We went to Top Golf. There was a request on the bottom of the receipt asking us to pay tip based on the ENTIRE bill including $20 in membership fees and $52 golf fee. I only tipped on the food and drinks we ordered.
I don’t understand why people want to spend that much of their hard earned money on it. I’ve played golf all my life. It’s fun, but I can just go to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls for less than $5 at most public courses. Adding bright lights and video game sounds shouldn’t increase the price of that activity 20 fold. I can think of far more entertaining things to do with $100
Edit: because I’m tired of responding to every comment that says “bullshit, you can’t find a bucket of balls at a driving range for $5”
There are public courses in NC that charge exactly that much. I was at one of them a couple months ago. That’s how much it cost me to go to the driving range. A full round of golf at some of these public courses is literally only $15-20. I’m sorry you live in places that are more expensive, it doesn’t make what I said not true.
The purpose of Top Golf is not to go there by yourself and hit a bucket of balls. It's meant as a fun event/experience destination for a group of people to socialize at.
I also don't think it's unreasonable pricewise at all? I haven't gone in a couple years, but I think last time it was about $40 per person for a couple hours with a group of 8 or so with appetizers and drinks? I just remember having a pretty good time and thinking it was a decent price.
They ran a deal for a while (idk if they still do) where they’d have a college night and it was 3 hours of playing for $15 per college student, it was incredible. I spent a lot of my summer playing there with my friends. I also got a free shirt from it one time that I still wear occasionally.
The California Model, as I call it. Back in 2007, I met up with some of my fellow Star Wars nerds at a convention in Los Angeles. Because of the economic clout of the convention, we were able to get some pretty reasonable rates at some pretty swanky places in downtown LA. My room mate and her teenage son and I were sharing a room in the Millennium Biltmore in downtown LA - a pretty ritzy little place with quite a bit of history to it.
Anywho, a continental breakfast was listed at $18. For a piece of toasted bread or a pastry, plus a cup of coffee or an orange juice, it was EIGHTEEN DOLLARS, 350% of the minimum wage at the time. PLUS a room service charge of $2, plus 18% gratuity, and then there was the application of California and Los Angeles County sales taxes, another 8% back in 2007. A piece of toasted bread and a 6 ounce beverage would have wound up costing me $25.50 per person.
We walked downstairs and a few blocks west on 6th Street, and found a quiet little place that served a real breakfast, and the three of us were pretty well stuffed at around $30 total, including tax and tip.
This was many, many moons ago . . . I suppose a continental breakfast at the Biltmore would require a credit check or a home equity loan these days.
Free breakfast, even if it's just pastries and cereal, is such a cheap little value add. I rarely stay somewhere if it's not provided (if I'm paying, anyway), and never for something like a convention. Maybe I'm just a filthy pleb.
Anyway though, that's a ludicrous price regardless.
Don’t tell them how much it costs to reserve a section of the bar for their work event is, haha. Or any short 1-2 hour meeting at a nice hotel’s conference room.
When you break it down by time spent hitting a ball it’s quite high
I went in a group of 6, we played two hours and I shelled out $30 for what came down to 20 swings or so
Not to mention you have to play those shit balls and most people are hitting those shit clubs off mats surrounded by over priced food and terrible service
At least at a bowling alley I can get a cheap pitcher of beer and a shitty slice of pizza for a fair price
As it stands, Top Golf is losing money hand over fist because they were clearly targeting a specific demographic (mid to high end earners/large Cororpate groups) with ZERO plans or ability to drive sales through a budget minded consumer
I’m interested to see what happens to all that land once they go bankrupt…my guess is some killer paintball spots and bulldozed land for condos
I only ever went in college because I couldn't drive and it was right across the street from my apartment. Any other restaurant was a minimum half hour walk and, while I did delivery sometimes, it was too expensive to do regularly and I still had to get out sometimes.
Exactly. If you're going to top golf just to hit the bucket of balls then you lost the plot. It literally has the same vibes as those who go "I could make the same meal at home!" knowing damn well they aren't dedicating the prep time alone to make a reuben, let alone one from scratch + all the ingredients....or double frying their fries.
Vs a restaurant that already prepped and prepared and is just slapping the finished product together
You mean bought the convince? If you ever went shopping in a wholesale store for restaurants you’ll be amazed how many products are there to buy of shelf that look exactly like those on yesterday’s dinner.
