Ugh. It’s so frustrating to see the opponents to bills like this. The gist of their argument seems to be, “if you pay people closer to a living wage so that they’re not struggling as much, the luxuries that I enjoy will cost a bit more, which will inconvenience me slightly, so I’m against it.” It’s frankly disgusting.
It’s annoying how some restaurants in DC have responded to the change by leaving menu prices as-is, tacking on a up-to-20% surcharge, then also have an ask for tips. In the most egregious of cases you’d be pressured to pay 40% on top of menu pricing.
I hope they figure out a better way to address the potential surcharge issue.
Stuff like that only hurts workers more. If people are surprised by a surcharge like that, they’ll for sure be less likely to tip enough. I’m surprised there isn’t legislation against those kinds of hidden fees.
Agreed.
At least the DC OAG released guidance on what’s needed for disclosures on service fees so there’s some indication about where they’re going.
Though, if I get a 20% surcharge on a bill where the fee is allocated to “employee pay”, I’m certainly enthused about leaving an additional 20% on top of that. I’d rather all the costs be rolled up into the menu pricing. If that means the $14 burger (on paper) is now advertised as $20, so be it.
As long as companies are allowed to hide fees to make their products look cheaper, they will. The guidance should be “no hidden fees are allowed beyond taxes and mandatory tips for large parties.” Otherwise, they will just keep doing what they’re doing while staying barely compliant.
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