Diners at a Shoreditch restaurant have been left with a bitter aftertaste after seemingly being charged for the ‘privilege of paying their bill’.
A patron sent a photo of a digital receipt from their March 28 visit to the Italian Trattoria Gloria, where they discovered an odd additional fee.
The consumer was charged a “checkout fee” of £2.99 in addition to a 13.5% service charge, for a total of £26.15 when they received their bill.
As a result, the meal’s total cost increased from £193.50 to £222.64, or an additional £29.14.
The ‘checkout fee’ is a charge added to every bill for those using the mobile phone app Sunday.
French entrepreneurs Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux, who also co-founded The Big Mamma company, which owns Gloria, came up with the idea for the Sunday app.
However, other diners said they were only able to avoid the charge if they went out of their way to ask to pay via contactless card on a card machine.
The cafe questioned people on social media if it was usual to be charged for paying their bill after posting a photograph of it.
Social media was left outraged by the ‘checkout fee’ and several users took it upon themselves to leave one-star reviews of the restaurant in revenge.
An image of the bill was shared to social media by the dissatisfied diner yesterday with the caption: ‘Is Gloria in Shoreditch the only restaurant that charges you for the privilege of paying your bill?’
The social media post received over 1,600 likes and more than 440 comments from users who were quick to vent their fury at the cheeky ‘checkout fee’.
One user commented: ‘It actually borders tacky. Would put it on their Google reviews; they might not be aware that it shows up like that or that it just ruins the whole experience.
‘They might see it and reconsider. People are sick to the back teeth of booking places, bonkers service charges, still expecting tips, and now stupid things like this.
‘It’s for their own good they know about this!’
Another added: ‘This needs stamping out fast before it spreads. I hope the restaurant gets boycotted until they see sense.’
A third wrote: ‘I’ve done my bit and left a one-star review.’
The hospitality app was launched by the team behind Gloria and was created to save people time at the end of their meals.
Why are eateries permitted to arbitrarily tinker with pricing and tack on extra fees? In any other place, these charges would not be accepted by anyone.
You’ve heard of creative accounting; now this is creative billing. It’s not illegal but it’s not ethical either. The thing is, restaurants don’t expect the majority to make a fuss over their sneaky charges, but if you do, make sure that you know your rights and stand your ground. Prepare to be either shamed or emotionally blackmailed in front of other customers.
Just pay in cash! ‘I promise to pay the bearer’ et cetera. If the service is good, then add 10 percent service.
Refuse to return to the restaurant and boycott it if you’re not satisfied! We must discipline these thieving egits.
The consumer should have complete control over any service fee, and any other money that’s added to the bill is just a sneaky way of trying to rinse their customers of their money.
If restaurants want to add on extra costs, they should notify their customers before they order, or it should be stated clearly on the menu in bold print. Then, if you choose to order your meal, you have to enter into a contract. If they don’t inform you of this, you have only entered into the contract to eat there and pay for what you have eaten, nothing more.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 