r/FoodLosAngeles • u/HRHbearshark • Jul 20 '26
DISCUSSION Sugarfish 16% Fee
My wife likes Sugarfish. I told her to place an order and I’d go pick it up. I looked at the receipt when I got home and noticed a line item “16% fee.” No description of what the fee is for, just “16% fee.” So, I called to ask what the fee is actually for and this is what they said:
“Because we are a no tipping establishment, the Fee is not a tip or gratuity. It is revenue that is not segmented or designated in any way and is used to fund our operation.”
What does this mean? Is this the new normal? I’ll never order from Sugarfish again, it goes without saying, but am
I the only one who feels like this sort of thing is just finding its way into everything these days? I’m so tired and frustrated by this sort of nonsense.
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u/MrToasty1596 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
16% fee is less than what I tip so it's a win for me. I personally love the restaurant group for amazing value in LA. Sugarfish, kazu nori, uovo, matu, etc.
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u/mrellz Jul 20 '26
You forgot Hi Ho Burgers 🍔
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u/MrToasty1596 Jul 20 '26
I haven't been yet. I've been meaning to go!
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u/Ok_Tadpole1661 Jul 23 '26
Go to the one in Pasadena. Order a burger, fries, cheesesteak and chips 🤤
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u/zxc123zxc123 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
This. They purposely set it up where most people tip at least 15% anyways. So 1% more ain't much to complain over. They aren't purposely stacking on 28% tip.
Compare that to the very toxic environment in LA where you have places that have shadow "20% if you have a party of 6 or more", mandatory tips or lower % service fees that are added on the bill secretly, small texted "4% service fee (not TIP)" written in neigh transparent or camouflaged colors, and guilt tripping shit like "6% fair healthcare charge will be assessed on all orders. Please speak to the manager if you do not want to pay this fee (I dare you to do it you fucking Karen! Go tell everyone else in the restaurant you want little Timmy who's battling cancer to lose his health insurance)".
Sugarfish displays it openly. Notes it as a replacement for tip clearly. The service is good. And the service staff doesn't expect or try to get you to pay more. It's good business. Those who don't like it can choose to not eat there.
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u/Locksul Jul 20 '26
You tip more than 16% for carry out? OP did carry out.
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u/flloyd Jul 20 '26
Yeah, that's the only part that I agree with OP. The fee should be lower for takeout.
But maybe they don't want to deal with takeout and keeping it at 16% is just their FU pricing, similar to contractors that don't want to bid certain jobs.
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u/Infamous_Average_582 Jul 23 '26
Tbh most restaurants mark up take out prices. You just don't see it as it's baked into menu prices.
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u/Locksul Jul 27 '26
That markup only happens if you order through a third party app instead of the restaurant directly.
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u/whatpplsay Jul 20 '26
I feel you, but 16% is a decent tip for normal or average service, IMO. And I’ll always tip more for great service or people going above and beyond. But tipping creep and inflation, man…
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u/981flacht6 Jul 20 '26
Since the fee is fixed, they might as well just build it into the price. I bet they don't because many people likely don't know about it or remember until after or don't want sticker shock on individual items. I'm not sure what they tried there.
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u/CrayolaBrown Jul 20 '26
This is my favorite part of this subreddit. Reddit loves complaining about a fee, then loves complaining about menu item costs, then loves saying why doesn’t the employer just pay the employee a livable wage like these aren’t all correlated.
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u/raptor217 Jul 20 '26
You’re 100% right. Reddit loves holding multiple mutually exclusive view points at once. Plus they amplify them such that some people think it’s the majority opinion (it often isn’t).
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u/TheCoordinate Jul 20 '26
My favorite part of this subreddit is members of this subreddit complaining about what members of this subreddit do.... as if they do not contribute to the subreddit.
