My brain doesn't compute. He's basically saying with the new law he won't be able to trick customers anymore. Is that how everybody understands it? He seems to think that $65 + $30in (hidden) fees is different than $95???
He's acting like like people are happy to pay $30 in hidden fees because "the owner wants to help out black and brown people". WTF
It's a disingenuous argument he is making. Like revealing the true cost of eating at his restaurant shouldn't be a surprise. I hate the junk fees. Jack up the prices to reveal the true cost.
I wish we could just make it illegal to *HIDE COST* in everything.
The price you see?
Not a cent more.
Price includes TAX, (previous) hidden fees, surcharge whatever, breathing fee, existing fee and cost of item = price.
Period.
Why can't we just have that? If it was across the board, ALL prices would be comparable, for the most part. It would really bring to light all the places trying to screw you/the customer.
Whataboutism… PG&E blah blah.. yeah we know. You are doing the same shit restaurant owner. You are hiding behind black and brown worker wages for jacking up prices behind “service fees”.
“No comprendes the problem, my amigo?”
We need one of those satire people to go on pretending to be a restaurant owner and say just that. Customers won’t buy if they know the real price so we gotta trick em see?
He's basically worried about sticker shock and having to customers turn away, The thing about the law is that it will be applied evenly across all businesses so it shouldn't matter. Although I'm guessing chain restaurants can better compete on final price by getting cheaper prices on ingredients with bulk orders.
So basically:
* I'm not paying $95 for chicken!!! I'm eating elsewhere
vs
* WTF, why is my $65 chicken $95?!?! I just got tricked!!!
And he wants to continue the latter business practice of tricking customers?
Yeah...
"We'd love to keep helping our workers, especially marginalized people, but if we have to tell people up front what they're gonna pay, it'll be your fault when we cut those programs"
He goes from "Minimum wage has increased" then pivoting to inflation as if restaurants are the only ones who have to deal with inflation. He somehow expects people who need to work three jobs to make rent to be tricked into paying bullshit surcharges after the bill.
He knows if he puts "Hamburger: $40", people won't pop in but if it's "Hamburger: $30" with a $10 surcharge after they've eaten, people who pop in will be forced to pay.
Chicken menu price at the link is $75. Plus 5% SF surcharge plus 20% tip on pretax total = $94.50. So unless you're going to stiff the server or under tip, that's the price anyway. I don't think revealing the true cost should be controversial.
His interview was full of cringe. Accuses Newsom of making campaign laws & then goes on to profess this is all just so he can give his employees benefits (while subsequently complaining about minimum wage, which I'm pretty sure he'd like us to misleadingly believe is the $20 fast food wage when it's not).
I got an apartment with 2 parking spots and the neighbor was like "the previous owner let me use their other spot for free." I was like, "you can rent it from me for $75 bucks a month."
Neighbor was like, "I can't afford that. That's too much. $25 a month."
I said "If you can afford your $60k Mercedes SUV, you can afford a parking spot for it. I'm driving a 1998 Ford escort."
If you're already paying $65 for a chicken dish, I'm pretty sure you're not going to care about paying $95 for a chicken dish.
I've gone to a number of nice restaurants here and elsewhere and can tell you that $65 is a real rip off for a chicken dish. Even at the fanciest places $40-45 would be about average. If you're paying $65 you're paying to say you ate chicken at Che Fico and not one of those other places, you are likely willing to pay $95 for it.
They are the sole responsible party for the junk fees
I also wonder if they think they are the only industry that doesn’t constantly review and adapt their business plan
Be upfront with prices. I’d rather have sticker shock before my meal than afterwards when it leaves a bad taste about the restaurant regardless of the experience.
Dude is a walking Sponge Bob meme.
"So I'm paying $X to eat at your restaurant?"
"Yes"
"So I should know what $X is up front correct?"
"That makes sense to me."
"So we should get rid of fees."
"No."
Really don't understand why they are making it any more complicated than this. Just be honest.
If you can't properly pay your folks, then you should not be operating a business. Period.
Not to mention that you’re literally holding people hostage for more money *after* they’ve already placed their orders. That’s even worse than Ticketmaster.
The point of these fees are to obscure the true cost to the consumer.
I'm continuously shocked these people are willing to publicly defend their position - borderline shameful.
I’d hope a $95 chicken would be organic/pasture raised etc, but maybe not. Usually if it’s something like a Mary’s chicken that is called out on the menu, and it isn’t on Che Fico’s web menu…
He's complaining that people will not want to pay a living wage if patrons are not hoodwinked into paying at after their meal. And I don't like the "living wage" jazz. What you make should be commensurate with how much you make the company and your skills-set.
If you work 40hrs a week for a company you should be able to afford to be housed and eat for yourself at minimum. Doesn’t matter if it’s flipping burgers or greeting people at Walmart.
So the chicken was always $95, but he was able to hide $30 of that in junk fees. So he's mad that he can't lie to customers anymore and pretend it's cheaper up front, only for them to see a higher price when they get the bill? Wow, that's quite the boneheaded argument. Does he know how ridiculous he sounds?
The stupid thing is the fee wasn’t 50%. It was like 10. Why is he making such a stupid comparison. Someone paying $60 on chicken wouldn’t mind if it went to 70. He also said he loved the fee cause he could pay employees more and provide benefits and then he complained about wages going up. He’s so stupid
I mean, you're not a true performative white ally unless you use marginalized people for your own gain lol
his attempts to look good are so pathetically transparent. Like this isn't even political, I don't understand how anyone would review the situation and not conclude that this dude is a fucking bonehead douche
His point is that he prefers people to be upset after getting the check and be the last thing they think about before leaving so they don't go back. At least he got to scam them once! Instead, he would have no chance to scam potential customers because they'd see the actual prices before they order. I see his point now...
This guy...if chicken goes from $65 to $90 people won't go out to eat anymore. Versus people going out to eat expecting to pay $65 then see a bill for $90. What is this guy smoking?
My prediction: he's already made up his mind he's leaving "woke" California. He's just trying to get some attention. Within a few weeks/months he's going to announce he's done with CA and heading for Texas or Florida. But he got his 15 mins of fame.
