I debated writing this for a few reasons: I don’t want to single out a waiter or a restaurant, and I don’t want to get flack for being cheap, but what happened to me recently at dinner really left a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to write it though, because it doesn’t just happen at one restaurant. It happens at many and I was upset with myself for falling for it.
I was on a work trip at a beautiful five star hotel in California’s wine country and I had a lot of work to do so I skipped the event I was supposed to attend and grabbed a quick bite at their stunning restaurant overlooking a valley with countless rows of grape vines.
I told the waitress I wasn’t too hungry since I’d already eaten earlier and I just ordered a salad; it was amazing.
She asked if I would like some delicious homemade bread with that? I said, “Sure, I’ll try it.” The bread was good, but it was served with butter in duck fat. I’m sure foodies would love that but I’m a simple man.
The worst part was when the bill came. Instead of paying the $25 for an appetizer I was expecting, they charged me $9 for the bread. I was going to say something, but I didn’t for a couple reasons: One, I didn’t want to look cheap and two, the client gave me a food credit, so it wasn’t costing me any money. It was just the principle of the matter.
I know that at a hotel with rooms starting at $1600 a night during peak season, $9 is nothing. But again, it was the principle. The server should have informed me that there was a charge for the bread instead of offering it as though it were free of charge, as bread is at most restaurants.
Another thing I didn’t like about the restaurant is that when the check came, they had three options to tip: 20%, 22% or 25%. I really think it should start with 15% even though I tip at 20%.
It reminded me of the traveler who ate at a restaurant at Boston Logan last year and the waiter crossed out the two lowest tip options and circled the most expensive one, as well as the optional part.
There are actually worse tricks to fall for, especially when dining internationally, such as restaurants having appetizers already on the table when you sit down and you think they’re free. They do it in Portugal but if you eat them, you get charged. Same thing happened to me in the Czech Republic but with potato chips on the table. Best thing to do is ask if there’s a charge and if there is, asked for them to be removed before you sit down (unless you want them, of course).
There are also restaurants that will either hand you a menu with lower prices, but when it comes time to pay, show you another menu with higher prices when you challenge them. This is why I always recommend taking a photo of the menu or video. This happened to me once in Budapest, Hungary.
I also wrote about a restaurant in Greece that will charge an extraordinary amount of money for their market price. You always have to ask the cost. Cruise ship captain Kate McCue once shared her own experience being charged 616 euros for fish in Mykonos and reminds travelers that there’s “no shame in your game” to ask for the prices of menu items before ordering.
Another thing some restaurants and hotel room services do is automatically charge a tip and then offer another line to tip, making you think the tip wasn’t included. If you don’t look at the bill closely, as many diner don’t, you would miss this and tip again.
These tricks don’t happen often but when they do, they leave a bad taste in your mouth. What are your thoughts? Has this happened to you before?
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