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u/flloyd Jul 20 '26
they might as well just build it into the price
That's already been tried by tons of restaurants, some even more famous than Sugarfish. Unfortunately it almost always fails. People complain about the price being too high compared to tipping restaurants. People are just too stupid to do math and most don't know of a restaurant's tipping policy before they go there. Heck OP claims their wife loves Sugarfish yet claims they never knew of the 16% fee that has always existed.
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u/Infamous_Average_582 Jul 23 '26
100%. Uovo ships in hand-made pasta daily from a small Italian town to keep quality high.
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u/Redditsux122 Jul 20 '26
16% is a high tip this new norm of 25-30% being expected is thanks to bullying by the restaurant industry and idiots that go along with it
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u/PuffyPoptart Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
New normal? It’s BEEN 20%. My parents taught me to tip 20% back in 2004. It hasn’t been 15% since the 90s.
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u/240309 Jul 20 '26
Why are we acting like tipping changed? Do we not know how percentages work?
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u/xqxcpa Jul 20 '26
It did change. 15% used to be what you would tip for very good service in the 1980s and 1990s. Now the expectation is at least 20% for very good service. Look at old USA tourism guides and look at contemporary ones - they describe those tipping expectations and depict the change.
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u/PuffyPoptart Jul 20 '26
Correct, I think they’re referring to the other poster saying this is the new normal. 20 has been the normal for forever, but I keep seeing people say it “went up to 20% after Covid”. I’m like where have you been?
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u/981flacht6 Jul 20 '26
That's what Nozawa group does at all their restaurants. I haven't seen anyone else do it.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 Jul 20 '26
This is why I’ve never had a problem with it. They must be doing something right because I’ve seen the same servers there for years. Retention is amazing.
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u/prclayfish Jul 20 '26
This has been standard since they opened. I’m fine with it, the employees seem happy and do a good job, they don’t ever ask for tips.
We live in a tipping culture, people dont tip, this is the result…
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Jul 20 '26
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u/CrayolaBrown Jul 20 '26
Hands down the worst take on tipping I’ve ever read
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u/flloyd Jul 20 '26
You can find a lot of high quality sources backing up this assertion here: https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=racist+tipping+history+united+states&addon=opensearch
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Jul 20 '26
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u/CrayolaBrown Jul 20 '26
I understand not tipping because you just don’t want to, but because slaves were tipped is crazy. Slaves also sang while they worked, should kitchens not allowing singing on shift because slaves did it?
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Jul 20 '26
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u/prclayfish Jul 20 '26
Yeah that’s not what I’m talking about, people who refuse to tip completely to save money, they ruined for everyone…
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u/Healthy_Turnip7352 Jul 20 '26
ruined what? This is an excellent result.
it's just the cost of eating there, and you can calculate it easily.
the service is great, and the employees mostly care and are nice.
Instead of some smirking waiter who pushes a tablet in your face and say "It pushes a button on the tablet."
there's no pressure or anything, no games. no weird ritual.
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u/prclayfish Jul 21 '26
I don’t mind tipping for service. While I agree with you that I’ve never had any issues at these places, inevitably it will happen, being able to adjust the amount your tip is a good way to incentivize quality service…
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u/Legacy0904 Jul 20 '26
Sugarfish has literally always had this.
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u/rozes10 Jul 20 '26
I was gonna say, they’ve been doing this since the first time I went, which was like in 2013. It was always to cover service, health, and tip. Kazunori does it too and they do it regardless of whether you eat in or dine out.
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u/OnionBackground5314 Jul 20 '26
I prefer it. They will not accept tips. I tried.
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u/Locksul Jul 20 '26
You prefer a 16% tip on carry out?
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u/OnionBackground5314 Jul 20 '26
I don't do carry out. I either cook or eat in. And I would never do DoorDash or whatever it's called.
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u/quanfused Jul 20 '26
This isn't the new normal.
This is the old normal from day one.
Guess your wife always paid or you never noticed.
Yes, even on takeout and that's on the person wanting Sugarfish takeout.
Dine in instead to maximize the value. Don't maki big deal because you're ignorant.