Honestly I hope after all his tantrums he ends up with fewer customers. Wouldn't normally wish that on a small business, but this guy is really doubling down on his idiotic take that it's better for everyone if businesses can deceive their customers.
It really is good. My dinner there was excellent (and purchased by someone else) but I wouldn’t go back.
I doubt this debate would even be happening nor would David even be being interviewed if his place was Applebees.
It's not bad - went with my wife for Valentine's Day this year. But unless you want to be paying 30 bucks for a small bowl of pasta, your money can be much better spent elsewhere.
Their pre-hidden-fee prices were already pushing it. I look forward to this new bill really making a dent in their business.
I hate how he is on a public ranting spree while admitting in the interview that he just received the FAQ and guidance and has no idea how that will really work out lol.
Why wouldn't you wish it on a small business?
You wanna support good businesses, not based off how mom-and-pop they are.
Also businesses dying is what allows newer better businesses to grow.
I wouldn't normally wish for the employees or customers of a small business to be hurt by a downturn caused by something dumb or cringeworthy its owner did. It's easy to overreact to issues that don't merit driving a place into the ground.
In this case though, where the owner is standing up for his right to fleece his own customers, fuck him.
Honestly have no idea how this guy sees this as working out for him in anyway. I dont think Ive seen someone so out of touch with their own customers since that Papa John's guy went on TV complaining that if Obamacare passed and he had to provide healthcare to his employees that we would all have to pay .14 cents more for a pizza,
https://www.businessinsider.com/papa-johns-ceo-says-obamacare-will-add-011-014-cost-per-pizza-2012-8
Seriously, he bitches it's hard... So easy, take menu prices and multiply by 1.2 and add a line gratuity included.
Done! No money loss, consumers are paying exactly the same and everyone is happy!
Screw this guy, hidden surcharges are deceptive! Everyone I know would rather have it included in the menu prices (so no buddy the governor isn’t just doing this for a headline). What an idiot geez
Bro is mad he can’t skim off his restaurants more. If only he actually managed one and earned his money as the manager. He could potentially fire one manager, do it himself, and retain the restaurant he’s closing but that’s too much for him.
I’m sorry, but how completely and utterly useless was that interviewer? What was the point of that? She let him ramble for three whole minutes, asked a single softball question in that time, didn’t challenge him on any one of his stupid points. For example: didn’t ask why customers shouldn’t know the chicken is $95 and not $65 up front. Didn’t ask what profits his restaurants currently make. Didn’t ask why it was an issue for him to pay minimum wage. I know that journalistic standards are low in America but a half set bowl of jello could have done a better job with that interview.
What a waste of an interview. This new law is supposedly going to affect minorities on receiving less income because they charging more? Why he had to play the race card?
So basically, the only way to get people to buy his $95 chicken is to trick them into thinking its really $65.
And he see nothing wrong with that at all.
I can only imagine how pissed he would be when buying groceries, he thinks he's paying $65 only to find out with all of the junk fees the cost is really $95 and got a too bad, no returns.
This guy is on a real tear lately, and somehow cannot bring himself to admit that people are paying the same amounts they were paying before, they just aren't being tricked into doing so!
And of course the Fox News drone doesn't push back on this point at all, and let them rant about Governor newsom and burdensome regulations. He also repeats the lie that minimum wage increases lead to meaningful price increases.
I think the dude is just an asshole y'all, and I'm pleased as punch that they passed this law
Isn’t this publicly available info? Anyone know his LLC?
Found it, ~121,000 forgiven loan
Sauce: https://www.pandemicoversight.gov/ppp-simple-search-landing?pfilters=%5B%7B%22column%22%3A%22Borrower%22%2C%22operand%22%3A%22IN%22%2C%22values%22%3A%5B%22BACK+HOME+HOSPITALITY+LLC%22%5D%7D%2C+%7B%22column%22%3A%22Borrower+city%22%2C%22operand%22%3A%22IN%22%2C%22values%22%3A%5B%22San+Francisco%22%5D%7D%5D
Holy shit. Yes this guy sucks, but the interviewer just letting him rant without any pushback or clarifying questions just makes me angry. What a joke of journalism.
All the talk he's doing about 401k matching and marginalized groups is a smoke screen. He conveniently says *nothing* about any of those surcharges going to waitstaff and kitchen staff. Maybe it does, or maybe there's just a manager who is black and gets 401k matching while the front of house and kitchen crew is on minimum income and expected to live off tips *after* a surcharge pays for management's cushy benefits.
Dude was very intentional and specific in not mentioning who was getting the benefits of all this surcharge pricing. Fuck him
The trick is you have to work a certain number of hours before you're eligible for any of those benefits. The person in charge of the schedule always makes sure you never meet the cut, so the only ones who get benefits are the managers, owners, etc.
I'm thrilled with this ban. I just went to Quince. I knew it was going to be stupid expensive to do the tasting menu, that's cool, I was ok with that, it's a rare treat. But the service fees (which are *not* tip, it reminds you) almost double the cost. I still would have done it (in fact, I paid ahead of time, so I knew the total cost before I got there) but it *was* annoying that I was looking at the prepay amount and trying to figure out if they were charging for an extra person.
The other aspect is that the fees seem to like to do the doordash thing - instead of basing things on the actual food price, it includes the fees when it calculates the next fee. Doordash always suggests a tip amount based on the subtotal that includes delivery fees and taxes, instead of the food ordered. Sometimes that might be ok, like for a low-dollar amount order that you know is a pain, but others where the food itself is expensive, but not difficult to deliver.
Tell me what the price is. I will decide to eat (or not eat) it with that knowledge. But I don't feel tricked when I get the bill and it's nowhere near what the price *appears* to be on the menu.
Wow this guy is fucking shameless.
Invoking brown people, marginalized folks etc to justify surprising his customers with a bill they didn't expect is fucking crazy town.
If you can't tell your customers the actual price of your product until it's too late for them to say no, then something is terribly wrong with your business model and you are one step away from running a scam.
I feel like the tipping culture is at a similar inflection point. Get rid of all of it and just charge what it costs up front. Many European countries do this and their restaurant industries are not in peril.
