Restaurant under fire over 'bonkers’ extra fee amid calls for ‘boycott’

A restaurant has come under fire over a ‘ridiculous’ extra fee, which has left people threatening to ‘boycott’ the company and others like it.

Many of us are used to seeing added charges at the bottom of the bill, whether it’s the ‘optional’ service that seems to have already been factored in or the cost of the bread and butter you thought was a freebie before the meal.

But while there are certain things you might expect these days, it’s probably fair to feel that there should be a line.

One restaurant has found itself in hot water after it emerged that it was making diners pay for some of the absolute basics.

Yep, Marco Pierre White’s London Steakhouse forces customers to pay an additional fixed fee to ‘cover the cost of table linen and napkins’ - something that, unsurprisingly, hasn’t gone down too well.

The restaurant, located in East London near Liverpool St Station, bills itself as a ‘traditional steakhouse’, with its website claiming it has built its reputation on ‘using nothing but the highest quality produce, cooked perfectly and served crisply in casually splendid surroundings’.

Under the FAQs section on its website, the steakhouse outlines a £1.50 cover charge per person, explaining: “Our £1.50 cover charge is a fixed fee chargeable per person to cover the cost of laundering table linen/napkins and other consumables.”

There is also a discretionary service charge at 9.5 percent, while there is also a £10 fee for diners hoping to book certain set menus more than 48 hours in advance.

Discussing the charge on Reddit, one person fumed: “Just boycott places like this, it’s simple.”

How would you feel about being charged for the basics? (SimpleImages/Getty Images)

Someone else agreed: “Restaurants are taking liberties with random extra fees, won't be long till we have table occupancy and warm food fees.”

A third wrote: “If a restaurant is charging me for napkins and tablecloths, I’m taking them with me after I’m finished.”

A fourth said charges and fees are ‘just slapped on anything and everything these days', adding that ‘it’s getting ridiculous’, as another commented: “The extra charge nonsense is ridiculous, if you want to charge more, charge more for the food, that is the basic concept of how the UK accepts how restaurants should work.

“There's a lot of restaurants I really want to go to, but I refuse on principle to go to any that have a service charge. Particularly high end ones, you go expecting an expensive meal, I'm fine paying for that, I'm not fine being nickel and dimed with a math quiz.”

Others, meanwhile, could see one simple ‘solution’, with one suggesting: “Don’t bother going?”

Someone else said: “I mean, there's a solution here: don't go to the restaurant. It looks like they are trying to weed out certain clientele. Most restaurants would figure that into their prices anyway.”

But experts fear it represents a worrying trend of restaurants looking at 'more innovative ways to charge customers to capture revenue’ ahead of minimum wage increases in April next year.

Experts agree the fee is 'bonkers' (Instagram/@londonsteakhouseco)

Hospitality expert Steven Hesketh told the Telegraph: “To continue adding additional charges for customers is another nail in the coffin of the hospitality industry, which we really don’t need.”

Consumer expert Jane Hawkes also said it was 'bonkers', adding: “If you go to a restaurant you expect to get a bill for the food and drink you have had, nothing more. It’s not at all fair to introduce an extra charge for something that should be included as standard.”

In a statement to Time Out, London Steakhouse Company said: "Our decision to introduce a small flat cover charge reflects the rising costs of running a hospitality business and helps us cover essentials like linen without increasing menu prices across the board.

"Introduced in 2022, the cover charge has received an overwhelmingly positive response from our customers, and we are grateful for their understanding and support. Of course, if a customer objects, our policy is to remove the charge from their bill.

"It’s worth noting that the year to September 2024 saw the greatest number of restaurant closures in over a decade, highlighting the immense pressures faced by our industry."

Tyla has contacted The London Steakhouse Company for a comment.