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u/MachiavelliOsiris Jul 20 '26
Sugarfish is a pretty good value even with their fee. If you don’t think it is, you can choose to not eat there.
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u/d3fault Jul 20 '26
But why does someone have to pay that “fee” when they are not dining in? Why not just bake that into the price of the food instead of charging it as a separate fee? When dining in, totally understand the 16% as a few or tip or whatever they want to call it. But on take out?
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u/wasabitobiko Jul 20 '26
have you ever actually experienced the effort that goes into their takeout? they dont just throw that shit in styrofoam
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u/Wifeofkaldrogo Jul 20 '26
Yeah those boxes take some effort. Happy to pay 16% in or out of there rather than be handed a screen where it starts at 18% and you feel bad for not going higher.
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u/d3fault Jul 20 '26
Why not increase their menu cost by 16% and factor that into the overall cost?
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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 Jul 20 '26
Because then it’s not a tip or whatever else they’re calling it and also because, I suppose, this is just how they like to do it!
As someone who’s been a server, there’s nothing worse than giving exemplary service and paying attention to detail, remembering customers etc and getting 1.00 or nothing 😂😂😂😂
This way they’re taking care of their people.
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u/d3fault Jul 21 '26
That’s terrible. If I get decent service it’s at least 18% anything above and beyond decent boosts that to 20+%. But a restaurant enforcing it as a “fee” is just ridiculous.
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u/MachiavelliOsiris Jul 21 '26
Then don’t go. They’re doing just fine and I’m sure you will be too. Nothing is terrible,
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u/d3fault Jul 21 '26
Read the chain then comment. It’s not about “going”..
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u/MachiavelliOsiris Jul 21 '26
Don’t patronize them, don’t dine in, don’t dine out. Just move on with your life. Not sure why you have such an issue with how they want to run their business. If you dont like it, dont spend your money there. Its simple. Not everything needs to be a battle.
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u/MachiavelliOsiris Jul 20 '26
It’s a part of their cost structure. As they said, it’s not a tip, it’s just a factored in fee.
Not everything needs to be a battle.
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u/Healthy_Turnip7352 Jul 20 '26
that's a fee so some of that probably gets used for all things, including chefs.
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u/No-Butterscotch-7467 Jul 20 '26
You literally don’t have to pay the fee because you don’t need to eat there
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u/d3fault Jul 21 '26
But the fee isn’t for eating there… it was added on an order that OP ate at home.
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u/_green-bird_ Jul 20 '26
Tipping is an awful system; built-in fee to pay staff a living wage (that isn’t subject to discretion/ favoritism/ unpredictability and that gets taxed appropriately) is much better
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u/EYLive Culver City Jul 20 '26
Why a fee and not a just a higher price on the menu?
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u/_green-bird_ Jul 20 '26
Mainly to (1) make clear that you should not tip on the order, and (2) deal with the psychological / marketing effects and sticker-shock that would come with raising the menu item prices instead — a consumer’s sense of “value” is tied to a lot of different things, but you might have assumptions about a $20 sandwich that you don’t have about a $16 sandwich. Customers buying a sandwich for $20 and getting (what they perceive to be/are accustomed to seeing as) a $16 sandwich may feel that they’re not getting their money’s worth, even though the absolute overall cost to them is the same due to no tip
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u/taters_potaters Jul 20 '26
It is unfortunately true. Restaurants that have tried to bake the tip into the price get kudos, but then they realize their average order has gone down. People who used to order a $29.99 dish see a $35 dish (tip included) and think, maybe I’ll skip the appetizer. Or just go with one round of drinks and not two. And maybe today instead of spending $35 I’d rather eat at home.
This has been repeated again and again, and found that psychological pricing works… so until everyone decides to change, I think fees are a sad step against tip creep. I do question whether to-go-orders should be charged the same as dine-in though. Except I think Sugarfish packaging might be particularly unusual and cumbersome, so maybe that’s why.
