Goodbye Service Charge, Hello 'Admin Fee'
Plus: The challenge of sourcing live snails for a London restaurant and a tribute to one of London's top American candy shops.
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Why Your Restaurant Bill Might Look Different
Today’s story explains why the service charge on your restaurant bill might soon be replaced by an "admin charge." Scroll down to read more.
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Example from L’Antica Pizzeria
By Polly Smythe
If you dine at L’Antica Pizzeria, an Italian restaurant with branches in Hampstead and High Barnet, you might notice a 12.5% "admin charge" added to your bill. This charge resembles a typical service charge and uses the same percentage rate. However, the crucial difference is that, by being called an "admin charge," it does not have to be distributed to the staff.
A London Centric reader recently shared: "The fee raised my meal cost from £69.20 to £77.85."
This change could have significant implications for how restaurants handle billing and staff compensation.
Author’s summary: London restaurants are swapping traditional service charges for "admin fees," which may not benefit their staff despite appearing similar on bills.