LWgeSC added to our restaurant tab

[question everything]

We calculate our tip based on the amount before tax. Whether it is 15, 18 or 20 percent.

Often there are two lines of taxes, one for food and one for drinks. Sometimes there is a special surcharge for tourism or something else. Not necessarily in Minnesota.

So we went to Kincaid in St. Paul and noticed there were two lines, one tax, the other 1.9% LWgeSC "a surcharge added to contribute directly to employee wages but is NOT in lieu of server gratuity.

So we added this to the "before tax" total and increased our tip.

In a story published today in the strib, a restaurant owners is adding surcharge to cover the increasing cost of health insurance.

http://www.startribune.com/well-known-minneapolis-restaurants-adding-surcharge-on-tabs-to-cover-staff-health-insurance/436963393/

A well-known group of Minneapolis restaurants will add 3 percent to every customers’ bill in an effort to offset the rising expense of providing health insurance to its employees.

Kim Bartmann, whose restaurants include Barbette, the Red Stag and the eclectic Bryant Lake Bowl, said Thursday that she is making the surcharge, which begins Friday, known to her customers, rather than “raising prices here and there” on various menu items.

“Just as people are wanting transparency on where their seafood or beef or vegetables come from,” Bartmann said, “we’re hoping that transparency around this issue in our restaurants is appreciated and encourages people to patronize our locations.”

She said she has spoken with many of her employees at the six restaurants, and “I haven’t gotten any negative feedback. I often get thanked [for offering health insurance]. ... A lot of restaurants don’t offer insurance.”

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That's OK. I don't have problem with that.

[TexasTowelie]

1. Good that the restaurant offers health insurance,

but bad because they also use that line so that they can blame "Obamacare". Some restaurants tried to "itemize" their bills right after the ACA was adopted and it was rightfully criticized on DU and elsewhere.

Do they itemize their bills to indicate how much is paid for utilities, workers compensation insurance, property taxes, etc.? I view this itemized bill as a complaint and whining rather than anything positive.

[dflprincess]

2. This is not transparency this is like the cell phone & cable companies

they tell you one price but when the bill comes there's all sorts of surcharges added.

Why aren't they doing this with the rest of their overhead? Add a line for the customer's share of the utilities bills, rent, linen service, etc. In the U.S. we have chosen to tie healthcare to employment and that just makes it part of the overhead.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. I'm with dflprincess.

Why don't they just raise to prices on the food the relatively trivial amount needed to cover health care? Or, better yet, raise those prices the likewise trivial amount to pay a living wage and post signs in the restaurant saying tipping is no longer required or expected?

Don't get me wrong. I'm willing to tip in those areas where I know people depend on tips. I even tip for crappy service, because I have never waited tables, don't ever want to, but know it's a crappy job. I know that because most jobs I've had have been dealing with the public, and I know how mean and nasty people can be. Anyway, what I'm getting around to is that some years ago I was getting my hair cut in a place (this may have been when I lived in Boulder, CO, but I'm not entirely sure) where no tipping was allowed. That was well posted in the salon, and when I tried to tip my stylist anyway she politely refused. It felt weird, because I was so used to tipping such people.

If I saw a check like that, I'd tip only on the price of the food and drinks, not on the add-on for health insurance. I'm paying that as part of the check, just as taxes are part of the check, but my tip is still only based on the price of food and drink.