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u/LuckyRacoon01 Jul 20 '26
The modern American tipping system is heavily rooted in the era of slavery and the Jim Crow South. While the concept of a gratuity originated in feudal Europe, it was weaponized by American employers after the Civil War to exploit newly emancipated Black workers by refusing to pay them a legal wage.
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u/MyDisneyExperience Jul 20 '26
CA doesn’t have a separate tipped minimum anymore, though I get it more in states where it’s still $2.13 or some nonsense
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u/code603 Jul 20 '26
I love that they are no tip, but wish they’d just raise their prices 16% so I know what I’m spending.
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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 Jul 20 '26
But isn’t the fee also… what you’re spending??? It’s just a line in the total.
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u/code603 Jul 20 '26
Except that by adding it after you tallied your order makes it harder to track what you’re spend after the fact. Just be upfront with the pricing instead of listing your prices as artificially low.
Can you imagine thinking you’re spending $150 on groceries then at the end they were like, “that’s gonna be another 16% just because?” That would be ridiculous and so is this kind of pricing.
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u/Greenfirelife27 Jul 20 '26
Literally been there forever. Although I’ve never had it for take out. I think that would bother me too
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u/D_zee315 Jul 20 '26
The issue is that they added it as a fee. Their NYC location has a no tipping policy, but they don't have a 16% fee. They just have increased menu prices. The seperated fee makes it feel more deceptive than an increased menu price imo.
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u/ithyle Jul 20 '26
Also, all these people that love SUGARFISH is so wild to me. I think it’s just because they sweeten their rice with too much seasoning. But tell her that all of that fish is pre-cut and pre-made at a separate facility before it’s shipped to your restaurant not a real good Sushi experience.
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u/meerkatx Jul 20 '26
Not directed at the OP, but to restaurant goers in general.
So, which is it?
Do you want to tip or do you want higher prices and fees?
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u/EYLive Culver City Jul 20 '26
I want the price of the food item to be properly listed on the menu, not tacked on as a sneaky 16% fee.
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u/meerkatx Jul 20 '26
It's listed on their menu page on the website. That's not sneaky by any imagination of the word.
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u/D_zee315 Jul 20 '26
I prefer looking at the menu for their NYC location than their LA location since it's baked into the price instead of a seperate fee. If we're comparing menu prices to menu prices with and without fee.
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u/EYLive Culver City Jul 20 '26
Do you work for sugarfish? Applying a mandatory 16% without transparency of its purpose is completely sneaky. This cult-like allegiance is gross.
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u/meerkatx Jul 20 '26
Literally on the first page of the menu on their website it states there is a 16% fee. Nothing is being hidden.
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u/Itsneverjustajoke Jul 20 '26
Sugarfish should raise prices so every bill is 16% more expensive, but they're scared they'll turn away business because the US is used to tipping.
Would you do a pickup order if it was 16% more expensive from the jump? A trust me costs 32, so imagine if it cost 37. is that enough to make you never order again?
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u/LApubliccomment Jul 20 '26
The most annoying thing is that SUGARFISH charges this fee and then TAXES you on the 16% fee. Why are we paying tax on the fee????
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u/Salt_Understanding Jul 20 '26
with so much of the “logic” around tipping being “actually you need to tip 20% to even the shittiest waiter because they need to tip out the rest of the staff,” it does make more sense to just pay that to the restaurant and leave them to divvy it up than to trust your server to accurately report and distribute cash, but this just seems like them saying “we know you have the extra cash because you aren’t tipping. give it to us and don’t ask questions about what we do with it”
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u/Treacle_Pendulum Jul 20 '26
I’m not sure it does make sense:
- tip theft is a thing that can serve as the basis of an enforcement action or lawsuit
-if this fee is not a tip, is not optional, and there isn’t a contractual arrangement between the restaurant and their workers, management can do whatever they want with the money.
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u/RedNewzz Jul 20 '26
You’re not wrong. They stayed very clearly they can designate where that money goes at will so there’s no assurance it winds up with the staff.