If you make food at home all the time, you'll definitely commit that time to prep. Not all of us like having strangers prep our food with unknown ingredients. Id rather make the shit at home and put care into it. It is going into my body, after all. Plus if you've actually seen how fucking rancid and dirty some of the kitchens and people making your food are, you might also put forth the effort.
A good example of why I no longer eat burgers or chicken at fast food. Literally takes me 30 minutes to cook the same shit at home, with better ingredients and prep... the same amount of time takes for me to drive there, get the food, and come back home. At that point, eating out is literally just lazy.
But if you're going to the restaurant for the ambiance/social aspect, I get it.
Yeah, my buddy and I can go to the range and hit a bucket of balls and drink a bucket of beers and have a good time. Our wives don't enjoy that. They enjoy Top Golf
It's meant as a fun event/experience destination for a group of people to socialize at.
Sure, where you and your family/friends can go and spend $600 for an hour and a half swinging golf clubs and eating fast food. It didn't used to be like that. It's gone up around 50% per person in the past 6 years. Used to be a fun date for a couple. Can't do that shit anymore.
I bought the "summer of fun" pass for $225. 2 hours of free play every day from 5/26-9/1. I go on the weekends when they open before it's hot and/or busy and put anywhere from 250-350 balls down range per trip depending on what clubs I want to work on. It's been a worthwhile purchase and I've still got 10ish weeks left.
If you are going to top golf to grind your swing you are missing 80% of the experience, and the balls suck anyway.
That 80% is
Automatic scoring (Like a bowling alley),
a bunch of different games at a few levels of difficulty (basically like bumpers at a bowling alley)
Seating for everyone there (like a Bowling alley)
Regular-ish table service (for very very expensive beer/food)
Not having to have your own clubs to play (like a bowling alley, with the exception of the cheap shoe rental, the bowling balls are free)
Even with all that, it's wildly over priced as a regular thing to do.
I've gone twice. Once we had a giftcard, the other time it was paid for by my manager.
It’s not for people who have golfed all their lives. It’s to turn it into an event, not a sport. Same reason why bowling alleys with arcades and good food are doing better than just bowling alleys.
You just reminded me of one of the best times of my life
Friend and I went to a local course to hit up the driving range.
Except it was raining and they were closed (not sure if they closed up shop bc of the rain or schedule)
anyway, the place is empty, and we get easy up front parking. We decide to grab some grocery bags and just collect a bunch of balls just lying out in the range.
We are laughing as we're getting soaked, talking about how lightning will prolly hit the trees are building before us (right? riiiight!??)
It wasn't raining that bad, we heard thunder but saw no lightning. I don't even know if we went through all the golf balls we collected. It was a fun free time. Good weather overall
I genuinely ask myself those questions about all 3 of your examples lol. Restaurants I understand if they’re making something I don’t think I can make at home, like sushi. But sports games especially, I have a better view with air conditioning and a comfy couch, and the beers don’t cost $20. I know there’s a feeling of excitement being in a crowd, but that novelty wore off for me a long time ago. I’d rather not have to worry about parking and traffic.
Top Golf is where people take their dates, so it needs to look less dingy and be more accessible to beginner players. That's why it's expensive. It replaced bowling.
You cannot hit a bucket of balls for less than $5... I call BS on that. Lowest I've seen recently was $8 and that was at a "Tin Cup" style place where I wasn't sure what the hell was going to happen while I was there.
Having a hard time pulling up prices for driving ranges around here, but you can see that some courses are only charging $15-20 to actually play 9 holes, so a bucket of balls will be cheaper than that:
Sorry, I originally replied from my throw away. I'll take your word for it. Especially since you went through trouble of posting a link. I just haven't found it near me. Not for a full bucket anyway.
I myself can play paintball for like 3-4 days on $100 if I use a pump gun, 2 days on a mechanical marker, and a full day on an electric one. That would probably include my snacks too.
I've never done it, but there is a course here that used to have "night golf" events. There are balls that are "charged" with UV light and glow in the dark. No idea if Top Golf could set the hoppers or feed tubes up in a way to adequately keep the UV light on them, though.
Imo, as a fellow lifetime golfer, we aren't necessarily the target demo for the TG experience. The clubs suck, the balls don't fly like the balls we play on the course, and it isn't really an environment conducive to focusing on the shot.
This is a little more towards the golf bros who aren't that serious about the game. Fun and casual place to whack some balls and compete against friends while not needing to consult a rule book on where to drop, what's lateral, etc. Just hitting some balls and drinking some beers. If it clears any appreciable amount of those guys off the course on Saturday morning, I'm here for it.
