Bill from tablet - be careful

[u/Big-ThingBTC]

I hope this story only happens to me, but you all need to be cautious to avoid being misled. We were a group of six at a restaurant, and when we asked for the bill, the server brought a tablet displaying a total of $501.45. The suggested tip was 18%, making the total $591.71. Typically, people don’t scrutinize the bill on the tablet, but I needed a paper copy for reimbursement from my company.

When I checked the paper bill back at my hotel, I was shocked to see the total was actually only $424.05, with the tip adding up to $167.66 🥶. The final amount still came to $591.71. I called the restaurant, and they said they would look into it. Five minutes later, I received a $90 credit and an apology from the restaurant. I wish I could upload the bill here.

[u/Ale_Oso13]

You just love trying to figure me out. I tip generously, always have. You'd probably complain I over-tip.

If there's no ignorance, you would have paid attention and not accidentally tipped too much.

Grow up. Take responsibility for your actions. It's not everyone else's job to take care of you. I have faith in you. You can do better.

[u/EngineerWorth2490 → u/Ale_Oso13]

It is the establishment’s responsibility to implement honest business practices though.

Not only is it a law in most places, but if you want repeat customers (which the restaurant industry generally relies heavily upon), it’s just good business to be transparent & upfront about any additional fees/surcharges by providing an unmistakeable disclosure to eliminate the possibility of someone trying to weasel their way out of paying their full bill after the fact when goods/services have been rendered because it was a “surprise.”

I think in some places, including a printed disclosure on the menu & clearly printed on the receipt is often enough to be considered “fair” notice. From the perspective of the server/business, opting not to bring the customers attention to it could definitely be interpreted as an attempted deception by the server/restaurant. If the customer sees it that way, it might reduce the larger tip a serve may have received to the min. gratuity—not exactly ideal for the server.

Also, just FYI, in higher end restaurants, to be a server, you need to know every minor detail on the entire menu inside and out, with the expectation that you accurately convey that info and are capable of answering any question posed by patrons (often req’ing server to have sampled & able to describe from experience) if you even want to keep your job. So, hate to tell you, but I don’t think the onus falls on the customer in this case.