Customers warn people to 'stop going' to restaurant as outrage continues over 'illegal' fee
A post showing the charge went viral on Reddit
Claire Reid
Diners in California are being warned to 'stay away’ from a Vietnamese restaurant after it was found to include an 18 per cent service charge for ‘parties of one or larger’.
In case you missed it, a Reddit user shared a shot of his receipt from Pho Ha Noi in Cupertino, which totalled $49.50 before taxes - only for the 18 per cent service charge to bring the price up to $62.93.
At the bottom of the bill a note reads: “18.00% Service Charge Included. For parties of one or larger, a 18.00% gratuity is applied automatically. If you have any questions, please speak with a manager.”
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The diner shared the receipt on the ‘Mildly infuriating’ subreddit, writing: “This restaurants has an automatic 18% service charge for parties of ONE or higher.
“I’ve seen restaurants include gratuity when it’s a large party but never for parties of one!”
The post quickly went viral, and Californians have since been warned to steer clear of the restaurant.
"Stop going there,” one person said simply.
While another said: “My brain has an automatic ‘never go there again’ setting when I read something like that.”
A third Reddit user said: “I would refuse to pay until they take it off. This is illegal if they did not disclose it up front. Once they take the charge off, leave no tip and pay the tab and never return again.
“I frequent the San Jose/Cupertino for work, thanks for highlighting this so I won’t go there.”
Someone else wrote: “If people were to stop going to restaurants like this, they would stop doing nonsense like this.”
Meanwhile, plenty of other Reddit users chipped in to say that they had been hit with similar charges - sometimes of up to 20 per cent - added onto their bills after dining out.
UNILAD has contacted Pho Ha Noi in Cupertino for comment.
The issue of tipping and service charges has been sparking plenty of debate online in recent weeks - with one woman saying she was fired from her job as a waitress after complaining about being left no tip by diners who ran up a $735 bill.
While on the other side of the coin, a couple in Chicago recently opened a restaurant with a strict ‘no service charge’ rule.
Vinod Kalathil and his wife, Margaret Pak, are the proud owners of Thattu, which has no service charge, and customers are not expected to tip.