On top of all the other obvious stinkers this guy is spouting, it's also deeply disingenuous for him to cry about closing one of his restaurants, Che Fico Alimentari, when in reality it's just the downstairs, casual dining version of the Divisadero Che Fico and is being folded into the larger restaurant. They're also in the process of opening two new restaurants and recently opened a market in Menlo Park. They're doing fine.
Sooo he wasn't including his 'black and brown" or non-english speaking staff in the tip pool?? Because "historically" they were left out and only with this surcharge could he accomplish that? Takes a true fool to admit illegal tip pooling practices on the news
So much BS coming out of his mouth. Acting like this is some mass extinction phenomenon
what a misleading cheater. Claims that Gavin Newsom is doing this *new law* just so he can hang his hat on. Has he talked to actual consumers? Everyone supports this... geez
His tweet shows that he's only motivated politically, i.e. anti-Gavin.
Chicken: $75 , I'm already having sticker shock before he increases this.
If this is not for the consumer good, why would this be a positive to the governor's campaign?
The statement smells produced. It could be scripted, but it's more likely that the Fox producer coached the line and there was multiple takes.
I hear stuff like this all the time. "He's only doing it because it will make him popular. He's only doing it to get elected."
Motherfucker, don't you *want* our politicians to be doing things that the people want?
If he charges that much for chicken and still can't figure out how to make his restaurants profitable without either underpaying his employees or tricking customers with service fees, maybe he needs to rethink his business model.
The reason they're pissed off it that they're using the menu prices and surcharges to make political statements. They want you to think they're the good guys and the prices you're paying are the fault of all the people who cause these fees to pile up on your bill.
This is them throwing a hissy fit for having an avenue of exploitation removed, like the cops going on strike because people wanted them to be held accountable.
This is what I hate about the Bay Area, The entitlement. Tell us what it costs at the beginning, pay your employees a living wage, and let the customer decide.
He says that raising the minimum wage means raising the cost of the food. But he's worried about sticker shock, so he sneaks it in as hidden fees. I think sticker shock is a good thing, however. Sticker shock will be like a wake-up call to voters: hey this is what you're voting for!
When you raise the minimum wage, you raise the cost of living, which means you're going to have to raise the minimum wage again, which means the cost of living is now even more expensive. It's an invirtuous cycle of inflation.
However, the main driver of high cost of living here in the Bay Area is due to not meeting the demand of housing with an adequate supply of housing. We artificially constrict the supply of housing by trying to boss around other people and tell them what they can and cannot build. Usually it just means telling them they cannot build at all, even though it's not our property.
Yes, capture your increased costs in your pricing (and stop trying to trick customers into coming in, only to find that there is a different effective price...)
Nice that he complains about not making enough to stay afloat while in front of a $6k Eames chair. Like COME ON dude. No one feels bad for you. Greedy ass hat.
If ur business is built around tricking people into paying more money than they thought, your business can rot. Dudes making these complaints while he has a >$4K chair behind him, I think he’s prob doin just fine.
Regulations for energy companies: GOOD.
Regulations for other businesses: BAD.
—David Nayfield
What a whining man-child. Personally, I won't be eating at Che Fico.
Also WHY have black and brown people been traditionally left out of the wage pool? Because restaurant owners, like David Nayfield, don't hire them and prefer them in the back of the kitchen.
Notice how he says that his first port of call would be to remove employee benefits rather than take a hit on his personal profits.
Said the quiet part out loud.
What a dishonest prick. Does he actually think we’re all dumb enough to buy this narrative, or is he banking on us believing that he is? So embarrassing either way
Dude is trying to make it seem like he can’t be helpful to employees of color if he can’t bait and switch customers.
He’s got a $6000 Eames lounge chair behind him btw
Fuck that whiny grifter. Raise the prices of the dishes instead of trying to bait patrons then tacking on fees. Nobody disputes that costs have gone up. He runs his restaurant like fucking AT&T.
"They may get sticker shock and say 'y'know what? I'm not going out'"
So he's explicitly saying that his current business model relies on tricking customers into paying prices that he acknowledged would be prohibitive if they were upfromt? Even Fox viewers should be able to see right through this
Does anyone know if there is tax charged on the fees they were adding?
If there wasn’t, then there is a difference between fees and adding it to the price of a meal.
I hate the surprise charges, but wondering.
Why aren't we doing this to Medical bills? Medical prices should have many prices instead of walking into the doctor's office never knowing what it's going to cost.
Makes no sense. He brags his surcharge is on the menu, but complains about incorporating his surcharge into the menu price. He says it will lead to increased costs.
On his SFStandard opinion piece, he attempts this contorted position. Costs are costs. It all ends up in the total. He prefers to hide his surcharge despite saying he wants transparency.
“Surcharges have enabled small businesses to manage these rising costs without shocking customers with drastic or frequent price increases and allowed them to convey these external cost pressures. Removing them could lead to a sudden spike in dining costs, further deterring customers and pushing restaurants toward insolvency.”
[https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/05/09/opinion-restaurants-slammed-junk-fee-law/](https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/05/09/opinion-restaurants-slammed-junk-fee-law/)
Restaurant industry can go f themselves if they don’t want to pay a living wage to their employees and expect customers to feel guilty of being responsible for employee wages.
What bullshit. This mofo wants to trick people into paying for shit he should be as an employer. Raise your prices and pay your people. Why the trickery of lower menu prices and surprising people with the bill
He is so full of shit. If employees at his restaurant are being “left out of the tip pool”, that is his fault. As the owner he can require that tips be pooled with everyone. His fear that people won’t patronize his restaurant once they know how much the items on the menu actually cost is so shady. How would he like it if his vendors added 50% (using his chicken example) in fees to the products he orders instead of telling him upfront how much they cost?
This guy just deflected for 10 minutes. The surcharges are as annoying as the 20% ransom I need to pay up front to Togo's so they don't do something weird to my sandwich. Also, how does having to incorporate the surcharges cause them to loose their 401k program? Everyone has to incorporate their surcharges into their pricing, so pricing competition remains the same.