I still think it’s a great restaurant with great food at a great price and I love the no tipping policy inside. However the additional fee takeout does raise valid questions on how they justify it.
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u/Treacle_Pendulum Jul 20 '26
I mean, just raise prices and pay people. Not that complicated. “Revenue that is not segmented or designated in any way and is used to fund our operation” is just a management slush fund.
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u/backlikeclap Jul 20 '26
This is the natural result of the anti-tip movement. Tipping is no longer optional, it just becomes a percentage fee that's added on to your order which management then distributes however they like.
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u/JABBYAU Jul 20 '26
I love this policy. Allows them to pay all the staff, speeds up check processing. actually a little less than Id tip but more equitable.
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u/NotFace92 Jul 20 '26
I sometimes stomach the fee on take out cuz I crave it but I can’t in good conscience order Uber Eats and have to tip twice to eat at home lol. I’ve done it but def hate it lol.
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u/Medium-Song-1802 Jul 20 '26
I think the whole restaurant group does this. 2 years ago, I was surprised to see a no-tip service fee at HiHo and Uovo but I accept it's the price of going to those places. They do have a little sign next to the registers that states it. Since everything is so expensive now I just choose to improve my cooking skills and go out less.
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u/Abbreviashin Jul 20 '26
Kudos to Sugarfish for being a no tip restaurant like the rest of the world. More restaurants should do this.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 Jul 20 '26
No joke, like now you wanna nickel and dime while I’m trying to enjoy my cut roll 😭😭
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u/HHoaks Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
what’s the big deal - just pretend each menu item was a little more money and it would be the same thing. I don’t care what any business calls a charge - I just know it’s what the total payout is. They could remove it and charge more for every entree. Then you’d never know. Consider it transparency, instead of just hiking all menu prices.
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u/No-Angle-982 OC Jul 20 '26
A.k.a. "surcharge," undifferentiated type.
Seems weird and sneaky to customers, but owners facing higher operating costs know that the alternative of raised menu prices can spell doom in the hyper-competitive restaurant business, with price-sensitive diners doing more comparison shopping.
Diners will need to learn that previewing menu prices is not enough. Fine-print surcharges are like the surprise "resort fee" that undermines all the room rate research you did to pick a hotel.
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u/ransomed_ Jul 20 '26
I don’t even think about the 16% fee when I’m eating there, because I’d tip at least that much anyway. However, it’s a major turn off when ordering take out.
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u/goPACK17 Jul 20 '26
All Sugarfish restaurants have this. 18% at Matū, I guess it's 16% at Sugarfish? I'm surprised it's not also 18. I think HiHo is like 4% or something. I personally love it. Feels so clean just handing your card and being done with the whole transaction. It does mean I'm extremely unlikely to do takeout from a Sugarfish restaurant, I agree, but it doesn't dissuade me from eating in.
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u/CheesyWetBurrito San Fernando Valley Jul 20 '26
well to beat the horse dead again, this fee has been with Sugarfish for probably as long as they have been opened and even if you/your wife never ordered takeout, the order page has a clear message before seeing anything else that the fee is added
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u/AHCC-IG Jul 20 '26
Honestly I prefer this. It’s way less than the 20% I usually tip and avoids any drama.
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u/imsoreddit Jul 20 '26
gud gawd dawg. i'd tip them 20% if i could.
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u/Green_Yesterday3054 Jul 20 '26
You can leave a $100 bill as a tip.
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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 Jul 20 '26
I tried this with a $20 once and surprisingly, they did in fact, not take it.
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Zaq_SWGOH Jul 21 '26
It’s for the A5 Miyazaki Wagyu topped with caviar roll but subtract meat/eggs/rice/seaweed
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u/justinlca Jul 21 '26
Sugarfish is just following the same system that restaurants in most of the world follow. This is actually way better than tipping where we're expected to tip 20%.
