People are furious at restaurants adding COVID-19 surcharges

[Cirque du So-What]

Angry customers are complaining about restaurants adding COVID-19 surcharges. But, owners say they are simply trying to stay in business as food costs skyrocket.

Earlier this week, a tweet showing the receipt from Kiko Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Lounge in West Plains, Missouri, went viral after a customer noticed a "COVID-19 surcharge."

Many responded with outrage, questioning why the coronavirus pandemic would lead to the restaurant adding on a 5% surcharge.

According to a post on Kiko's Facebook page, the outrage continued off-line. The restaurant owner wrote that employees had been harassed due to the photo of the receipt.

more...

https://www.businessinsider.com/restaurants-covid-19-surcharges-spark-backlash-as-meat-costs-grow-2020-5

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Vote w/your feet and ass. You don't wanna pay it, go somewhere else. FFS they've been

SCREAMING about 'normal' and now they can go out and eat. So STFU or stay home or go elsewhere.

[blitzen]

7. Exactly, they're a bunch of babies, like baby Trump. n/t

[sfstaxprep]

17. Huh?

This is Bait & Switch. You can't suddenly charge someone a higher price without letting them know beforehand.

I would absolutely boycott this restaurant. It sounds like they are taking orders, and then trying to sneak in this additional charge at the very end when it comes time to pay, or the person picks up their to-go order.

And sorry, but these restaurants should be thankful for the customers patronizing their business. The customer should not be penalized for this virus anymore than the restaurant owner should. If a restaurant wants to adjust their prices to reflect higher costs, that's up to them, but putting this excise tax on an order is BS, in my opinion.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Maybe the "covid surcharge" is going to a new policy mandated by insurance carriers

to protect against future Covid liability.

[riversedge]

12. I posted a tweet a day again--Food prices have indeed gone up. Can

they buy bulk? probably. If I were a r. owner I would not even add that comment--just calculate the price based on the food bought, whatever it is.

[fescuerescue]

16. insurers don't care about that

They just want their premiums paid. Likely increased premiums of course.

How the restaurant raises the money doesn't mean much to them.

[Doodley]

3. It seems very dishonest if they have not made the surcharge clear at the outset.

[d_r]

4. The restaurant

Should have just raised their prices five percent. They probably figured their customers would understand the need for it if they labeled it a covid surcharge, but they misunderestimated

[dalton99a]

11. +1. And people know food prices have gone up

[CrispyQ]

23. I doubt the owners had time to print up new menus.

They may also be acting on the idea that the price increase is temporary.

People are being jerks. This is an unprecedented event. Adaptability and flexibility will be required from everyone.

[lame54]

29. Expensive to change menus...

And writing on them would be too obvious

People would get pissed at that

Covid surcharge is more honest

[d_r]

33. Good points. Nt

[hatrack]

5. They haven't even gotten the real COVID-19 "surcharge" yet . . . .

I think it arrives in 14 to 21 days.

[Blue_true]

34. And for some of them, that is going to be the ultimate bill. nt

[Takket]

6. If it isn't on the menu, they can't charge it.

If it is, and the customer missed it, well, that’s too bad and don’t go back.

[BeyondGeography]

8. Print new menus next time

Limited capacity means higher prices, no way around it. No need to advertise it though.

[Hugin]

13. Not to mention the added cost of liability, PPE, and sanitizing supplies.

But, they want it, "ALL NOW"! Screw the unintended and tertiary consequences!

To this group of Americans there are no consequences... Unless, it is to them personally.

Then, they bring out the guns.

The cycle continues.

[Hugin]

9. Now it's not enough the restaurants are 'open-er-upped'...

they want a discount, too?

:smdh:

[magicarpet]

10. Would you like a ventilator with your entree,... or would you rather that be served with.....

..... the main course of the meal ?

[Yavin4]

14. When you go out, or order out, be prepared to pay the price.

If you don't want to pay, stay home and cook. It's that simple.

[fescuerescue]

15. They should just raise prices

Naturally if their costs have gone up, prices have to rise especially in a low margin business like restaurants.

But doing it with a surcharge is just dumb and draws attention.

Just increase the meal price appropriately.

