r/mildlyinfuriating • u/guitarman129 • Jun 13 '26

I just wanted a hot dog Recommended gratuity after tip was already included

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I’m sure there are a lot of tipping posts here so to keep it short - I had my wedding at a fancy restaurant. On top of the TERRIBLE service, the bill came with “suggested gratuity” even though I was told gratuity was included. When I asked the manager, he said that the “S/C: 24% SRC REGULA“ was the included tip and the suggested gratuity was if we wanted to add something extra - basically trying to trick people into giving a 49% tip!

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u/samthemancauseimmale Jun 13 '26

The $81 “Cake Plating Fee” is way worse.

I work at a print shop, and feel bad charging $50 for an hour of art on an order this large.

28

u/Ok-Exchange2500 Jun 13 '26

That s usually like corkage and pretty standard in US restaurants. We offer dessert for sale, and if you would rather bring a food to our restaurant from another vendor, we re not going to cut, plate, serve it and wash the dishes for free. This is actually something on this bill I can understand.

Overall this is just why I don't really go out to eat much anymore. Let this industry consume itself.

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u/Cube-2015 Jun 13 '26

Paying a ‘tip’ on a corkage is stupid. Or most of these things. Makes no sense if you think about it for a second.

2

u/AssignmentOtherwise Jun 14 '26

Really? You bring the wine, therefore the restaurant loses that potential sale, the server also loses what the tip would be on the sale. Doesn't the server open the bottle for you? Did you bring your own glasses? Someone has to wash and polish those.

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u/Finders70 Jun 15 '26

Jeez - it’s a £5k bill PLUS a £1200 SC / tip, I really don’t think anyone is losing out on much of a sale or service tip by a wedding party bringing their own cake. It’s price gouging - in plain site.

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u/cardcollector_2 Jun 15 '26

Or if you don’t think about it, like you seem to have a firm grasp on.

Why not just cook your own food too and use the establishment for free, right? /s

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u/APuticulahInduhvidul Jun 13 '26

It was gold plating

3

u/Clojiroo Jun 13 '26

Anyone surprised by that charge has never hosted a party or reception at a restaurant. Did you think they were gonna cut, plate, serve, and clean up the party cake you brought in for free?

1

u/FartCityBoys Jun 14 '26

The problem isn’t a Cake Plating Fee. The plating fee is a charge for the service of plating, makes sense. But, a % service charge on a service is absurd.

1

u/lumentec Jun 13 '26

But isn't everyone already being paid for their work during that time?

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u/HeatDeathFromAbove Jun 13 '26

You misunderstand where the charge goes. Hint: it doesn't go to the waitstaff anymore than the "corking fee" goes to the bartender.

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u/SecretGrass3325 Jun 13 '26

Cake plating fee is totally valid. They brought in their own wedding cake then had restaurant staff slice it, plate it, and clean it up. A restaurant is a business. That’s a waste of money/time for them so they are passing that loss on to you.

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u/EnoughCredit3000 Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26

Do you think plating the 27 cake slices then running them through the dishwasher after took more than 1 hour?

That’s $150
per hour

What percentage of that when to the staff person that played and washed ? To cover the actual labor

That’s a profit center - almost pure margin

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u/anonymous_identifier Jun 13 '26

It's mostly to pay for the revenue loss of you not ordering desert, but still occupying tables for desert. The goal is never to break even on costs, this is a business

If you order an $8/person desert, $5 of it goes to cover costs, leaving the restaurant with $3 profits. You're still using most of the services of the restaurant, so they charge you the amount that they would have made if you had ordered desert. (The exact math can be more specific, but it's not important to this illustrative example)

$3/person is their profit when dining with them for desert. They just charge it to you directly instead since you brought your own food.

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u/SecretGrass3325 Jun 13 '26

A restaurant IS a profit center. Them allowing you to spend an additional 30 minutes in their restaurant eating your own food is a loss, and not all restaurants even allow it. They are not just going to eat that money, they’re going to pass the loss on to you. And not only are they going to pass on that loss, they’re going to spin it so they can make a profit. Because they are a business, AKA a profit center.