reataurants now charging cc fees?

A Sedona bar just charged us a percentage for the employee health insurance - I guess it was optional if you bitched about it.

MDS

 

What's more unbecoming?

Ferrari owners bitching about credit card fees at restaurants, or restaurants charging credit card fees?

 

Well, many restaurants now charge a fee in addition to the total bill for a supposed employee health insurance payment, PLUS a surcharge on the credit card payment , in addition. Both charges are for different purposes, obviously. It's just another way for restaurants and other businesses to increase profit.
Gary Bobileff

 

So many times I've seen people pay with a debit card swiped through my reader and I'd end up paying the 2.75% (I use a Square point-of-sale, it's the same percentage for any swiped transaction, credit or debit). I'm a one-man gig and these fees do add up. I started adding 2.75% to any swiped-card transaction, or customers could pay via Venmo or cash without a fee, and people know this upfront. If someone is paying by debit card, they can pay through Venmo (which most people have), it comes out of their same account but no fee for me.

Swiped card transactions have dropped massively since I started doing this, I'm guessing by 90%. Weeks go by I don't swipe a card and most transactions are through Venmo, a couple cash transactions per week, but far and away most of my sales are customers debiting through Venmo. Works great for me.

 

Where do you begin with this one....
So much misinformation about fees, who pays them, what they are, can a convenience fee be passed to the consumer...
I can only speak to NYS, as laws vary from state to state;
As far as the fee; technically you cannot tack on a fee for the use of the credit card; what you can do is the cash vs. credit pricing as you used to see/do see in gas stations. A restaurant must have notice on menus: pricing is for cash payment OR actually show the different prices. Sounds tacky or odd, but that is the requirement. You can complain to the Consumer Protection Agency in the County where you live/dine.
As an FYI, cc processors collect their fees "off the top" Bill=$100; Tax=8.75%; Gratuity 15%= 24% of the bill goes to the State & Waitstaff yet comes out of the businesses pocket, and NO you cannot deduct that from the waitstaff. End of the year that adds up to real $$. which makes some merchants add that fee.
Moreover, not all fees/commissions collected by the processor are the same for all the cards.
VISA/MC charge different rates to the merchant based on the type of card it is. Generally speaking, the card that gives the most perks to the card holder, is usually more expensive to the merchant. That's how VISA/MC can give those triple point & no fee cards out. Somebody is paying for someone else.
Personally, as a business owner, I chalk this off to my cost of doing business. My pricing changes are based on costs of goods, cost of labor & fixed costs of doing business (insurances, rents, utilities etc).
The worst thing a restaurant OR ANY other business can do is lessen the experience, whether it be by using poor quality because it costs less, by cutting portion sizes or quality of services provided. People don't mind paying if they feel they are getting value/quality for their money. Value meaning different things to different people of course.

 

If its for some government mandated cost I don't blame them in fact I applaud them. Its time people understand what the constant barrage of requirements, fees and additional taxes are really costing them.