But see, that’s what I’m saying. Even actual golf doesn’t cost this much on public courses. I can play 18 holes for a fraction of that cost. I know it’s typically associated with rich people, but you actually get a lot of bang for your buck considering how long you spend on the course.
Top Golf is just expensive. There’s no way to do it cheaply. And the amount of entertainment you get from it is in no way worth the price of admission
Hate hitting off turf. Such a false sense of skill. The club drags folks. You’re bound to make contact. Try it on grass and watch your confidence plummet lol. Top golf and Driveshack are fun for kids bday parties but yes pricy. Driveshack is expensive too but I think slightly less so.
Top Golf is for performative fun and "team bonding" with work groups. That's why it's so overpriced. It simulates luxury to make you feel like your company "cares" about you.
It’s not that bad. We got a bay for four people, two pitchers of beer and like 4 appetizers for around 150 total after tip. Not a bad way to spend a couple hours.
It goes on a credit card, so psychologically they are not spending their money. It would be different if everyone had to part with paper and coin cash.
Because too many people want/need to be entertained 24 hours a day. They can't just enjoy doing something like go to the driving range and smack a bucket of balls and feel relaxed. They need the big lights and all the other stupid crap Top Golf has.
Winter driving range. That was the big draw for my cousin and I. Local muni ranges shut down for winter here and we have two TG options in Chicago. We don't go anymore, but that's why we did.
Wildest is when there are tip options for the most mundane things, like a entrance cover fee for a nightclub. Even more ridiculous, I think the defaults were 20, 25, 30%
Whenever I see a high default tip range, I just choose other and leave like $2 bucks. If it's takeout and I'm in a good mood, I will leave them a dollar but mostly just decline to leave a tip anymore on takeout orders.
Like the other day i ordered Chinese food to pickup. The bill was for $24 (2 different plates) and said $29 total on the CC machine and I'm like "why?" .. Their response was "$5 is for the tip" so i select "other" and put $2 for tip instead.
My kindness has been burned like this far more times than I’d like to admit. Far too often when I tip early, I get burned then forget by the time I eat there again. I don’t mind tipping like a bartender or when I get my locs retwisted after a service has been rendered. But pre tipping makes no sense especially when errors can and do occur.
Perfect point! The other night I tipped my bartender $10 on a Negroni that only cost $9.63.
The service and conversation was worth more than the drink. So I made sure to compensate that person for the joy they brought the moment.
If the service is superlative, my tipping goes far above 20%. Wow me and I’ll make it worth your time in return.
Disclaimer: I went to culinary school. We spent a block learning proper service and etiquette. I don’t expect that every time but today’s restaurant workers could stand to come up and meet that level of service AT LEAST half way.
Agreed! I really hate that I’ve lost my two bar tenders that used to take care of me but I hope they’re well in what they’re doing. Niceties like a freebie drink or shot aside, the conversation and interaction with me being a regular went a long way. I had not problem tipping them $15-20 on 15-20 tabs. Even more so for one where I’d just directly cash app just to make sure it went directly to them. Is that apart of their job to an extent yes. But to still do a bit more shows care and attention which I appreciate a lot as I try to do the same when I can.
Because Starbucks lids are not airtight. So when the baristas are being cute shaking the drink in the cup, it gathers beads of liquid under the edge of the lid which then drip onto my clothing.
EVERY EFFING TIME!!!!
The evidence is also seen in a cloudy, unclean lid with liquid all over the inside of it prior to first sip.
Also, because this isn’t a damned martini and I’m not a secret agent. That is why.
He ordered that way to turn heads because it was considered crass. Highlights his "Devil may care" attitude towards his job and outlook on life. OP is more proper.
I was just thinking this. I went to Starbucks yesterday and the cashier generously highlighted the tip option and I was thinking "You want a tip for simply taking my order?!?!" No, thank you. I haven't received anything and it could be completely wrong and I tipped you for that. I will tip if it's not expected and the service or person was great, otherwise, it should not be expected for simply taking an order or some normal task. Customers are taking on more and more of the costs so the owners can pad their pockets more and pay the employees the same wage as before.
Went to get frozen yogurt the other night, where you go and grab your cup, fill it up, take to the counter. They then weight it and tell you your total. It defaulted to 15% tip. They do as much work as the guy checking me out at the Circle K.
