During our visit to Austin, we noticed a 3.50%
'Wellness Fee' added to our restaurant bill. Is this a common practice across the city? When we inquired, staff explained that the fee supports back-of-house employees. While we appreciate efforts to support all workers, it raises the question-why not simply increase hourly wages instead?
by luisg101010
46 Comments
This question gets asked quite often so you might want to try a search if you want more information.
The short answer is that it is not common but it does happen at various restaurants, usually ones that are already overpriced and don’t want to scare people away with their menu prices.
It’s a scam. Basically if they raised their hourly pay, then they’d be on the hook to pay them more regardless of how busy they are. If they raised menu prices to cover the raises, then sales would go down because people usually buy less of things that are expensive. And it’s usually illegal to steal waiters tips for back of house. So they ninja a BS fee on the tab to subsidize cooks salary without impacting sales because people don’t notice the asterisk on the menu disclosing the fee. They would do this with everything if customers put up with it. Electricity fee, cost of food fee, owners second vacation home fee, etc. so that the menu prices could be super low and you see it in the bill at the end. But they can’t get away with it unless it’s “helping pay a livable wage” because who can argue that’s a bad thing right.
I am in the industry and am familiar with this company. I’ve heard awful things about the owner even though the food is great. I can’t confirm that this would be going to staff 100% but I’d rather have this then adding an automatic 20% gratuity on top of adding a tip line like we didn’t just do that for staff.
I’ve both served and managed at a couple restaurants in Austin that charge this fee and it was used to pay for insurance plans for employees. Before I had those jobs, I was never offered insurance through my work. Can’t speak for Bufalina, but that was my experience.
Let someone know about it. This site lists places all over Austin with surprises on their bills: https://www.nosurpriseeats.com
Fucking hell almost an extra $2 on a $55 bill? Who do these crooks think they are?
When they do stuff like this they must know people just tip less, right? I mean, if they just charged more for the food to cover costs of employment then people would not feel slighted. If there is some reason why the employer feels they have to separate the fee then they should show the price of the food and then immediately show the end price after “fees”. This feels grimy like a bait and switch.
I feel like these sort of “fees” became very popular post COVID for some reason? I’m not sure why this acceptable or the new normal? Personally not a fan of it. Business is business. I’m not sure what wellness means but is this fee not factored into the general cost of managing and running a business? Why charge the customer additional fees for providing a service?
If you ask the restaurant to remove it, they’ll take it off for you. I’ve worked at a couple places that do this. They say it’s to offer health insurance plans, but the guests shouldn’t have to cover those expenses. It can be beneficial too though. One place I worked at treated the wellness fee like a pot of income to help workers going through emergencies. We had a dishwasher who needed a back surgery in 2021, so they helped him cover that.
Yes. The city is expensive. Lots of people here bitch about the fee but also complain about prices of places who don’t charge it
They have done studies and people eat out more if the base price is cheaper
Under $2 to help cover insurance for restaurant employees (something virtually never heard of in the restaurant biz) is something I’d happily pay, especially at Bufalina who has some of the best service in this city, and imo low server turnover.
Working in kitchens and service is hard and your often working without any safety-net of insurance so kudos to Buf that they’ve found a way to offer it to their people at a small cost to us.
If *this* is the thing that’s going to make you tip less, just say you’re a bad tipper bc we already know you are.
Yes. More and more. Instead of being upfront about the cost of the meal more and more places are trying to come up with convoluted ways to raise prices but keep menu prices the same.
For everyone bitching about wellness fees and asking, “Why don’t they just raise menu prices?” — here’s the reality: if restaurants did that, the same folks would just bitch about how expensive the food is.
These fees aren’t some shady trick. They’re a transparent attempt to make hospitality jobs more sustainable by helping cover things like healthcare, paid leave, or better wages. The truth is, most diners aren’t prepared to confront the actual cost of food when it’s produced and served in a way that supports the well-being of the people behind it.
Also if these fees are a surprise or shocking to you, where have you been the last 4 years?
