A restaurant in the US is going viral on social media platforms like Instagram and Reddit for charging a "living wage fee" on its food bill. The viral picture of the bill shows an order of a sandwich, a burger and fries. Along with the cost of the food items, the restaurant, whose name has not been revealed, has also added a "living wage fee" of 18 per cent, amounting to $5.94 (Rs 515). After this, tax is added to the subtotal to get the final amount.
Under the total amount, the restaurant has also explained what the "living wage fee" is, which could possibly mean that not many diners are aware of it and may frequently ask questions about this charge.
The note read, "Living Wage Fee of 18 per cent added to each dine-in check. This fee goes directly to the staff payroll and provides a living wage to our team. If you choose to tip, tips are pooled amongst the entire team."
As seen in the comments section, the internet is not happy with this additional fee.
"It's the recommendation to eat at home," a sarcastic comment read. Another added, "One more reason to not drive there."
A user wrote, "If they already add a tip, I'm not tipping...it's not being cheap I'm just not tipping twice."
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Another said, "A clever way to increase price without having to update the menu!"
Devised as a way to better compensate employees, the concept of charging a "living wage fee" from customers remains vague. According to a restaurant called Lula & Sadie's in the US, "Restaurants that charge a "Living Wage Fee" or "Service Charge" have the option to absorb this amount into the business and use it however they choose with the ethical understanding that this will be disclosed to the staff and customer."