Customer stunned after being charged for 'employee health' on her restaurant bill

Anybody who has ever enjoyed a meal in the US will know that - very often - the final bill isn't comprised solely of the cost of the meal itself. 

Rising food prices aside, additional charges such as tips and service charges (often at the discretion of the restaurant) are very common to see at the bottom of your check.

However, one woman was left astounded when she realised a restaurant was charging her for “employee health”.

Customer Ashley Nicole took to TikTok to share her surprise, as she recalled the moment when she noticed the peculiar fee, as well as her subsequent inquiry with the restaurant staff.

Credit: -asi / Getty

"Here’s the receipt, and if you notice down here towards the bottom, there is a $4.75 (£3.78) charge for employee health," Nicole explained in the video. "Do you see that, a 5 percent charge for employee health? 

“My immediate thought was, ‘What is employee health? What does that mean?’ We run through a couple of options and I’m like, 'You know what? I’m just gonna ask'.”

Nicole and a friend had been dining at the Los Angeles Italian restaurant Osteria La Buca, and approached the hostess for clarification on the bizarre charge. 

"Hey, quick question, just curious,” she said to a staff member. “I saw that you guys charged us $5 (£3.98) each, not total for the table, each, both of us, for employee health and I just had to ask like, what is that?"

To her astonishment, the hostess confirmed that the charge indeed went towards the employees' healthcare.

Nicole's bewilderment led her to seek validation on the social media platform. "I’ve never heard of that before, ever," she admitted. “Is that normal and have I been living under a rock?”

And it wasn’t long before people in the comments section shared their thoughts on the matter. 

What do you think of the additional charge? Credit: tirc83 / Getty

One TikTok user commented: "I'll be looking at my receipts more closely and I won't be paying for someone else's health care."

A second added: "I’ve been to multiple restaurants where they do this. Honestly, I’d rather just have it built into the prices."

"It should be more transparent," one person argued. "I'm not opposed to it but definitely should be made clear before you sit down."

Blasting the culture of additional charges, one person added: "This is all getting ridiculous. I went to a restaurant where they included a tip AND a service charge. SMH."

Another asked: "So either the restaurant increases prices to cover it, or they list it as a separate fee why does it make a difference?"

These types of charges began emerging in 2008 after a San Francisco ordinance allowed businesses with more than 20 employees to allocate funds for healthcare. 

While the federal Affordable Care Act mandates this for larger employers, smaller establishments - particularly in the hospitality sector - often implement similar measures independently.

Featured image credit: -asi / Getty