MI restaurant adds ‘COVID Surcharge’ to customer’s bill

Byberry ^ | 5-16-20 | Frank Bojazi

[Drastic]

Customers are upset after finding out a popular restaurant in West Michigan has been adding “COVID Surcharge” to their bill in the middle of a pandemic, when customers are already strapped for cash because they’re on lockdown – and not everyone can work from home.

The place is called Goog’s Pub & Grub and they claim the “COVID Surcharge” is a transparent way to be up front about rising costs in the restaurant industry that may have occurred during the pandemic. But not every customer is happy as the owner tries to remain open.

The owner, Brad White, said in a report by Fox 17, “We’re just trying to pay the bills so we can stay open until this is over.

[Redcitizen]

Can I get a MAGA discount?

[Bob434]

charge the restaurant a ‘patronage fee’ to go there-

[2banana]

Liberal/Progressive governor surcharge

[Strident]

I have no problem with this surcharge. We aren’t
quite at the point of Government Imposed price controls. We all know how well they work. If you don’t like it Eat somewhere else where they bury their costs in the meal price. I bet one driver is to defend against idiots who’ll whine about the capitalists raising their prices to increase their ill-gotten gains.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

Sorry Goog’s Pub & Grub, bad idea.

[MinorityRepublican]

I would pay the surcharge. Covers the cleaning supplies. Masks for employees. Etc.

[HangnJudge]

Did they notify customers in advance of the surcharge,
so they could “take their leave”?

[eyedigress]

I don’t care if they do it but it better well be known up front or it comes out of your “tip”.

[max americana]

$1 for a $14.26 meal. It depends as each person. My suggestion is not to add that surcharge on the receipt and just raise prices by $1 because you just piss of people. You know the saying “what you dont know wont hurt you”.

[Stravinsky]

Just bump up the prices a little. While some people will realize why this exists and be understanding, others will assume the restaurant is taking advantage of the pandemic. One of those cases where it’s best not to go the surcharge route.

[Bayard]

Yep. Its a regular cost of business, its onerous to list every pickle, slice of ham, french fry by weight of individual fry. I’d hate reading that as much as any waitress or cook would hate writing it.

[zerosix]

My salon tells me they plan to add $20.00 to each customer’s bill as hair is much longer after this time and if one needed color, they’d have to mix up more costing the salon more $$$, thus besides being denied their services from our KS governor, who is stringing this out another week or two, our salon owners are attempting to make it up with each customer!

Knowing how this stuff goes by past experiences, prices will not return to their past pricing structure (just raised prices last January in addition to this - and my stylist informed me she was going to go ahead and retire anyway.)

[mosaicwolf]

"Liberal/Progressive governor surcharge"

You can file for a reimbursement on your Michican state tax return. Gov Dim Whit will take care of it. //sarc off//

[Scrambler Bob]

If you get tested and don’t have Covid, can you get your surcharge back?

[Scrambler Bob]

as hair is much longer after this time
= = =

So snip off a bunch before you go in.

[A44MAGNUT]

MI businesses need to just raise their prices. All businesses are going to have to go that route with the inflation that is coming with the super monetizing of the debt to pay for this lock down. Recode the sales tax to read on the bill to read “GRETCHEN WHITMER’S TAX” just to remind the customer the fee she extracts to keep her thumb on your life.

[GnuThere]

The restaurants doing this have argued it’s less costly than constantly reprinting menus as food prices and shortages fluctuate.
I’ve been trying to leave more generous tips, so if I saw a surcharge I might cut back on that a little, don’t think it’s come up yet.

[zerosix]

I measured mine and it hasn’t grown much more than 1/4” inch but the owner declares the $20.00 to everyone’s bill so might as well seek out another salon that’s so happy to have customers, they’ll skip the surcharge.

[small farm girl]

Hmmm, my stylist always charges more for long hair, it’s right on the menu. She was brilliant to offer up custom color packets for her clients to get us through the lockdown. Smart lady!
And yes, just bump prices or add surcharge as optional. I bet many would pay it. I’ve tipped pretty well the few times I have phoned it in and employees are always grateful:)