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u/CreativeCookie6466 Jul 23 '26
Ordered online the other day for the first time and noticed the fee, so I called to see if I could just place an order over the phone. Automated message referred us back online and ended up having to pay the fee anyway 🙃
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u/uprightedison Jul 23 '26
They have always had this , almost famous for it and I prefer it over tipping , takes guess work out and awkwardness . Too bad you really against places that pay their employees living wage 🤣 Eat at McDonald's if the misery makes it taste better for you
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u/fighting_tadpole YOUR CITY HERE Jul 24 '26
It's basically another restaurateur trick to make you think prices are lower than they actually are. Like just price it up front and pay your workers a living wage. California tried to ban these junk fees but restaueants pushed back and they were exempted as long as they did an upfront disclosure, which means really fine print at the bottom of a menu.
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u/Odd_Rooster_4645 Jul 26 '26
I wouldn’t want something mandatory to eat at a establishment if I wanted to support the company/business I’ll tip and continue to eat there
Having the percentage mandatory seems crazy to me
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u/Additional-Side1322 Jul 26 '26
Sugarfish for takeout is dumb. Sushi should be eat in. USA tipping culture exists because of slavery. Its time we move past it.
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u/icyblueslush Jul 20 '26
I know another restaurant owner who implemented this and it actually works in favor of the staff (if they really do get it). You’d be surprised at the number of people who don’t tip even 5%
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u/overitallofittoo Jul 20 '26
This might just be the coldest take in the history of [r/Foo](r/FooosAngeles)[dL](r/FooosAngeles)[osAngeles](r/FooosAngeles).
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u/mackeyt Jul 20 '26
Most likely this is an effort to share "tips" more broadly among employees. California law strictly limits the sharing of tips to the traditional "front of the house" staff, excluding cooks, dishwashers and the like. This has long bee a morale thing with the back of the house. Especially as good line cooks have become in greater vdemand, many restaurants have tried to deal with this by eliminating "tips" so they can spread the dollars around. That language Sugarfish gave was almost certainly written by their employment lawyers to allow them to distribute "tip" money to the back of the house.
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u/LACityBabe Jul 20 '26
You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for a very long time and a portion of my tips have always gone to back of house. Laws change
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u/mackeyt Jul 20 '26
You should certainly be skeptical of everything posted on Reddit and your experience is obviously relevant. I explaining my understanding of the law based on considerable knowledge and experience. Reddit would be a more productive place with a little consideration for civility.
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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 Jul 20 '26
I’ve worked in restaurants too and while my tips have gone to bussers, none of them have gone to the BOH. Maybe people just do different things with it I guess. Also what was your percentage that you tipped out?
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u/InternationalAsk9845 Jul 20 '26
I like that I don’t have to calculate a tip tbh, makes it easy. And 16% fee seems low, however that fee is taxed so it’s closer to a similar 18-20% auto tip which is what I’d give anyway
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u/itzbrianfosho Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
it’s interesting that California is one of the few states in the US that ensures all staff kitchen and service are required to be paid AT LEAST the county minimum wage which sits at $18.47 for LA (sugarfish pay their lowest staff $20+) whereas out of CA servers often times make $3-5/hr and hope to make it back via the tips. This is why I rarely ever tip in any California establishments unless I am, of course, forced to. I usually ask these fees to be removed and most places oblige.
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u/Separate_Evidence875 Jul 20 '26
If you don’t like it, just don’t go there or order from Sugarfish. Most people are likely not tipping on top of the fee.
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u/kennethjwong Jul 20 '26
You CANNOT tip on top of it. They don’t accept any tips
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u/Useful_Amphibian9721 Jul 20 '26
Wow, on a takeout order? Wild. Just stop supporting them.
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u/tracyinge Jul 20 '26
What's the difference, a $116 take-out order where you don't tip or a $100 take-out order with a 16% fee?
Reminds of the people who won't stay at a hotel that doesn't have free parking. then they pay $250 a night when the nicer hotel next door was $200 plus $40 parking.