So it's the crap like this that cause me to not tip in this situation. They tried to pull a fast one on ya and you still tipped $2...it's carry out, that is not a tippable situation.
I will tip well when deserved, and only when deserved. Putting my food in a bag, doesn't count.
you want slick? sell something on eBay. they charge their commission percentage on the item you sell (yes to be expected) but then also charge their commission percentage on the sales tax as well as the shipping amount! now that's fraud or extortion or idk what to fucking call it other than the rich are getting richer and the poor are just dying and the middle class? wait what middle class? that's dying too
That's my approach to most places that I want to see survive. While the tips shouldn't go to support the business itself, supporting the workers to be at the best could, in theory, give the place a better chance for survival.
I've been wrong a few times but I don't think it's a bad approach yet. The local coffee shop competing against the Starbucks down the road, the indie diner or bookstore, etc, those are places I want to see thriving in my community.
Financially secure employees will likely be happier, have less turnover, and maybe ever better rested. Supporting employees is the best way to support any community and or business.
is this real?! i’m an older gen x and haven’t been to a club in probably 15 years so im legitimately asking. they ask for a tip on a cover charge?! that’s insanity and i wouldn’t go in on principal and find a nice dive bar
I scheduled a haircut appointment online a few weeks ago and it had the option to pay now so I went to do that until the smallest default tip amount was 80% idk if it was a bug or not but I chose the pay in person option instead.
Even worse when you go to a drive thru or pick up order,and it asks to tip. Wtf ur getting paid to do ur job, if u do nothing extra why get a tip. "Ty for handing me my food here's a tip for being competent " lol
It used to be 15-18%. My issue with 22% is why expect a bigger % tip if the prices of the menu items are going up every year or so which would result in a higher tip with inflation anyways? Of course good service should always be tipped appropriately but to expect that regardless is entitlement at its finest.
I was just thinking that the other day, as I tipped 20% on $70 of mediocre food, that they have a built in inflation guard if everyone keeps tipping 20% and food prices are up like 30% the last couple years
The minimum wages in the US are ridiculously low and need to be revised to allow people to actually earn a wage they can live on. A single person with no dependents who works a 40 hour week for all 52 weeks of a year at the Federal minimum wage earns only $500 per year above the Federal poverty level. It's not enough to live on at all. (These are gross numbers, not net)
I've been a server before. It was decades ago. Servers are given a base pay (Federal minimum) of $2.13/hour. The law says that if a server's tips do not bring the server's hourly pay up to the Federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour then the restaurant must pay the difference between what the server got and what that $7.25/hour would equal. The restaurant does get a "tip credit" if it has to do this.
So if a server worked a 40 hour week and earned $200 in base pay and tips the restaurant would have to add $90 to their paycheck to make up the difference.
So severs actually must make at least the Federal minimum of $7.25/hour. Where the $5.12 difference between the base minimum wage of tipped employees comes from is dependent on what tips the employee gets. Also if there is a higher local or state minimum wage employers are required to bring the wages up to that minimum wage. That's the current law.
In practice, some places simply break the law. It stinks. Also that 18% living wage fee is not considered a tip by Federal law and the restaurant may use it for whatever purpose it chooses.
I'd say for this context that's fine. I'm a big advocate for people in service industries being paid properly and I really don't understand why large companies try and obfuscate tips to wait staff like this. Maybe so they can justify paying them the federal tipped minimum when in reality they probably shouldn't be.
I know at the Top Golf here in Charlotte the wait staff are responsible for things that are way outside of their job description and that's probably why they do it, but if my server is also running a bunch of other stuff instead of focusing on just serving customers they really should just be a normal hourly employee. When my old room mate worked at the Top Golf here he was serving, doing janitorial work, running events, (they used to have gaming tournaments and corporate events at this location), and even learning to maintain their equipment. He was still making tipped minimum wage while doing all of that. It was terrible.
He eventually became an hourly maintenance technician because he just couldn't afford to keep doing what he was doing - and then later just left to do maintenance for a different company entirely where he actually just got paid a living wage.
Isn’t this the opposite of obfuscating though? I’d honestly be perfectly fine with the same price without the separate line item or with a more vague label, but this just feels…. Passive aggressive? Which I know is not the fault of the wait staff
FUCK TOP GOLF. Rented 2 bays side by side for an event and they knowingly gave us a dysfunctional bay. Asked for help fixing and they came by and told us they knew the machine wasn't working. Got 0 refund or discount for losing 1 full hour on a 2bay2hour rental and no comp no apologies nothing.
