A Diner Says Its 18% Service Fee Doesn't Cover Tip & Internet Users Were Shocked By The Bill

A U.S. restaurant has ignited an angry debate over tipping culture and fair wages, after a viral bill revealed that it adds an automatic 18% "service charge" while also asking for tips.

The Los Angeles restaurant, called Jon & Vinny's Slauson, seems to have been doing this for a while based on the Google reviews, but a recent photo posted on Reddit has internet users up in arms.

The photo shows a receipt from a dinner for two that comes to $104.70. However, the bill also includes a mandatory 18% service charge in bold letters, which adds an extra $18.85. The total after-tax ended up being $135.29, but the numbers don't stop there.

Under the total, the bill includes a section outlining a “suggested tip,” which ranged from 8-15%.

If the customer decided to go with the highest tip amount of 15%, their bill would have totalled $150.99, or nearly $50 in extra charges.

The bill also includes a block of text at the bottom that specifically explains that "the service charge is not a gratuity." Instead, the restaurant says the charge is used to "provide equitable wages to all of our employees."

“If you choose to leave a gratuity, the suggested tip amounts go directly to our hourly staff working today,” continued the receipt.

The Reddit thread earned thousands of upvotes and comments from people who tore into the restaurant for the policy.

One person wrote: "WTF am I tipping for if you are charging this to pay them 'equitable wages'?”

Another person replied to the comment by saying: “The better question is why does the customer have to make sure the waiters get 'equitable wages', isn’t that the owner's job?”

“The whole tip culture is so f*cking rotten from every f*cking point…. If I want to tip, I’ll do it,” the comment continued. “USA is using this sh*t to underpay the staff and guilt the customers into paying them what they are supposed to get in the first place.”

One commenter said: “Oh that’s definitely the tip. I wouldn’t tip on top of that.”

Others agreed and one user wrote: “Absolutely. Any restaurant that has a service charge that states it goes to their employees, I won’t tip on top of.”

“I won't tip if I see this, because that is the tip,” said another commenter.

Despite the backlash, some tried to give the owners the benefit of the doubt.

"My takeaway from reading the receipt is that they aren't expecting you to tip," one user wrote. "I think their intentions are in the right place, (but this) seems to be a marketing issue more than anything. "If they built that 18% into the food cost then people would feel like they have to tip."

Others pointed out that tipping is optional and the "suggested parts in bold" are there to help

The restaurant's Google reviews also include several angry and confused customers who called out the policy.

“This 'service charge' doesn’t go to the waiters as a tip… it goes to the employer so that they can pay their staff minimum wage,” reads one review. "Jon & Vinny then expect patrons to TIP their employees an additional 18-22%. Are you for real?!?! That has to be the biggest scam of 2022.”

“I enjoyed the food but did not appreciate the 18% fee (not a gratuity, our server told us) sneakily added to your bill. Very deceptive,” read another review. “Between that fee and tip, that’s a whopping 36% extra added to your final bill. I won’t be back.”

Another reviewer called out what they saw as a double tip on the bill. "My menu price increased by 43%," they wrote. "So my wife's one glass of wine went from 16.00 to 23.00.”

Critics have even found the restaurant's Instagram page, where one user wrote: "Quit trying to charge customers for tips twice bozos."

Narcity reached out to Jon and Vinny's for a comment but did not hear back at press time.