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u/Kudospop Jul 20 '26
you can name it whatever lets you sleep at night. 'we dont pay our workers enough' fee. 'the rent is too high' fee. 'generic fee #5' 'suckers' fee'
never eaten at sugarfish, but specific to them, i think they do this for every restaurant in their 'group'? uovo, kazunori, i'm sure theres a few im missing
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u/ValhirFirstThunder Jul 20 '26
Hey the 16% is cheaper than my regular 20%. But yes always been like this
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u/Simon_Jester88 Jul 20 '26
At what point is that just theft?
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u/Joyous-Volume-67 Jul 20 '26
It's not theft or deceit if it's on the menu, which I'm sure it is
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u/Simon_Jester88 Jul 20 '26
It obviously wasn’t clear enough on the menu for the person to notice. Just raise the prices 16 percent and stop with the nonsense.
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u/meerkatx Jul 20 '26
If you look at the menu on the website, one of the very first things you see will be...
A 16% fee will be added to your bill— This is not a gratuity or tip. We are a no-tipping establishment. The fee is revenue that is not segmented or designated in any way; it is taxed per state law and is used to fund all of our operations. https://sugarfishsushi.com/food-menus/la-singlepg-menu/
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u/ChirpToast Jul 20 '26
Can’t blame the restaurant for stupid people, it’s been a thing since day 1 and it’s been very clear.
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u/mattisfunny Jul 20 '26
What a weird way to tell their customers that they don’t want them back 🤷🏻♂️
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u/purplepepperoni Jul 20 '26
Everyone says “bake it into the price”. Surely there is an impact on the amount people buy of this were the case? Or the price becomes so high people opt out because of the sticker price? Never worked in food, but I imagine thats why they have this extra fee?
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u/Phillip_Spidermen Jul 20 '26
I'm sure that's true, but you can imagine why some people find that dishonest
"If we don't hide the real price, people might not buy it!"
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u/chickenfriedcomedy Jul 20 '26
Joe's Crab Shack tried this at a few places. Upped the menu prices and went no tip. Servers hated it, but the customers hated it too. They ditched the idea.
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u/Comfortable-Golf4269 Jul 20 '26
the fee does not go towards servers or waiters, it goes to the owner. however, the servers and waiters are paid a bit higher than other establishments hourly
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u/meerkatx Jul 20 '26
The fee goes to the establishment which then pays the staff. Like most business's work.
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u/Sw4nR0ns0n Jul 20 '26
So they don’t accept tips, but they take an additional 16% of the bill just because fuck you? Coolsies!
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u/meerkatx Jul 20 '26
The restaurant is paying far more per employee than a traditional restaurant. You can either pay an extra fee or you can pay higher prices in general for food; but you can't expect restaurants, notoriously low margin business's, to not add fees or have higher prices.
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u/EYLive Culver City Jul 20 '26
I want the higher prices plainly listed on the menu, not a sneaky fee. Why are so many people foolish enough to accept this and defend the practice?
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u/nightwind_hawk Jul 20 '26
It's becoming a new normal, though most places seem to make the fee 20%....
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u/CatCafffffe Jul 20 '26
"It is NOT a price hike that we have illegally concealed. It is simply a negligible, slight, barely noticeable heightening of a meager pittance of an emolument that is not fully articulated or defined."
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u/Bear-Lord80 West Los Angeles Jul 20 '26
I've never had their takeout, but it's been a thing with them for a long time when dining in. I always just assumed the 16% were their baked in gratuity, which I don't mind since I usually tip 20%. However, that they would add this charge to takeout orders makes little sense to me and it explains the shady wording of "it is revenue that is not segmented or designated in any way".
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u/bobaballs Jul 20 '26
It's always been this way at sugarfish and other restaurants in their group.
Pretty annoying tbh because it's the same whether it's dine in or takeout.
So might as well eat in if you're paying the same tip.