Posted on 09/25/2025 5:36:44 AM PDT by V_TWIN
A customer had some reservations about his bill at a restaurant.
One frustrated customer claimed that they were charged a “quiet time surcharge” on their bill, which was added before the tip — because the restaurant they dined at was empty.
The user shared on Reddit that they decided to check out a local restaurant for the first time, which seemed to be a quiet place to dine.
What seemed like a good thing quickly went south.
“At the end [of the meal], I check my bill and there’s an extra 20% pre-tip charge labelled ‘Quiet Time Surcharge,'” they explained.
The diner assumed it was an error and asked the server what it meant. The server apparently looked “sheepish” before explaining.
According to the Reddit post, the server said 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.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I checked several sources and could not determine where this happened.....if anyone knows please share
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No tip for you!
The restaurant should have paid the customers for making it appear as though their joint was busy.
Normally I would tip 20%. The surcharge would be the tip.
Was this information re “quiet time” printed on the menu?
You can demand they remove the charge. They cannot slip some bogus charges in there.
It probably didn’t happen. Reddit is a joke. It’s full of these fake stories that people love to eat up. A lot of these subreddits are just creative writing exercises at this point.
unless the customer was notified before ordering like on the menu
he does not have to pay
20%....I would have told the server I couldn’t tip because that money went to the surcharge so take it up with management.
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Also, I stopped going to a local seafood restaurant because they started tacking on some weird charge.....when I caught it I deducted from the tip and have never gone back.
Occam’s Razor applies here. That is why it is empty...
What a strange thought to have; charging customers more should they have a particularly pleasant experience at your establishment doesn’t seem like it’d be a part of any sucessful business model. (And honestly, I’ve not found being the only table in a restaurant to be a better experience. Quite to the contrary, in fact.)
reminds me when my FORMER bank tried to charge me extra for “digital banking services” when all the other banks were offering the services for free because it saved them a pile of money compared to in-person transactions ...
i explained all of that to the bank manager and asked to have the fee waived because i had been a customer for many years, and the manager flat out refused ... i said “Fine, i’m closing my account NOW and withdrawing everything in the account” and never looked back ... the manager could care less ...
Brave AI led me to this link. My guess is the owner doesn’t want to cover the difference between the base server wage and hourly pay required.
https://www.wccbcharlotte.com/2025/09/25/the-edge-restaurant-adds-quiet-time-surcharge-to-bill/
I’ve had this happen twice. Once in Franklin VA and once in Mobile, AL. It was a surcharge for not using cash. I pitched a fit the first time, but the owner showed me the signage at the door. I missed it. I kept my eye out for the same type of thing and caught a few more. I didn’t go in. In Mobile, there was no sign, but very small print at the bottom of the menu. Missed it and got hit with the charge. I thought about taking it out of the server’s tip but didn’t. Look for the warning...
Nobody goes there anymore, it’s always too crowded.
That would be the very last time I set foot in that restaurant....................
Our restaraunt sucks and nobody wants to eat here...
That is why they are empty
So, they are going to penalize somebody that actually wants to eat there?
Would a restaraunt manager/ owner rather have the staff that is being paid literally do nothing?
NEVER eat at am empty restaraunt. It is empty for a reson.
I was in Seattle a while ago and surprised with a “3.5% Living Wage” surcharge. I returned the surprise by leaving them a ZERO tip, since my 3.5% covered their needs, by definition. They practically screamed at me. That’s our Entitled Society.
We had a squalling baby next to us a couple weeks ago. We would have GLADLY paid a “quiet time surcharge.”
Better yet, they should have charged the kid’s parents a “noisy kid surcharge.”
“Nobody goes there anymore, it’s always too crowded.”
Witty... :)
New York Post now publishing fiction.
Doesn’t want to publish names because they cannot verify the story or more likely it never happened.
Same paper which keeps telling us it is a matter of weeks before Vlad gets on his knees and surrenders.
Fake stories: Similar to a lot of these “Karen” videos on YouTube, probably. Most look like poorly acted out, barely credible stories. Home made for the Clickings.
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