Customer notices employee health insurance itemized on restaurant bill and people are divided

A receipt that’s been posted online has people divided over whether a restaurant is playing it fair to their customers- and their employees.

We all know it’s only fair to pay tax and tip well when going out for a meal, as a lot of servers only make money from tips.

That’s no problem, but one diner was surprised to see something added onto the bill that they’ve never seen before.

A Reddit post has appeared on the ‘Mildly Interesting’ thread which shows an itemised bill that a customer had received when they had paid for their meal at Giant in Chicago.

On the bill was tax, total, and a compulsory $5.65 charge to go towards the server’s health insurance.

This then threw the internet into theories on the restaurant as to why diners were apparently paying for the server’s health insurance as opposed to the company - as health insurance is usually paid by the employer.

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One reader calculated the apparent cost, saying: “Given they're charging as a percentage based on the cost of the meal, and health insurance is a fixed rate per month per employee.”

Another joked: “Next up: Property tax fee- 8%, Power & Water Utility fee - 3%", CEO Bonus fee - 22%, Doubling the Profit fee - 200%"

And a third called the charge 'crazy'.

However, one commenter said: "Fair enough, 5% less tip, problem solved."

And someone else said: "I'd gladly pay an extra 5 dollars on all of my transation [sic] totals in this country if it gave people health care."

And someone else wanted to provide 'further context', claiming that the health insurance charge is listed on the menu and online and it has been 'since it opened'.

While other’s seemed not only shocked at the added charge but at the overall pricing of the bill, as ice cream was noted as $13 and scallops $19.

Giant's owner, Chef Jason Vincent, told UNILAD: "We pride ourselves on offering our staff fair and well-deserved benefits, and that includes health insurance. The restaurant and employees each pay 1/3 of the cost of this and our customers help by paying a small surcharge on their meal.

"Since instituting this surcharge in 2017, we can count on one hand the number of guests who have asked us to remove it, which we do.

"We strive to be a place where everyone likes to be - whether they are working with us or enjoying a meal with us - and this very small fee allows us to foster that feeling."

Topics: Food and Drink, Money

Chelsea Connor

Chelsea is a Journalist for UNILAD. Before this she worked as a Journalist and Comedy Writer for seven years, working for companies such as Newsquest, NationalWorld and Samahoma Productions. She became a qualified journalist back in 2017, completing a NCTJ at Liverpool City College.

@theccjourno