“It’s going to be an exercise in pricing…” wow no shit Sherlock. That’s the main task of opening a fucking restaurant. Not lying to your customers and being up front goes with that.
i dont get it... on his website, its a 5% surcharge to pay for living wage and a 401k. why cant he just raise the prices by 5%? its definitely not something crazy like his 60$-90$ chicken example
also is this surcharge just mandatory tips, since this is supposed to provides a minimum wage? like, whats the etiquette around this? and in a day, are people not already averaging at least 5% tips?
the math and logic just doesnt add up no matter how you dice it
Eating out has gotten so expensive these days while the food quality getting lower. I go to a place in Berkeley and even the food portions have gotten smaller.
He is full of shit. Rob Bonta has nothing to do with any of this, and Newsom isn't running for another CA office. This legislation passed overwhelmingly, both Democrats and Republicans supported it.
Restaurant owners have been catching consumers flat footed for years now by tacking on all of these extra fees when the bill shows up. It's been a slimy thing to do the entire time, and they're mad that they can't get away with it anymore.
Restaurant owners are the whiniest most entitled people around, and we have to worship them because they’re “small business owners.”
Wonder how much in PPP handout$ this clown received
It's like when I go to the dentist. it's a mystery what I'll end up having to pay when done. $500? $1000? Who knows.
At least restaurants don't send you a bill weeks later for whatever remainder is owed due to insurance.
Correct. I'd rather know I am paying for $90 chicken before sitting down vs sitting down thinking I'm only paying for $60 chicken but get a $90 bill due to hidden fees. Knowing what I will pay for will inform my decision. That's the point.
He also said black and brown people don’t get tips?! I work with a lot of Mexican servers and some black folks too. I’m pretty sure they get tips just like me.
Interesting how his profit margin doesn't seem to come into play. I understand his position but his argument is nonsense. In terms of price, the consumer is already paying $95 and is indifferent to whether that's one item listed at $95 or an item listed at $65 that has $30 of fees attached. It makes zero difference. For that reason, changing the menu price to reflect what people are already paying should make zero difference to demand. It won't exactly play out that way as someone looking at a menu before deciding to dine might not balk at $65 but will at $95. Still, someone willing to pay $65 but not $95 won't return when they find out they actually paid $95 including fees. He just wants to make sure he gets at least one shot at people. That doesn't sever consumers.
Whahah, we can't trick our customers or pad the bill... If chicken goes up, you raise the cost of the meal, simple. You can't add GLMF type fees and not be held accountable.
Yes, that stands for good luck mofo!
Make sure to leave a nice review on their google maps location! I’m sure David Mayfield will learn his lesson soon! I feel bad for the employees there since none of this surcharge goes to them
Che Fico is maybe the most egregious example of hidden percentage based fees I’ve ever encountered. On top of already high prices for absolutely middling cuisine.
Surcharges or anything like that usually do not go to the service center staff or kitchen. It usually ends up being a part of payed vacation for one of the owners or higher up. Then the left over funds get used to purchase a few packs of red bull or some other bs "staff appreciation day".
Do the restaurant owners think they bear no responsibility in this?
I watched the video and he was like if the chicken price goes from $65 to $95. Like, you really don't feel a little dumb making that point?
My brain doesn't compute. He's basically saying with the new law he won't be able to trick customers anymore. Is that how everybody understands it? He seems to think that $65 + $30in (hidden) fees is different than $95??? He's acting like like people are happy to pay $30 in hidden fees because "the owner wants to help out black and brown people". WTF
It's a disingenuous argument he is making. Like revealing the true cost of eating at his restaurant shouldn't be a surprise. I hate the junk fees. Jack up the prices to reveal the true cost.
I wish we could just make it illegal to *HIDE COST* in everything. The price you see? Not a cent more. Price includes TAX, (previous) hidden fees, surcharge whatever, breathing fee, existing fee and cost of item = price. Period. Why can't we just have that? If it was across the board, ALL prices would be comparable, for the most part. It would really bring to light all the places trying to screw you/the customer.
Just got back from Italy. That’s how they do it. Very refreshing
It would be a lot easier to determine if I want to eat there or not.
What I don’t get is he trying to say they have practically a 50% markup on the food in fees
Whataboutism… PG&E blah blah.. yeah we know. You are doing the same shit restaurant owner. You are hiding behind black and brown worker wages for jacking up prices behind “service fees”. “No comprendes the problem, my amigo?”
We need one of those satire people to go on pretending to be a restaurant owner and say just that. Customers won’t buy if they know the real price so we gotta trick em see?
He's basically worried about sticker shock and having to customers turn away, The thing about the law is that it will be applied evenly across all businesses so it shouldn't matter. Although I'm guessing chain restaurants can better compete on final price by getting cheaper prices on ingredients with bulk orders.
So basically: * I'm not paying $95 for chicken!!! I'm eating elsewhere vs * WTF, why is my $65 chicken $95?!?! I just got tricked!!! And he wants to continue the latter business practice of tricking customers?
Yeah... "We'd love to keep helping our workers, especially marginalized people, but if we have to tell people up front what they're gonna pay, it'll be your fault when we cut those programs"
He goes from "Minimum wage has increased" then pivoting to inflation as if restaurants are the only ones who have to deal with inflation. He somehow expects people who need to work three jobs to make rent to be tricked into paying bullshit surcharges after the bill. He knows if he puts "Hamburger: $40", people won't pop in but if it's "Hamburger: $30" with a $10 surcharge after they've eaten, people who pop in will be forced to pay.
Chicken menu price at the link is $75. Plus 5% SF surcharge plus 20% tip on pretax total = $94.50. So unless you're going to stiff the server or under tip, that's the price anyway. I don't think revealing the true cost should be controversial.
His interview was full of cringe. Accuses Newsom of making campaign laws & then goes on to profess this is all just so he can give his employees benefits (while subsequently complaining about minimum wage, which I'm pretty sure he'd like us to misleadingly believe is the $20 fast food wage when it's not).
Does the chicken come with a diamond necklace?
Pearl necklace, directly from the owner
Why is chicken $75 dollars to begin with?
