LogFAQs > #946084324

adjl posted...

The only possible benefit I can see to the city explicitly "allowing" it is that customers are more likely to be sympathetic to a "Covid surcharge" than to the restaurants increasing their prices without such a public justification. It also takes some of the competitive angle out of it, since you're more likely to get more people adopting the idea with explicit approval than doing it independently.

Basically, it's not a legal benefit, it's a psychological/social one.

Agreed. Individual businesses would be afraid to "take the lead" in charging more. This surcharge lets them pretend like it's "out of their hands" to an extent (which it is anyway, but you know how it's easier to just blame "the government").

DirtBasedSoap posted...

I always see this as a sneaky way to raise prices. Just make the food cost more to offset the costs instead of this shit.

Tips for waiters are based off the price of the food, as are the usual taxes. By making it a separate surcharge, those costs aren't going up for the diners. Which is good for them...obviously kinda screws the waiters.