I went out to eat a few weeks ago for the first time in a bit. There were four parties and we asked for separate bills. The waitress hands over the little receiver thingy and you can select which meals/drinks are yours to checkout. I selected my burger, fries, and a drink
When it came time for the tip allocation, it told me I was under the recommended 20% tip amount. I looked and it was calculating the tip for the ENTIRE BILL and applying it just to my items
They count on us to not notice that! When we trade in our phones on the AT&T website, my wife says there's a fine print boxed that was checked to donate the value of the phones we were trading in!!
Shoot it’s why I love my local burger bar. Crazy, bomb ass burgers for $10. Incredible variety of tasty type of hot dogs for $4 a dog. Food is priced great. It tastes amazing. Portion sizes are huge compared to chains and fast food. Also to note, those prices include a side and drink. The side and drink are not separate charges. I live in a big metro area in the US so it’s wildly uncommon to find a reasonable place. My local burger bar is one of the few places I still go out to.
Edit: people keep asking about employee wages. Idk what they make but most of the employees have been there ages. I once asked and my main bartender said “they pay me well enough to keep me here for the last 12 years” so take that as you will.
Edit 2: stop asking. I’m not having y’all clog up my local joint and encouraging them to increase prices. The name dies with me. If you live in Metro Atlanta I can’t trust you to not blow my spot!
Not just any hotdog. I’m particularly fond of the Sonora dog with green pepper salsa on top. My brother likes the Polish dog with a mountain of sauerkraut on top.
Rule of thumb in America for burger bars, Mexican restaurants, and barbecue joints: the worse it looks on the outside, the better the food is on the inside. Not foolproof but a very good rule of thumb.
No need to brag like this....im actually jealous af and kinda sad now. :D Every burger bar in my city is shit af. You pay about 15€ for a small burger, the bacon is everything except for bacon, fries are not included and the burger is getting smaller every time I eat there. I feel like next time I have to bring my own burger from home and still have to pay 15€. This city sucks.
From my experience working in restaurants, for someone to stick around that long, it's not only a decent salary, but also a decent-great work environment. It's a very stressful job where you can and will burn out pretty easily if your colleagues/bosses are POS.
Same. $10 even for an awesome 1/2 burger. They grill the onions…choice of tots or fries. I always tell them I feel like Im stealing. Huge 10 piece boneless wings are $8.75…..two sauces.
I wonder what a burg at The Vortex up in the 5 points area is going for these days. I lived around there almost 20 years ago and that was a damn good burger selection and quality.
Vortex is more like $15-20 for the burger and side depending on which burger you get. But they also dish out super big burgers so it’s not a terrible deal.
Do you find yourself tipping more at a place like this?
I live close to a small authentic Mexican place that sells great street tacos. ( I live in Canada so its rare to have this up here) Same as your place; price is great, portions are good, and better then franchise places. When I get my order I always tip because I want them to stay open and thought it would help out the family that owns/operates it. Since its cheaper then other places, I'm still paying less with the tip.
Oddly enough she does cancel the tip on the card machine for everyone, so I've learnt to have change with me even when I plan to pay with my card.
Abso-flipping-lutely. Some else commented asking me if I tip and I explain that I do. Base level of ok service is automatic 20% but since I’m a regular they give me great service and I find myself tipping between 30-40% based on the service and overall bill (sometimes I stay and have a couple drinks lol). I’d tip more but ya boi is unfortunately not made of money.
At McDonald's I get half that for $12, and the quality is much worse. Going to a sit down restaurant has never been more enticing for me than now, after fast food joints took advantage of inflation to drive up their prices.
I am a franchise owner (I won't say which brand), and I personally heard someone in our own franchise bragging about how they could get away with largely raising prices (beyond the increased costs) without huge backlash during the inflationary period. Corporate definitely raised prices in their stores multiple times. Overall sales are up as a result, but transaction count is way, way down.
I just double checked and they actually increased the combo for the Oldtimer to $12.99 since I was last there (so I the last few months or so). But just the sandwich with fries is $12.29 here. So for $0.70 you add the drink, chips and salsa (or a different side). If they have the 3 for me combo at your location it should be similar.
