Customer Claims Restaurant Added A 'Quiet Time Surcharge' To His Bill Because It Wasn't Busy
The additional charge took him by surprise
frantic00 | Shutterstock In our current economy, when it comes to tipping and any additional charges that appear on a bill at the end of a restaurant experience, people understandably get heated. That was certainly the case for a man who noticed a random surcharge added to his bill for what he described on Reddit as a "quiet time surcharge."
He initially thought the surcharge was a mistake since he'd never dined at that establishment before, but when he asked the server about it, he was floored by the truth. According to the server, management instituted the charge because an empty restaurant is a privilege like "flying a private instead of commercial."
A customer said the restaurant added a 'quiet time surcharge' to his bill because it wasn't busy.
In his Reddit post, the customer explained that a new restaurant opened nearby and he decided to check it out. It wasn't exactly bustling, but that wasn't a surprise since it was new.
Dejan Dundjerski | Shutterstock
At the end of his meal, he was reviewing the bill when he found that there was an extra 20% pre-tip charge called a "quiet time surcharge." Since he'd never seen anything like that before, he flagged the server down to make sure it wasn't an error. "I ask the server what it is, thinking it’s a mistake. They look a bit sheepish and say something along the lines of: 'Management says when it’s not busy, you’re basically getting the place to yourself. It’s kind of like flying private instead of commercial,'" he recalled.
He admitted that he laughed a bit at that, thinking the entire thing was ridiculous. He pointed out that he just wanted to get dinner, not have to shell out an extra 20% of his money just for restaurant maintenance. He even insisted that there was less service work considering the restaurant was as empty as it was. "So now we’re at the point where restaurants tack on fees not because they’re busy, but because they aren’t. That’s wild," he continued.
Many restaurants have added surcharges that customers are being forced to pay.
According to the National Restaurant Association's restaurant business conditions survey, an estimated 15% of restaurant owners have started adding surcharges to their customers' bills. These fees, or surcharges, usually range between 3% and 5% and many restaurants have begun implementing them.
Since the pandemic, the cost of food, labor, and even rent has increased exponentially. As a result, restaurants have come up with different strategies to stay afloat. Despite restaurants' efforts to stay afloat, diners are less than impressed. In fact, with the economy in the state it's in, people can barely afford food at the grocery store, let alone going out to eat. It's almost a slap in the face to get charged random surcharges without any real cause.
While most restaurant surcharges are for specific reasons, it seems that the restaurant this man ate at was trying to compensate for the fact that they aren't getting a lot of business straight away. For that reason, something like a "quiet time surcharge" seems a bit unnecessary and might be doing the opposite of bringing in new clientele.
Frankly, no one will feel inclined to eat at a restaurant that charges them 20% on top of the 20% tip they already have to leave. There are probably better ways to keep the doors open that can actually make diners feel like they're getting something extra rather than being penalized for showing up at all.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
