It feels like every restaurant I go to lately has added a 3-5% 'service fee' or 'kitchen fee' to the bill, and then still expects a full 20% tip on top of that. I don't mind tipping well for good service, but when the fee is already there it starts to feel like I'm paying twice for the same thing. Do you guys still tip the full amount on top of the fee, or do you knock the tip down a bit to account for it? Has anyone actually asked a restaurant about it or pushed back? Curious how others handle it.
Many places treat that 3–5% line as a kitchen or operating fee, not as the server's tip, so the 20% ask still shows up. Checking the bill and asking where the fee goes helps: if it isn't tipped out, tipping on the pre-fee subtotal (or reducing by the fee %) is a common approach. Clearer menu labeling would cut a lot of the confusion.
Same here — it really does feel like paying twice. I still tip for good service, but now I tip on the pre-fee subtotal instead of the total with the fee added in. If the fee is 4-5%, that adds up fast. I wish restaurants would just put it in the menu prices and be upfront about it instead of surprising you at the end.
One more check: some places list that 3–5% as going to staff, others as kitchen or operations. Asking once usually clarifies whether the tip expectation changed. A few restaurants also print a suggested tip that already nets out the fee — worth reading that line before the card reader prompts.
Yes, it bugs me too — mostly because it shows up at the end, after you've already decided based on the menu prices. I still tip for good service, but I do check the bill more carefully now, and if there's a fee I don't tip on top of it. I'd much rather they just raise the prices a bit and be upfront about it.
Totalmente de acuerdo, es molesto. Un consejo: si el cargo por servicio aparece en el recibo, conviene preguntar si va a los meseros o al restaurante, porque a veces no es propina. Así uno decide cuánto dejar además.