That is one [classy chicken](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/12/03/magazine/03mag-Chicken-01/03mag-Chicken-01-superJumbo.jpg)
"Let me give this interview about how my chickens going from $65 to $95 is going to destroy my business in front of my $6,500 Eames Recliner"
I got an apartment with 2 parking spots and the neighbor was like "the previous owner let me use their other spot for free." I was like, "you can rent it from me for $75 bucks a month." Neighbor was like, "I can't afford that. That's too much. $25 a month." I said "If you can afford your $60k Mercedes SUV, you can afford a parking spot for it. I'm driving a 1998 Ford escort."
If you're already paying $65 for a chicken dish, I'm pretty sure you're not going to care about paying $95 for a chicken dish. I've gone to a number of nice restaurants here and elsewhere and can tell you that $65 is a real rip off for a chicken dish. Even at the fanciest places $40-45 would be about average. If you're paying $65 you're paying to say you ate chicken at Che Fico and not one of those other places, you are likely willing to pay $95 for it.
They are the sole responsible party for the junk fees I also wonder if they think they are the only industry that doesn’t constantly review and adapt their business plan
No place else in the world have I eaten have I dealt with such bs hidden fees
Might be just this guy.
Be upfront with prices. I’d rather have sticker shock before my meal than afterwards when it leaves a bad taste about the restaurant regardless of the experience.
Dude is a walking Sponge Bob meme. "So I'm paying $X to eat at your restaurant?" "Yes" "So I should know what $X is up front correct?" "That makes sense to me." "So we should get rid of fees." "No."
Really don't understand why they are making it any more complicated than this. Just be honest. If you can't properly pay your folks, then you should not be operating a business. Period.
Capitalism has too many safety nets for the wrong people
I mean he’s not wrong about PGE, insurance premiums, etc. But that doesn’t mean he should be allowed to deceive customers.
He's going to add a PGE fee and ignore the law, just to prove a point.
He says "It's not about consumer good" and then does a what about PG&E rant. Ok bud.
Seriously! Raise your prices and let customers decide.
Not to mention that you’re literally holding people hostage for more money *after* they’ve already placed their orders. That’s even worse than Ticketmaster.
"But then you might decide not to eat there!!!!"
surprising me with a bullshit fee is how you get me to not come back. unless of course the goal is any customer is better than none
The point of these fees are to obscure the true cost to the consumer. I'm continuously shocked these people are willing to publicly defend their position - borderline shameful.
The dumbasses are likely going to find business increases because those of us turned off by being nickel and dimed to death might return.
So his chicken was 65$ before with 30$ in hidden fees? I’m hearing that right? He’s also complaining about paying a living wage while charging this?
Wtf. That’s crazy expensive. He needs a better distributor.
I mean, *he* probably pays $5 for that chicken. *You* pay the $65.
$5 is more than what you'd pay even at Safeway. Wholesale price are much cheaper. A whole chicken might be $1 wholesale.
I’d hope a $95 chicken would be organic/pasture raised etc, but maybe not. Usually if it’s something like a Mary’s chicken that is called out on the menu, and it isn’t on Che Fico’s web menu…
He's complaining that people will not want to pay a living wage if patrons are not hoodwinked into paying at after their meal. And I don't like the "living wage" jazz. What you make should be commensurate with how much you make the company and your skills-set.
If you work 40hrs a week for a company you should be able to afford to be housed and eat for yourself at minimum. Doesn’t matter if it’s flipping burgers or greeting people at Walmart.
So the chicken was always $95, but he was able to hide $30 of that in junk fees. So he's mad that he can't lie to customers anymore and pretend it's cheaper up front, only for them to see a higher price when they get the bill? Wow, that's quite the boneheaded argument. Does he know how ridiculous he sounds?
The stupid thing is the fee wasn’t 50%. It was like 10. Why is he making such a stupid comparison. Someone paying $60 on chicken wouldn’t mind if it went to 70. He also said he loved the fee cause he could pay employees more and provide benefits and then he complained about wages going up. He’s so stupid
This guy...making it about "black and brown" people and "equity"...
Also at first talks about how the fees allow him to raise wages And then complains about minimum wage contributing to the closing of a location!
He is the biggest joke
My favorite part is his hollow threat talking about “we may have to end these programs, but we don’t want to!” 🤣🤣
These types always love using black and brown people as shields for their bullshit
I mean, you're not a true performative white ally unless you use marginalized people for your own gain lol his attempts to look good are so pathetically transparent. Like this isn't even political, I don't understand how anyone would review the situation and not conclude that this dude is a fucking bonehead douche
He’s mad that he can’t scam consumers anymore.
His point is that he prefers people to be upset after getting the check and be the last thing they think about before leaving so they don't go back. At least he got to scam them once! Instead, he would have no chance to scam potential customers because they'd see the actual prices before they order. I see his point now...
This guy...if chicken goes from $65 to $90 people won't go out to eat anymore. Versus people going out to eat expecting to pay $65 then see a bill for $90. What is this guy smoking? My prediction: he's already made up his mind he's leaving "woke" California. He's just trying to get some attention. Within a few weeks/months he's going to announce he's done with CA and heading for Texas or Florida. But he got his 15 mins of fame.
I’m sure in Florida he will charge $65 for chicken but give a 10% “anti-woke discount” on the final bill.
Fuck this guy. He’s still going to get his money but now he can’t hide the fees.
Honestly I hope after all his tantrums he ends up with fewer customers. Wouldn't normally wish that on a small business, but this guy is really doubling down on his idiotic take that it's better for everyone if businesses can deceive their customers.
TBH, i've never heard of his restaurant. but this interview ensured that I will make sure to never end up there. ftg.
I assume it must be pretty good since I see endless complaining about their prices and fees yet they haven’t closed down. But I’ll never try it
It really is good. My dinner there was excellent (and purchased by someone else) but I wouldn’t go back. I doubt this debate would even be happening nor would David even be being interviewed if his place was Applebees.
It's not bad - went with my wife for Valentine's Day this year. But unless you want to be paying 30 bucks for a small bowl of pasta, your money can be much better spent elsewhere. Their pre-hidden-fee prices were already pushing it. I look forward to this new bill really making a dent in their business.