[Land Shark]

18. Restaurants and Drivers getting hammered by ubereats

Ubereats prohibits raising prices for delivery but ubereats also takes out a big chunk of the bill. Ubereats also lowered the pay to drivers from close to 5 dollars (for an average short delivery driving 5 miles or less to pickup and deliver) to just 3 bucks flat. These deliveries take 15 minutes so assuming it's really busy that is only $12 an hour but you still gotta pay for your car expenses.

As usual, corporations take the profit and real people take the hit. (The lowered pay is currently absorbed by nice people tipping more.)

[Drahthaardogs]

19. Of course there is a surcharge

Food prices are through the roof. Why would you not expect to pay?

[Initech]

20. The restaurants got to make money during this crisis somehow.

Especially since they are putting their staff and customers in jeopardy just for being open. The fact that they can't operate at the full capacity that they are used to is not only going to hurt them in the short run, it will have even greater consequences in the long run than if they had stayed closed or had been open for take out only.


So to those snowflakes who are complaining about having to pay a few extra bucks, you wanted this. Either you put up with the consequences of going out, or shut the fuck up and stay home. Your choice.

[CrispyQ]

21. 5% to help your local business owners stay in busienss?

5% to help them cover the increased costs of food. 5% so they could maybe give their employees a hazard bonus? 5% is nothing. People are fucking cheapskates.

[DrToast]

22. As long as they make it known, I'm okay with this

Food prices have shot up and most places only allow restaurants to open with reduced capacity.

[dugog55]

24. Big deal, a 5% surcharge.

If your meal came to $50 , that is a measly $2.50. Even a $100 dinner would only be another $5. Anyone that complains about that probably leaves a 10% tip to waitresses whenever they ate out. Stay home if you going to complain about the price or are a crappy tipper.

[Blue_true]

37. I bet that anyone that complains DON'T leave a tip at all.

5% on the top is nothing, like you accurately illustrated.

I believe that what is happening is the people going out are mostly MAGATS, there are a few progressives that are clueless enough to go do sit down eat out, but I bet that number is small. Generally, what I have found is that MAGAT type people are very cheap, even when they are rich. They typically tend to want everything at the cheapest possible price, a disgusting mindset.

[Hortensis]

25. The large, very desirable HOA neighborhood near our children's

is being torn by outrage regarding COVID pool rules. This HOA is a model for how to do it right, with a light hand that's created a great neighborhood culture, but that gained it no points when they tried to open the pool conforming to state safety recommendations. So many residents have canceled or threatened to cancel their non-mandatory pool-use membership for political reasons that it threatens the budget to operate. This is an older, established subdivision with residents of a wide range of ages, but this is GA and the deniers are a sizable enough minority to cause trouble.

Same massive societal pathology playing out in different setting.

[UpInArms]

26. Dear gawd ... upset about .66 ?

What freaking whiny babies ...

I WANT TO GO OUT!

I NEED A TATTOO!

GET ME A HAIRCUT!

EEEEEE! 66 CENTS!

Eta a link to the picture that caused poutrage

https://i.insider.com/5ebdb9512618b92235751b04?width=1500&format=jpeg&auto=webp

2nd edit:

Went to the original “tweet” ... and it was HORRIFYING... it wasn’t.66 ... it was $2.19 ... (faints from the enormity) ... but the chopsticks were FREE

Link to tweet

?s=20

[mokawanis]

27. It probably means people tipping less

which of course hurts the service staff. I'm not going to restaurants these days but when I do I'll probably tip more than usual.

[Tipperary]

28. I cannot imagine going out to eat at this point in time.

So that is at least one thing I will not be worrying about.

[Celerity]

30. one of the assholes who started this snowflake whinging is a anti-vaxxer RWNJ, she can fuck off

look at her tweets

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Cha]

36. That graphic is lol..

[MenloParque]

31. These fucking low lifes

Something tells me that the same people upset at a covid surcharge are the same ones who still think tipping less than 20% is acceptable. Nope you might as well be a repuke. Shame on the restaurant owners who try to earn a living for themselves and workers in a pandemic while still providing food for the community. These people can sit and spin on daddy trump cuz they are the same to me.

[eppur_se_muova]

32. Meh. I think I'd *expect* some kind of extra billing for insisting on being seated.

If there's no extra charge for takeout, get takeout. No sympathy for spoiled snowflakes.

[Luciferous]

35. If you don't like it eat at home

[Efilroft Sul]

38. In two weeks, Karen and Cletus may have a steeper price to pay than just a COVID-19 surcharge.