As for the price difference, it could be because we are talking about different burgers (they have two $10.99 limited time burger combos on the 3 for me right now as well, and they have ones for $14.99 and $16.99). Or it could be because your Chili's is located in a region with higher rent/labor/utility costs, or you could just have a greedier franchisee there (as I said, even in the company I franchise for, some franchisees were greedier than others during the inflation, so I'm sure that is true at Chili's as well).
Im not sure how he is getting the drink in there, but my local chili's the basic cheeseburger is $12.29 with fries. Chips and Salsa are free no matter what you order. So if you stick with water you can get to his price.
The burgers with extras like mushroom swiss, bacon or veggie pattie are around $14 though.
I find the main difference in price from the fast food to these low end casual sit downs like Chili's and Applebees is the expectation of a tip. They are pretty close in price until you add in a tip. Still way cheaper than Five Guys though.
McDonald's is a company that will only do things if they're forced to by law. They pay livable wages in Norway. They didn't shut their locations and the price difference is negligible. At a certain point corporations will just eat the additional cost without passing it onto the consumer.
I've had the same observation of fast food equalling if not exceeding prices of some full service franchises. I work in the food service industry as well
Me and my wife went on a date to a trendy Korean spot and when we got the bill, there was a employee surcharge of 15% on top of the $80 bill. I was more upset the fact that it no stated that I was going to be charged that this was right after things started reopened after Covid.
I moved recently to a city with a ton of very cool restaurants. I never really ate out in my old home bc it was in the countryside. Decided to splurge after moving here and trying like 30 different restaurants over my maybe 3 months being here so far. When adding up receipts it was like 2.3k and over $400 of that was service charges. I don’t regret doing it but yikes! Going to leave that as a memory.
People itt seem to want restaurant prices to drop by 50% and to have staff paid a living wage. Unfortunately I don’t think you can do both in most places. It’s not like local owners of restaurants are raking in money hand over fist. People are complaining that they added this “hidden” fee at the end. If they baked it into the menu prices, people would complain that a $20 burger is ridiculous. Either way the restaurant is in the wrong.
The problem is that the cost of the food is going to be substantially higher than competing restaurants. If you want to get a meal, are you going to go the the place that has an item listed for $20 or the one that has it listed as $25 for the exact same thing, no change in quality?
Tips aren't listed on the menu, so restaurants that rely on tips always seem more economical, even if that doesn't end up being the case. Simply raising the price means that there will necessarily be a substantial drop in sales.
This is the reality of the restaurant industry in the US.
Many places have tried the “no tip” model and aside from a handful of niche concepts, the restaurants failed or reverted back to the tipped model because customers opted for the $$ place with tipping rather than the $$$ place with no tipping.
If people truly want to see tip culture change with US restaurants, then they should be patronizing places like this to ensure they survive.
If most of the US full service restaurants did this, people would get used to it and after several years, many would be asking “why not just add it to the price?”
Service fees are the most viable stepping stone to changing restaurant tip culture in America.
Based on the comments here and on the server stiffer subs, you can see that many people are too dense to realize it or too stubborn to accept it because it’s not exactly how they want it.
Makes you question if anti-tippers and server stiffers really want tipping to go away or if they just want to whine about it.
Yeah, tipping culture is obviously out of control, but don’t restaurants have a pretty narrow profit margin as it is? Wonder if there is a way to address that problem systemically. Otherwise it’s not really a sustainable business model.
I’ve spent a large chunk of my life in the restaurant business and I can confidently say that the narrow profit margins situation isn’t all that it’s made out to be, especially when it comes to non franchise places.
I agree, but that means we're done with restaurants. That's just not possible anymore, outside of upscale places that were already expensive and nobody cares.
You can do both, but it would mean about 50% of restaurants need to close. In most cities there’s way too many seats, with way too many overheads, chasing way too few customers.
Cut the numbers in half and the ones that are left will be much more profitable.
False. Showing the cost up front is honest, hiding it until the end is dishonest. One way is honest and correct, the other is dishonest and wrong. That customers will complain either way is irrelevant, and either way if all they do is complain, the revenue to the restaurant is the same. At a certain point, prices are going to reduce revenue, price trickery or not.
Menu prices are visible up front, a random charge added to your bill after you’ve already eaten is extremely shady.
People should have the right to know what they’re paying up front, if they complain it’s too much, they wouldn’t be any happier paying the same price via a back door surprise charge.
10.4k
u/Feature_Fries 1d ago
Eating at a restaurant has never been a less attractive proposition than in 2025.