I agree, the tip at that point is entirely optional whereas without the service charge it would be expected. This seems no different than a “18% gratuity will be added to parties of 8 or more.”
It says on the receipt that they use the service charge to post a higher wage so if that is true then it does (indirectly) go to the staff. Like you say though - there’s no guarantee that it all goes to the staff.
At the very least they’re calculating the tip from the pretax/pregratuity price. Most places seem to calculate the suggested tips from the after tax total. So they’re not complete scumbags. Only mostly scumbags.
The bottom still suggest to tip… It’s not used to give their employees a better wage, it’s to show lower prices on the menus.
I actually interpreted that is tipping is now optional because the service charge goes to the staff
I agree, the tip at that point is entirely optional whereas without the service charge it would be expected. This seems no different than a “18% gratuity will be added to parties of 8 or more.”
Does it? Tips are legally protected and must go to staff, but I don’t think the same applies to “service charges”.
It says on the receipt that they use the service charge to post a higher wage so if that is true then it does (indirectly) go to the staff. Like you say though - there’s no guarantee that it all goes to the staff.
That’s how I interpreted the contents of the receipt, that’s all I can tell you.
This would reduce tipping a lot, so if the staff weren’t being paid well to begin with I don’t see how they’d continue working there.
At the very least they’re calculating the tip from the pretax/pregratuity price. Most places seem to calculate the suggested tips from the after tax total. So they’re not complete scumbags. Only mostly scumbags.