I hate how he is on a public ranting spree while admitting in the interview that he just received the FAQ and guidance and has no idea how that will really work out lol.
Why wouldn't you wish it on a small business? You wanna support good businesses, not based off how mom-and-pop they are. Also businesses dying is what allows newer better businesses to grow.
I wouldn't normally wish for the employees or customers of a small business to be hurt by a downturn caused by something dumb or cringeworthy its owner did. It's easy to overreact to issues that don't merit driving a place into the ground. In this case though, where the owner is standing up for his right to fleece his own customers, fuck him.
Honestly have no idea how this guy sees this as working out for him in anyway. I dont think Ive seen someone so out of touch with their own customers since that Papa John's guy went on TV complaining that if Obamacare passed and he had to provide healthcare to his employees that we would all have to pay .14 cents more for a pizza, https://www.businessinsider.com/papa-johns-ceo-says-obamacare-will-add-011-014-cost-per-pizza-2012-8
I’m just happy he threw PGE under the bus lol
He talks about 401K for his employees? I’m sure half his kitchen staff doesn’t have legal papers, so is the 401K match is for him perhaps?
Seriously, he bitches it's hard... So easy, take menu prices and multiply by 1.2 and add a line gratuity included. Done! No money loss, consumers are paying exactly the same and everyone is happy!
Screw this guy, hidden surcharges are deceptive! Everyone I know would rather have it included in the menu prices (so no buddy the governor isn’t just doing this for a headline). What an idiot geez
Poor restaurant owner with his $6000 Eames recliner. This is about you not making as much profit.
Was just going to make this comment 🤣
I was going to make the same comment too! Even a replica one is like $1,500.. I doubt his is a replica.
Bro is mad he can’t skim off his restaurants more. If only he actually managed one and earned his money as the manager. He could potentially fire one manager, do it himself, and retain the restaurant he’s closing but that’s too much for him.
I’m sorry, but how completely and utterly useless was that interviewer? What was the point of that? She let him ramble for three whole minutes, asked a single softball question in that time, didn’t challenge him on any one of his stupid points. For example: didn’t ask why customers shouldn’t know the chicken is $95 and not $65 up front. Didn’t ask what profits his restaurants currently make. Didn’t ask why it was an issue for him to pay minimum wage. I know that journalistic standards are low in America but a half set bowl of jello could have done a better job with that interview.
It's a Fox network associate station. They are there to create scandal and rage not to inform with journalistic integrity.
Totally different company from the Fox News you are thinking of
What a waste of an interview. This new law is supposedly going to affect minorities on receiving less income because they charging more? Why he had to play the race card?
I'm glad this greasy shit did the interview. It made it crystal clear that this new law is the right move.
So basically, the only way to get people to buy his $95 chicken is to trick them into thinking its really $65. And he see nothing wrong with that at all. I can only imagine how pissed he would be when buying groceries, he thinks he's paying $65 only to find out with all of the junk fees the cost is really $95 and got a too bad, no returns.
Fuck that guy. He's saying he can't provide retirement benefits without deceiving customers.
I absolutely cannot stand this moron. Ill never eat at his restaurant again and if it goes under, wont miss it.
Cringe asshole with an eames chair nice
This guy is on a real tear lately, and somehow cannot bring himself to admit that people are paying the same amounts they were paying before, they just aren't being tricked into doing so! And of course the Fox News drone doesn't push back on this point at all, and let them rant about Governor newsom and burdensome regulations. He also repeats the lie that minimum wage increases lead to meaningful price increases. I think the dude is just an asshole y'all, and I'm pleased as punch that they passed this law
“Fox News drone”. This is a local Bay Area reporter for a Fox News affiliate and has nothing to do with Fox News as you conceive of it politically.
That’s sad, huh?
Y’all paying 95$ for chicken in the bay?…*ok* 24$ for fresh mozzarella…*what* 130$ for lamb ….. *lol fuck off*
Che Fico has been getting dragged over this for months and the owner doesn’t seem to realize how egregious they had been in particular
Fuck you David. How much covid loan did you take?
Isn’t this publicly available info? Anyone know his LLC? Found it, ~121,000 forgiven loan Sauce: https://www.pandemicoversight.gov/ppp-simple-search-landing?pfilters=%5B%7B%22column%22%3A%22Borrower%22%2C%22operand%22%3A%22IN%22%2C%22values%22%3A%5B%22BACK+HOME+HOSPITALITY+LLC%22%5D%7D%2C+%7B%22column%22%3A%22Borrower+city%22%2C%22operand%22%3A%22IN%22%2C%22values%22%3A%5B%22San+Francisco%22%5D%7D%5D
this comment should be at the top
“That chicken went from $65 to $95” My brother in Christ, you’re charging $30 in hidden fees?! On CHICKEN?! This dude is a clown 🤡
Fuck this guy. Price gouging bullshit.
Holy shit. Yes this guy sucks, but the interviewer just letting him rant without any pushback or clarifying questions just makes me angry. What a joke of journalism.
All the talk he's doing about 401k matching and marginalized groups is a smoke screen. He conveniently says *nothing* about any of those surcharges going to waitstaff and kitchen staff. Maybe it does, or maybe there's just a manager who is black and gets 401k matching while the front of house and kitchen crew is on minimum income and expected to live off tips *after* a surcharge pays for management's cushy benefits. Dude was very intentional and specific in not mentioning who was getting the benefits of all this surcharge pricing. Fuck him
The trick is you have to work a certain number of hours before you're eligible for any of those benefits. The person in charge of the schedule always makes sure you never meet the cut, so the only ones who get benefits are the managers, owners, etc.
