Diners fuming after recognizing ‘further charge’ restaurant added simply to pay invoice
A popular eatery has left diners absolutely fuming.
The wellknown Italian restaurant in Shoreditch has come under fire after adding an additional charge to the bill. It’s reported diners have been asked to pay an extra fee for food they’ve tucked into at “Gloria”‘ on Great Eastern Street in London.
A customer recently claimed while paying for their meal they were also asked to pay a 13.5% service charge. According to the restaurant’s website, this is said to be optional, but it’s said the diners had to pay more money to carry out the transaction.
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An anonymous bloke shared a snap of the digital receipt he receieved after he visited the Italian restaurant on Tuesday (March 30), which detailed what he needed to pay. It came to £193.50 before a £26.15 service charge as added, and bumped the bill up to £219.65.
Below it stated there was another charge, which was dubbed a “Sunday checkout fee”. This added an extra £2.99 to the bill, and brought the overall fee for the meall at Gloria to a huge £222.64.
After being left shocked by the additional charges, the diner wrote on social media: “Is Gloria in Shoreditch the only restaurant that charges you for the privilege of paying your bill? Anyone else had to pay a ‘checkout fee’ before?”
(Image: Getty Images)
He added: “This isn’t a service charge/tip which I’m happy with. This is a charge for using a self-service checkout website!
“Not only do they save by not having to engage the waiter to bring the terminal to the table and print the paper receipt, but they charge you extra for it. Feels so cheap of them. What next? 50p for the toilet?
“Extra charge for actually heating your food? I really hope this doesn’t become norm…”
But, before you jump to any conclusions, it’s since been discovered the “Sunday checkout fee” isn’t a day-of-the-week charge seen only at Gloria. Instead, it refers to a tech firm named Sunday.
Gloria forms a part of Big Mamma restaurants group, and the team of restaurateurs behind it developed a hospitality app which offers “payment solutions” for eateries.
To save money, one of the companies introduced “integrated QR codes” on tables, which enables diners to “‘pay in seconds, right at their table”. This means there’s no need to call for a waiter.
Even though the tech is said to allow you to split the bill with a friend within seconds, people don’t like the idea of being charged to pay their bill.
One said “it actually borders tacky”, saying: “Would put it on their Google reviews, they might not be aware that it shows up like that, or that it just ruins the whole experience. They might see it and reconsider.”
Another wrote: “Honestly. What is wrong with just paying for your actual f***ng meal?!” A third added: “Sadly it isn’t just this restaurant. I’ve seen this quite a few times already.”
A fourth also claimed: “Outrageous!”
Despite the outrage, the man later shared an update on the “Sunday checkout fee” saga, and explained Gloria’s general manager has contacted him to discuss the matter.
“He was genuinely interested and cared about customer experience,” the diner said. “He will be taking my/our feedback to the board.”
Big Mamma told LADbible: “Big Mamma does propose Sunday as a payment option for clients who wish to pay faster, and the fee is part of this software which allows customers to pay via their phone, split the bill and instantly receive their receipt.
“Sunday is 100% optional. Of course the traditional ways to pay (cash and credit card) are free of charge and are used by more than 60% of your guests.”
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