Mzansi debates restaurants adding an automatic service charge
Does this irritate you or is this a good idea?
You may have dined at a restaurant and come time for the bill, there's an additional service charge.
A service charge is an extra charge added to the bill for serving customers in a restaurant. This charge is a set amount of 10-15%.
Service charges are imposed by restaurants on the customers as per their discretion. This is an aid to ensure their wait staff get tipped a fair amount on a large bill, make the paying process more seamless, and ensure that staff make enough money due to a low basic salary.
Stacey Norman shares that many restaurants she has frequented have disclosed of this standard fee before you even order.
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Something important to note is that for the majority of restaurants who charge a service fee, they allow you to take it off as per your request. These charges are normally split between all the staff and do not just go to the waiter.
A tip can be added on top of a service charge.
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One Quora user says: "Service charge is just another word for automatic gratuity typically charged to larger parties. This is in place to protect the server from getting "stiffed" on large tabs, which could ruin a servers night."
Another East Coaster says: "I was once out with friends and ordered a single bottle of alcohol. I asked the waiter to bring the bill for this bottle separately so it did not get split with the table. Upon receiving this bill for the single bottle, I was charged a service charge of 15% (this is not a standard at the restaurant we went to). My friends were not happy about this as we planned to leave the waiter a huge tip and it felt sneaky when all he did was grab a bottle from the bar and place it on the table. Needless to say the waiter added the service charge to the large bill."
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Here are some other reactions to how people all over the world feel about service charges:
@emmaflicc_ #stitch with @Georgia Deller normalise not paying service charge! Here’s a story where the Ivy nearly killed my friend and still tried to charge us for the experience! #servicecharge #tip #server #theivy ♬ original sound - emmaflicc_
@madamejoyce Is your babes shamelessly removing the service charge? 💳 @VICTOR KUNDA #madamejoyce #nigeriancomedy #foryoupage #fypシ ♬ 22 - JayO
@sugarrushlondon say yes to service charge #servicecharge #support #sugarrush #london #uk ♬ original sound - gracie
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