Heaven forbid. Touch grass.
why are we bitching about $1.89?
This is fine, what wasn’t fine was bufalina due charging 20% on take out orders. They must’ve changed it to 10% after plenty of complaints, and finally caved and update to the wellness charge. I’m fine with wellness, but fuck any business forcing anywhere close to +10% on take out.
Are people really losing their minds this much over $1.89 fee
I hate it when restaurants put extra fees and market it as though they are so doing a saintly gesture ny providing insurance with their “wellness fee.” Insurance should be standard for employees. Raise the price of your food to cover the cost instead of making a big deal out it with a special fee.
Take it out of their tip. Just normalize 10% tip. To hell with businesses.
Employee healthcare
Just deduct the tip by 3.5%. All sneaky fees come directly from the tip.
The audacity of some of the joints around here…
What is this mindset for people that bars and restaurants are always trying to trick them? Like, none of us have the time. We’re just trying to serve you food and beverage, and just maybe get paid a living wage. I do not understand.
It’s less than your pepperoni bro
Don’t accept this scam. Take it out of the tip.
The fact that their wellness depends on how much pizza you eat is wild. A flat fee is fine, a percent? Come on.
That’s fine, it will just come out of the tip.
Overrated pizza and overpriced too. Did my one visit, won’t go back.
I am sure I’ll get downvoted a lot for this but I could and would never ever diss service industry employees having employment-based healthcare like this, even as much as i dislike a healthcare system based upon employment. Just a disrespectful post imo.
Why the hell is pizza so expensive in this city?! Boggles the mind.
A restaurant providing insurance for employees is super cool. I’ll pay that $1.89 all day and I always leave additional tip too cuz I love my fellow humans and working in restaurants is hard ass work. I’ve always said it should be required that every person work in a restaurant for at least a year so you realize how much time, effort, and money go into a delicious plate of food arriving at your table. Anyone that has a problem with it I guarantee has never worked in a restaurant and have no right to speak on this topic. If you did, you’d be like damn these people deserve way more than 3.5% but instead y’all are selfishly living in coo coo banana land.
Wellness fees make me sick.
All I know is that I am out of town in Boise, I just got 2 huge slices of very good NY style pizza at a (clean and nice) counter service place for $7.29. Not sure you could get 2 slices at a gas station in Travis county for $7.29. And the tip at checkout was a choice of 1 or 2 dollars. Locals are just getting raked over. And the visitors like the OP just wonder wth?
Because capitalism breeds innovation
Idk but them meanwhile pilsners really do be hittin
You added pepperoni to a Margarita?
Lmfao. How about a fullness gratuity
Just deduct it from whatever tip you were going to leave. Easy!
Did you order wellness? Of not, ask for it to be removed.
That doesn’t solve the issue of where the money to pay for the increased wages come from. REMEMBER: restaurants have only one source of income to pay for everything (food and bev, overhead, labor) and that is the customer. Service charges allow you to make up some of these losses without the impact on raising menu prices and are usually published on the menus. A service fee is it a gratuity so they go to the restaurant to offset costs incurred. Margins are very tight.
Customers are quick to freak out when prices raise, so this is generally less psychologically damaging than say a 3.5% across the board in menu prices.
Everyone that doesn’t understand how this industry works will say “these owners need to be paying them better not me!” And just with what money do they pay them better?
I have not to my knowledge paid that fee..Ever.. and if it is ever included it will affect my total rip.. And I am service industry myself..
I hate hate hate that restaurants do this. I’m already being nickeled and dimed. Don’t add another surcharge, just add $0.50 to each menu item instead.
It’s the adjustment for inflation and current events.
When you post anything about a “fee” in this sub, everyone loses their minds and wants to boycott the whole establishment.
It’s mind numbing entertainment.
I have seen that at other Austin restaurants. They somehow have to fund an increase in hourly wages, either through the wellness fee or increased prices.
I would not go there. Those fees are nonsense.