double checking everything but now i understand,” wrote a user. “Bruh they really be scamming us.”
“Wait this happened to me recently,” claimed another. “I asked for the receipt because it was me and a friend but I usually just give my card to the waiter but I noticed they charged me for the most expensive wine and appetizer I didn’t order.”
“This happened to my husband and I forever ago,” alleged a third. “The waiter was adding stuff then removing after we signed so it was an added tip.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Toast via email.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