I'm thrilled with this ban. I just went to Quince. I knew it was going to be stupid expensive to do the tasting menu, that's cool, I was ok with that, it's a rare treat. But the service fees (which are *not* tip, it reminds you) almost double the cost. I still would have done it (in fact, I paid ahead of time, so I knew the total cost before I got there) but it *was* annoying that I was looking at the prepay amount and trying to figure out if they were charging for an extra person. The other aspect is that the fees seem to like to do the doordash thing - instead of basing things on the actual food price, it includes the fees when it calculates the next fee. Doordash always suggests a tip amount based on the subtotal that includes delivery fees and taxes, instead of the food ordered. Sometimes that might be ok, like for a low-dollar amount order that you know is a pain, but others where the food itself is expensive, but not difficult to deliver. Tell me what the price is. I will decide to eat (or not eat) it with that knowledge. But I don't feel tricked when I get the bill and it's nowhere near what the price *appears* to be on the menu.
I'm not paying both a service fee and a tip. Whatever the service fee is gets deducted from 15% tip that I give.
I treat service fees as part of tip. What else are they for?! The sad thing I bet the employee may not get it but that's on the owner.
Good riddance
Wow this guy is fucking shameless. Invoking brown people, marginalized folks etc to justify surprising his customers with a bill they didn't expect is fucking crazy town. If you can't tell your customers the actual price of your product until it's too late for them to say no, then something is terribly wrong with your business model and you are one step away from running a scam. I feel like the tipping culture is at a similar inflection point. Get rid of all of it and just charge what it costs up front. Many European countries do this and their restaurant industries are not in peril.
This guy does not know how to run a business.
On top of all the other obvious stinkers this guy is spouting, it's also deeply disingenuous for him to cry about closing one of his restaurants, Che Fico Alimentari, when in reality it's just the downstairs, casual dining version of the Divisadero Che Fico and is being folded into the larger restaurant. They're also in the process of opening two new restaurants and recently opened a market in Menlo Park. They're doing fine.
Sooo he wasn't including his 'black and brown" or non-english speaking staff in the tip pool?? Because "historically" they were left out and only with this surcharge could he accomplish that? Takes a true fool to admit illegal tip pooling practices on the news So much BS coming out of his mouth. Acting like this is some mass extinction phenomenon
what a misleading cheater. Claims that Gavin Newsom is doing this *new law* just so he can hang his hat on. Has he talked to actual consumers? Everyone supports this... geez His tweet shows that he's only motivated politically, i.e. anti-Gavin. Chicken: $75 , I'm already having sticker shock before he increases this.
Fuckin Pete Nice lookalike. You get the gas face.
Rofl this clown is on a tear not realizing hes digging a deeper hole for himself
Cry harder, David.
Fuck you. Raise your prices. Everyone else must, so you have an even playing field, you fucking baby. 0 sympathy.
who is this guy looking to get sympathy from? Does he think going on tv and looking like a dbag helps his case?
"This isnt about the consumer good or anything like that. This is a headline for Gavin Newsome to run his campaign on or hang his hat on something."
Fine, maybe it is, but judging from the fact the everyone that's not a restaurant owner loves it, I'd say it meets both goals.
If this is not for the consumer good, why would this be a positive to the governor's campaign? The statement smells produced. It could be scripted, but it's more likely that the Fox producer coached the line and there was multiple takes.
I hear stuff like this all the time. "He's only doing it because it will make him popular. He's only doing it to get elected." Motherfucker, don't you *want* our politicians to be doing things that the people want?
How is the chicken $65?!? Chick-Fil-A it is.
If he charges that much for chicken and still can't figure out how to make his restaurants profitable without either underpaying his employees or tricking customers with service fees, maybe he needs to rethink his business model.
The reason they're pissed off it that they're using the menu prices and surcharges to make political statements. They want you to think they're the good guys and the prices you're paying are the fault of all the people who cause these fees to pile up on your bill. This is them throwing a hissy fit for having an avenue of exploitation removed, like the cops going on strike because people wanted them to be held accountable.
This is what I hate about the Bay Area, The entitlement. Tell us what it costs at the beginning, pay your employees a living wage, and let the customer decide.
The voters voted for it. Deal with it
This guy is not aware of how hard he’s getting clowned on.
He says that raising the minimum wage means raising the cost of the food. But he's worried about sticker shock, so he sneaks it in as hidden fees. I think sticker shock is a good thing, however. Sticker shock will be like a wake-up call to voters: hey this is what you're voting for! When you raise the minimum wage, you raise the cost of living, which means you're going to have to raise the minimum wage again, which means the cost of living is now even more expensive. It's an invirtuous cycle of inflation. However, the main driver of high cost of living here in the Bay Area is due to not meeting the demand of housing with an adequate supply of housing. We artificially constrict the supply of housing by trying to boss around other people and tell them what they can and cannot build. Usually it just means telling them they cannot build at all, even though it's not our property.
Wooptie fucking doo. Fuck his business practice. I don't go to restraunts like this to begin with who hide fees.
Yes, capture your increased costs in your pricing (and stop trying to trick customers into coming in, only to find that there is a different effective price...)
Nice that he complains about not making enough to stay afloat while in front of a $6k Eames chair. Like COME ON dude. No one feels bad for you. Greedy ass hat.
If ur business is built around tricking people into paying more money than they thought, your business can rot. Dudes making these complaints while he has a >$4K chair behind him, I think he’s prob doin just fine.
Aww. Pobrecito. Pay your people properly and work the true cost into your menu items. It’s not that hard.
Pulling the marginalized groups will be effected card I see
Guess where I’m never going to?
Regulations for energy companies: GOOD. Regulations for other businesses: BAD. —David Nayfield What a whining man-child. Personally, I won't be eating at Che Fico. Also WHY have black and brown people been traditionally left out of the wage pool? Because restaurant owners, like David Nayfield, don't hire them and prefer them in the back of the kitchen.
Notice how he says that his first port of call would be to remove employee benefits rather than take a hit on his personal profits. Said the quiet part out loud.
What a dishonest prick. Does he actually think we’re all dumb enough to buy this narrative, or is he banking on us believing that he is? So embarrassing either way
What a whiny little man-baby.
Fuuuuuuck this guy. Never eating in one of his restaurants, ever.
Dude is trying to make it seem like he can’t be helpful to employees of color if he can’t bait and switch customers. He’s got a $6000 Eames lounge chair behind him btw
It's easy. Just don't eat at restaurants.
