DASM: Restaurant Surcharges for No Damn Reason

DASM: Restaurant Surcharges for No Damn Reason

A friend took me to dinner last night in San Diego to Herb and Wood, a very trendy restaurant (and, as is the norm today, so loud that you can’t hear yourself think). I noticed on the bottom of the menu, in small print, that “a 3% surcharge is applied to every meal.” I asked the server what that represented. He said, “Oh, it doesn’t go to us, it’s simply a surcharge for the owners.”

“In other words,” I said, “it’s a price increase not represented on the menu items.”

“I guess,” he said.

I’m not going back. If your food and service are of that high a value, then add the buck or two to the price list. But to “sneak” it in with no justification is simply a subtle kind of theft. Dumb ass, stupid management.