Restaurant Adds 18% Service Charge For Party Of 1, Internet Shocked

A restaurant bill is making waves on social media for 18 per cent service charge for the party of one. The photo of the bill has been shared by a Reddit user TRTL2k on the site's "mildly infuriating" thread. The bill shows it is from Pho Na Hoi, a Vietnamese restaurant in California. The Reddit user reportedly had the meal at the restaurant's Cupertino location. The bill had a subtotal of $49.50 but rose to $62.93 due to $8.91 fee and $4.52 sales tax, as seen in the image.

"I've seen restaurants include gratuity when it's a large party but never for parties of 1!" the user said on Reddit. A note below the bill said an 18 per cent gratuity "is applied automatically for parties of 1 or larger".

This restaurants has an automatic 18% service charge for parties of ONE or higher
byu/TRTL2k inmildlyinfuriating

The restaurant has not reacted to the image of the bill going viral.

The photo has generated a lot of reactions on the social media platform. "That's the tip as far as I'm concerned," wrote one user of the service charge.

"No better way of saying 'we definitely do not pay our workers enough'," added another. "Should be the largest font on the front page," said a third user.

In the last few months, restaurants have been adding bizarre charges "wellness fee", "kitchen appreciation fee" or a "living wage charge", which they say go to workers.

In August, a couple in the United States was shocked to see $15 charge for something called "You're an A**hole". The diner shared a photo of the invoice on Reddit, with the caption saying, "My dinner receipt had a message for me."

The couple later realised that they had a cocktail by the same name and the charge added in the bill was for that.