Opinion: Jon & Vinny's defense of 18% 'service fee' makes no sense to readers

In a week where the U.S. Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, ruled that wedding website designers can turn away same-sex couples and scuttled the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness program, the issue that has drawn some of the most impassioned responses from readers has been ... restaurant service fees?

It's easy to understand why: According to a report in The Times on a lawsuit involving the popular Italian restaurant mini-chain Jon & Vinny's, diners are confused by the 18% fee tacked on to every bill, and servers are fed up by the lower tips they've been receiving as a result. Another group also is fed up: Times letters writers, who have previously expressed their frustration with American tipping culture and now are revolting against tacked-on fees at restaurants.

I see this deluge as the dam breaking on an issue that has been slowly building pressure for a while. People have long complained about pricing opacity and being asked for a tip at seemingly every opportunity (see what happens now when you order a Diet Coke at Dodger Stadium). Now that The Times and other media are catching on — and workers at one restaurant are suing over a service charge — the flood of letters has arrived.

————

To the editor: I am just a country lawyer with a law degree from a small school in the San Francisco Bay Area currently known as Berkeley Law. But after reading this whole article I still don't see what the18% fee added to the restaurant bill at Jon & Vinny's pays for.

I have seen a similar fee added in restaurants in the Bay Area, where I was told it paid for health benefits for the restaurant's employees. It certainly does look like a tip. If it's a tip shared with all nonsalaried employees, that should be spelled out.

It looks like the restaurant owners are being purposely fuzzy about how much their pizzas cost, and they're doing it at the expense of the employees. Couldn't the restaurant could just pay a reasonable wage to its employees?

Erica Hahn, Monrovia

..

To the editor: Two things are going to happen if I ever see a service charge on my bill.

First, I will consider it a tip, and second, I will never go back to that restaurant again.

If restaurants need more money, they should raise their prices. Don't nickel and dime your customers.

James Tyner, Venice

..

To the editor: The effect of "service fees" on employees' income is only one side of the problem.

What if supermarkets start adding "service fees" at checkout? Or if retailers like Target or Amazon start doing it? Would you complain about an 18% "service fee" added to the card you used to pump that gasoline? Your bank would love to be able to add an 18% fee on every transaction.

Whatever happened to truth in advertising? That $28 entree on the menu should cost you $28, not $33.04.

Douglas Marshall, Bell

..

To the editor: I doubt very many customers know they will be hit with a service fee when ordering from these establishments. It's very deceitful to say the least.

I first noticed this service-charge model a few years ago at our local Pizza Hut, which tacked on a fee at the end of my order to cover the "increased cost of operations in the state of California." The $16.99 advertised medium pizza is $18.43 when you add the service fee.

I would prefer a higher upfront price without the made-up service fee tacked on at the end. It’s simple: Just charge more if you need to pay your employees more instead of putting it on the customer at the end of the bill. It will also avoid confusions for customers who would otherwise leave a tip.

Joe Gartner, San Juan Capistrano

..

To the editor: I have a suggestion for restaurateurs Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo and Helen Johannesen to solve the dispute Jon & Vinny’s is having with former and current employee: Raise your prices 18% and distribute the additional money however you choose.

That way, your customers know how much they’re paying for food and can determine how much servers have earned, and no one feels cheated or misled.

I’ve never eaten at a Jon & Vinny's, but I don’t think I would knowing that I'm either paying 18% above menu prices or cheating a server out of well-deserved income.

Liz White, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: I have read the "service charge" line on restaurant bills as a required tip, but now I understand that it is actually a "cover charge" — a price for being served, period.

Restaurants that add a service charge to their bills should include that information on their websites and menus and clarify that it is not a gratuity.

Susan Wilson, Pasadena

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.