Automatic service fees under fire from Brisbane diners

Automatic tipping has come under fire from diners in Brisbane, with many taking to social media to vent about venues that add a service fee automatically to their bills. 

Pacific Concepts group brands The Bavarian and El Camino Cantina came in for criticism for their tipping system when ordering through the QR code that adds a service fee automatically unless the diner opts-out. 

A recent Reddit thread saw one commentator describe their experience at one of the group’s venues. 

“They default the tip to 5-10% when you place the order via a table order app,” the user wrote.  

“It’s f**king scummy because sometimes you don’t notice, especially if you are a few deep, but you can remove it before placing the order. It doesn’t encourage extra service, which is precisely what tipping is designed to do.” 

El Camino’s menu from the Southbank venue appears to detail the additional service fees in its fine print, stating there was a 10 per cent surcharge on Sundays and a 5 per cent “service fee” from Monday to Saturday. 

There was also a 10 per cent service charge for groups of more than 10 and a 15 per cent public holiday surcharge. 

Speaking to The Courier Mail, a spokesperson for Pacific Concepts said the choice to leave a tip was up to the customer. 

“It is entirely the choice of our customers whether to leave a tip. Our QR code payment system requires customers to follow prompts and select whether to leave a tip, or not,” she said. 

AHD - 13-10-22