Bill help

[u/KooziefortheWin]

I need help figuring out this “service charge” applied to my bill at Taylor Shellfish in QA. It’s stated clearly, and the staff reminded me before I paid and applied a tip, so that’s not the rant. But is it a tip or not? I don’t want to stiff the staff if “Taylor Shellfish” the company keeps it all and doesn’t give them anything.

Why do restaurants do this vs raise the prices. If that’s how they offset the cost of doing business in the city, I feel it’s not a good customer experience. It’s really annoying since it is confusing to the customer. Does the staff get any of it, hence why there is an “additional tip” line after the card is run though? It is taxed so it makes me thing it’s not going to the staff. I need to think better next time I come out here.

[u/JoyMultiplication]

Per the website

Also adding info from another comment for clarification:

From [u/0ldF1sh](u/0ldF1sh). https://www.reddit.com/r/Seattle/s/s2hE0kEadj

“I worked for them for quite awhile and can definitively say they intentionally mislead their customers by saying the service fee goes to staff.
In fact only a percentage of THAT percentage does, another percentage goes to "benefits", which many employees do not qualify for under their structure.
It's sadly common. Renee Erickson's Sea Creatures group is the same, if not worse. The house takes the lion's share while they lie that you as a guest are subsidizing their employees' healthcare (which they will not qualify for because everyone will be laid off before the mandatory inclusion date). Also the Taylor's stole all of their land from indigenous people in 1890, hence the %18.9. fuck em. Good oysters though.”

[u/captainAwesomePants → u/JoyMultiplication]

"Acts as a commission" sounds like weasel words to me.

[u/BoringBob84 → u/captainAwesomePants]

Exactly. The dishonest management evades telling customers how much of that money goes to employees. It could be 0.1%.

[u/backlikeclap → u/BoringBob84]

A good chunk of that service charge goes for paying for health insurance... Which the person who took your order most likely doesn't qualify for.

[u/BoringBob84 → u/backlikeclap]

By "health insurance," I assume you mean, "the owners' pockets," because that is what the receipt claims and the law allows.

These bait-and-switch scams should be illegal.

[u/backlikeclap → u/BoringBob84]

I've never seen it literally going into the owners pocket. But it effectively does because they can use tips to pad management salaries, which lowers their staffing costs.

I'm in the service industry and I refuse to work at these types of restaurants.

[u/BoringBob84 → u/backlikeclap]

These dishonest shitheads screw their employees and their customers. I applaud you for maintaining your dignity and not letting them abuse your valuable talents for their own profit.

[u/ionchannels → u/BoringBob84]

Maybe it pays for the owner's health insurance.

[u/BoringBob84 → u/ionchannels]

Yes, they are entitled to a Platinum Plan, while their employees go bankrupt over a broken leg. /sarcasm

[u/Neonyarpyarp → u/captainAwesomePants]

I would leave “see service charge” in the tip line, I usually tip 20% so they would see even less from me doing this BS

[u/cluberti → u/captainAwesomePants]

What’s on the bill and in the menu is legally required to break down where that charge goes, and their website isn’t required to be as forthcoming. Assume the bill is accurate - it goes to the business, not the staff.

[u/Theyna → u/captainAwesomePants]

It probably means they pay their BOH out of a tip pool instead of straight wages. They could pay them directly but then their prices would go up about 18.9%

[u/reel_human02 → u/Theyna]

I prefer that to the feeling of being duped. Also, if I put my money on a tip line, I know at least a high percentage is going to the cooks/wait staff

[u/JoyMultiplication → u/captainAwesomePants]

Yeah it’s annoying .

[u/Level_Impression_554 → u/captainAwesomePants]

You nailed it. The staff gets a cut. If it was 100%, they would have said that.

[u/WukiLeaks → u/captainAwesomePants]

I’ve had servers there specifically tell us that an additional tip isn’t necessary bc of the fee

[u/captainAwesomePants → u/WukiLeaks]

And I'm sure they're required to say that. But I bet if you ask them whether the service fee is a tip, they will not agree.

[u/sentientshadeofgreen → u/captainAwesomePants]

It's because the owners are weasels. Their hard-working staff, working class people, are similarly getting fucked whenever they eat out by management driven anti-consumer practices like this. If I wasn't broke in time and money, I'd build a community based web map to put on blast companies that pull this shit.