In addition to the fact that tips are becoming out of control in the US, health insurance fees for full-time employees are also causing controversy, demonstrating the enormous impact of inflation.
Customers are furious at having to pay employee health insurance
In an extensive post shared by a guest who dined at an Atlanta restaurant, he recounted his profound astonishment and dismay upon being compelled to pay an "unreasonable" fee that appeared on his bill, referred to as a "health insurance fee."
According to the detailed account, the customer enjoyed a meal and beverages at the establishment for a total of $50.50. Additionally, he also paid the sales tax of $4.49.
However, he left stunned after discovering an unexpected charge of $2.02 designated as a "Health Insurance" fee, which left him dissatisfied with his overall dining experience.
The restaurant notes about the 2% employee health insurance fee on each customer's bill
A notice below the invoice explains: "On your invoice, there is a 4% Health Insurance fee, tax. We are committed to the health of our team; they are our family.
"This small percentage isn't enough to cover it all, but it does allow us to offer health insurance to ALL of our full-time employees.
"Our industry is an increasingly difficult one to survive in, this small charge affords our staff the ability to go to the doctor for mental or physical ailments they may face.
“Thank you for understanding.”
The man said in the post: "This restaurant charged me a health insurance fee."
Customers' reaction to employee health insurance fee
The unexpected fee sparked a lively debate among social media users, with many questioning the restaurant's rationale and criticizing the perceived lack of transparency.
However, the customer's post has sparked a broader discussion about the fairness of charging options for an item such as health insurance, typically considered a responsibility of the employer.
We care about our employees... but don't dare to pay for their insurance. So, we blame you! One person moked.
Showing that on the invoice for the customer to see is absurd. Instead, raise the price a bit and take the extra fee off the bill, commented the second person.
This is absurd, employee health insurance must be paid by the employer! Another insisted.
We eat out and now have to pay extra for employee health insurance, ridiculous! Someone wrote.
Immediately after the post received outrage from customers, the restaurant responded about the health insurance fee
The Chans - the family restaurant: “I’ve never seen a family that needs to be beaten up more, make that Healthcare comes in handy.”
The restaurant, which specializes in Chinese food and pizza, said in a statement: “To the two top who sat at table 15 last night.
“My wife chatted you up like we do. We like to talk to our guests; we invite you to our home is how we feel about it, so we try to personally make sure everything is going great, you said it was. Everything seemed fine.
“So based on what has happened in the last few hours, it appears the paragraph printed on our menu was missed and you were caught off guard by a health insurance fee we implemented. I am truly sorry about that.
“We post it on the menu itself and the receipt to avoid this. It has been on the menu for about a year now, we were inspired by another couple of restaurants here to do the same.”
