I was charged a 20% ‘service fee’ for a private dining event in New York City. Is this type of fee permissible under New York law?
Beginning in July, 2013, the New York Attorney General’s Office began to examine the operating structure of the luxury restaurant Per Se, located on Columbus Avenue, New York, New York. According to the factual allegations, the restaurant was attaching a significant “service fee” to the final bill for private dining services amounting to 20% of the entire check. On the service agreement, the service fee was not explicitly described, and most patrons believed it to be a fee included to ensure proper gratuity was paid to the wait staff scheduled to work the event. In reality, however, the 20% fee – which was presumably sizable considering the $310.00-per-plate prix fixe menu – was used for daily operational costs of the restaurant, and was in no way paid to the wait staff for any private event scheduled by the restaurant.
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