Michigan Restaurants’ New Trend: Adding Fees Sparks Diner Discussion

Have you ever gotten sticker shock when dining out? Sure the price of everything is up, that's no surprise, but have you spotted any additional fees tacked on to your bill?

It's a growing national trend, and one that has hit Michigan.

Two threads on the Grand Rapids forums on Reddit attest to local restaurants that are adding the fees.

One posting (caution on some NSFW language in the headline) shows a 3% 'admin' fee on a receipt. A second posting also decries a restaurant charging an administration fee.

Is it simply the cost of a night out? Several diners say the fees are a way for a restaurant to pass along credit card charges under a different name. Others say it's a nebulous fee tack-on to the bill rather than raise listed menu prices on items.

There's antidotal evidence that these fees where once only added to credit card payments at some establishments but now are a blanket fee no matter how the bill is settled.

Others counter that the credit card fees are lower than the 'admin' fees charged by restaurants so question where that extra fee charge is going?

So the question is, will an added fee make you forego a dining out experience or do you accept that this is the way of the the world and restaurant owners need to survive in the same way you do?

Or if you're looking to harken back to a time when no one had ever encountered a fee tacked on to the tab, it would be at these mall food court denizens you certainly fondly remember.