Automatically adding service charge to restaurant/cafe bills

Rant :snoo_tableflip:

Service charge on top of restaurant bills is optional, and the restaurant will remove it if you ask, BUT WHO WILL ASK?

You feel like a dick to tell the waiter to take out his tips and give the bill. And if you're going with a group, everyone feels embarrassed to have that conversation. Sometimes in a cafe we've just ordered coffee, and we pay a 50Rs service charge on it.

It shouldn't be our responsibility to pay the waiter a fair wage; we are there to consume their food/beverages, not crowdsource the waiters' salaries. That is the responsibility of the establishment.

I feel they should ask us before they bill if we want to add a service charge or not.

It is illegal to add the service charge automatically, but all the restaurants and cafes are doing it, so who can we even complain to, who will enforce this?

Posted Jun 17, 2026, 5:05 AM UTC

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