Restaurants around L.A. County have begun to pass along the extra costs created by raising the minimum wage — and we’re stuck with the bill.
The r/LosAngeles Reddit forum is keeping track of which establishments are concocting new fees and surcharges that you might be overlooking on your receipts.
The list Redditors have compiled contains nine WeHo businesses alleged to have tacked on fees in response to rising costs, including Bottega Louie and Hamburger Mary, which WEHOville confirmed.
The surcharges tend to range between 3% and 5% of the total bill. The list notes one restaurant, Rosaline, doesn’t allow tipping but they mark up customers’ bills by 20% to pay for the difference.
Oddly, some of the restaurants allow diners to opt-out of the fees altogether.
You can report any surcharges you see on your bills and get the restaurant added to the list by filling out this form.
| Restaurant | New Fee | Location | Source | Notes/Charges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Beauty | 3% | Venice Beach / West Hollywood | “Health and happiness” surcharge to cover employee health insurance (source: former employee, and no, I did not get health insurance) | |
| AOC | 5% | West Hollywood / Brentwood | Menu | |
| Bottega Louie | 5% | DTLA / West Hollywood | ||
| The Butcher’s Daughter | 3% | Venice Beach / West Hollywood | Menu | “AN OPTIONAL 3% HEALTH AND WELLNESS FEE HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE BILL TO SUPPORT HEALTH INSURANCE FOR OUR STAFF.” |
| Hamburger Mary’s | 5% | West Hollywood | WEHOville | |
| Horses | 4% | West Hollywood | Menu | “A 4% restaurant fee will be added to all checks.” |
| Lucques | 3.5% | West Hollywood | Statement | 3.5% Surcharge is removable upon request per statement from The Lucques Group |
| Rosaliné | 20% | West Hollywood | Menu | “As a non-tipping restaurant, Rosaline adds a 20% administrative fee to all checks. This is not a service charge or gratuity and supports higher wages and benefits for our hourly team. If you have questions about this fee, please ask for a manager.” |
| Saltie Girl | 4% | West Hollywood | Saltire girl added a 4% charge. Waitstaff confirmed none of it goes towards them or BOH and could not explain what it was for. They will remove it if asked, did that and added 4% to the tip instead. |
[…] say the cost of the wage hikes ends up being borne by the consumer, further fueling […]
I have no problem paying the fees. It’s not that much and if it keeps my favorite places open and the staff happy, I’m all for it. Everyone deserves a living wage.
[…] The list Redditors have compiled contains nine WeHo businesses alleged to have tacked on fees in response to rising costs, including Bottega Louie and Hamburger Mary, WEHOville reported. […]
I just had a lovely dinner in Silverlake. The bill had only two categories, the food price and a blank space to fill in a tip.
Easy-peasy, affordable and yummy.
My response to this fee assessment:
1) dine out less
2) reduce my tip by the percentage of the fee
I would never choose to eat at a restaurant in West Hollywood for just so many reasons. Parking is terrible and expensive, it is no longer safe there at night, and I am not amenable to having a spate of random gratuitous fees wriggled up my posterior after I have enjoyed a meal out. I do not patronize restaurants again after I have been chiseled. I am not just annoyed but downrightly virulently disgusted with the death by a thousand cuts devolution of West Hollywood. It sucks now.
Vote for communists, get communism. Don’t know why y’all are shocked. Can’t say I didn’t warn you.
As for the “raise prices and move on” crowd, why don’t we just print more money and hand it out?
This is capitalism. Do you even know what words mean?
Clearly he doesn’t. He’s just an angry man sitting alone in his home thinking about how he wasted his life.
Lucques Has been closed for years…
It Really is Quite Basic! Do not patronize the businesses. OR reduce gratuity accordingly? WILL they be paying City County State and or Federal Taxes on the “administrative fees”? One of my favorite grocery delivery places started this a few years ago, So I stopped using them.
If a restaurant cannot afford to pay the wait staff, they shouldn’t be in business.
I’m waiting for the restaurant to add a statement to the receipt saying something to the effect:
“The prices of the food and drinks include paying a living minimum wage as required by law and includes health insurance offered to all our staff. The prices have gone up for many reasons including increases in rent, the minimum wage, the cost of equipment, food supplies and utilities.”
When I eat out, I expect these items to be factored into the cost of everything on the menu. These petty additional fees, particularly in restaurants that are already pricey, are insulting.
bet the owners still are making big bucks.
I ordered takeout from Marco’s last night. On the bottom of the receipt they have this message:
“A 4% surcharge has been added to your total bill to help offset the increasing costs of doing business, including higher minimum wage rates. This is not for services provided and is not paid directly to service staff. The charge is not added to takeout and delivery orders.”
So for them at least, the higher minimum wage is one the reasons they charge a surcharge.