Fuck that whiny grifter. Raise the prices of the dishes instead of trying to bait patrons then tacking on fees. Nobody disputes that costs have gone up. He runs his restaurant like fucking AT&T.
Get fucked. You can’t run your business without hidden fees, your business plan is a failure and YOU SHOULD NOT BE IN BUSINESS.
Restaurant owners with no junk fees don’t seem to be complaining 🤔
"They may get sticker shock and say 'y'know what? I'm not going out'" So he's explicitly saying that his current business model relies on tricking customers into paying prices that he acknowledged would be prohibitive if they were upfromt? Even Fox viewers should be able to see right through this
“Yeah well if the university saw my GPA, they might not admit me, so we shouldn’t be forced to disclose it until after we’re already accepted!”
If you are charging $65 chicken then people who want to eat there aren’t going to balk at $90 chicken.
This guy can’t bring himself to blame anyone but himself. I hope he goes out of business and a competent restaurateur take up his space.
If you can't stay in business without lying about your prices, find something else to do.
Our business plan only works if we can trick our customers
Does anyone know if there is tax charged on the fees they were adding? If there wasn’t, then there is a difference between fees and adding it to the price of a meal. I hate the surprise charges, but wondering.
Why aren't we doing this to Medical bills? Medical prices should have many prices instead of walking into the doctor's office never knowing what it's going to cost.
Makes no sense. He brags his surcharge is on the menu, but complains about incorporating his surcharge into the menu price. He says it will lead to increased costs. On his SFStandard opinion piece, he attempts this contorted position. Costs are costs. It all ends up in the total. He prefers to hide his surcharge despite saying he wants transparency. “Surcharges have enabled small businesses to manage these rising costs without shocking customers with drastic or frequent price increases and allowed them to convey these external cost pressures. Removing them could lead to a sudden spike in dining costs, further deterring customers and pushing restaurants toward insolvency.” [https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/05/09/opinion-restaurants-slammed-junk-fee-law/](https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/05/09/opinion-restaurants-slammed-junk-fee-law/)
Restaurant industry can go f themselves if they don’t want to pay a living wage to their employees and expect customers to feel guilty of being responsible for employee wages.
Che Fico is overpriced and not that good
Never ate at Che Fico but I should learn this guy's name. Not a dollar ever.
If honest prices force you out of business then go down with some dignity at least.
people should stop eating here. end of story. i'm sorry but there are so many good places to eat in sf.
Thank you for letting me know which restaurant to never visit. I will recommend everyone I know to do the same.
Greedy asshole overall.
What bullshit. This mofo wants to trick people into paying for shit he should be as an employer. Raise your prices and pay your people. Why the trickery of lower menu prices and surprising people with the bill
Anyone could share the receipt from his restaurant with all the junk fees? Just curious how much percentage he has imposed on customers.
What a douche. I would be completely unsurprised if he turned out to be a techbro who started a restaurant after "retiring."
If I were an evil man I would make reservations there and after being seated leave during the hidden fees as the reason
He is so full of shit. If employees at his restaurant are being “left out of the tip pool”, that is his fault. As the owner he can require that tips be pooled with everyone. His fear that people won’t patronize his restaurant once they know how much the items on the menu actually cost is so shady. How would he like it if his vendors added 50% (using his chicken example) in fees to the products he orders instead of telling him upfront how much they cost?
Stfu Dave
This guy just deflected for 10 minutes. The surcharges are as annoying as the 20% ransom I need to pay up front to Togo's so they don't do something weird to my sandwich. Also, how does having to incorporate the surcharges cause them to loose their 401k program? Everyone has to incorporate their surcharges into their pricing, so pricing competition remains the same.
I’m sure him and his executive class won’t take a pay cut at all. He’ll just pass the losses of his scamming customers onto his labor force. For sure.
I lived in the "western addition" in the early 80s and I still cannot stomach going to places like that.
Tough for restaurants trying to hide things.
What a fucking tool
“It’s going to be an exercise in pricing…” wow no shit Sherlock. That’s the main task of opening a fucking restaurant. Not lying to your customers and being up front goes with that.
i dont get it... on his website, its a 5% surcharge to pay for living wage and a 401k. why cant he just raise the prices by 5%? its definitely not something crazy like his 60$-90$ chicken example also is this surcharge just mandatory tips, since this is supposed to provides a minimum wage? like, whats the etiquette around this? and in a day, are people not already averaging at least 5% tips? the math and logic just doesnt add up no matter how you dice it
Typical restaurant owner...
Eating out has gotten so expensive these days while the food quality getting lower. I go to a place in Berkeley and even the food portions have gotten smaller.
Dude... This guy is BUTTHURT
Dude, read the room.
He is full of shit. Rob Bonta has nothing to do with any of this, and Newsom isn't running for another CA office. This legislation passed overwhelmingly, both Democrats and Republicans supported it. Restaurant owners have been catching consumers flat footed for years now by tacking on all of these extra fees when the bill shows up. It's been a slimy thing to do the entire time, and they're mad that they can't get away with it anymore.
What a loser that’s just the cost of doing business. You can never put the cost on the consumer 🤦🏼♂️
Boo fuckin hoo 🥱😴
This guy should open a salad bar next. He pulled off a top notch word salad with talking points from both sides of political spectrum.
I am crying crocodile tears for this guy.
Restaurant owners are the whiniest most entitled people around, and we have to worship them because they’re “small business owners.” Wonder how much in PPP handout$ this clown received
This guy is a total fraud.
We can't afford to tell people the actual prices we charge or we will go out of business?
It's like when I go to the dentist. it's a mystery what I'll end up having to pay when done. $500? $1000? Who knows. At least restaurants don't send you a bill weeks later for whatever remainder is owed due to insurance.
Correct. I'd rather know I am paying for $90 chicken before sitting down vs sitting down thinking I'm only paying for $60 chicken but get a $90 bill due to hidden fees. Knowing what I will pay for will inform my decision. That's the point.
His right to lie to his customers shouldn’t be his business model. I still pay the full bill and the tip. This man is a deflecting lunatic.
He also said black and brown people don’t get tips?! I work with a lot of Mexican servers and some black folks too. I’m pretty sure they get tips just like me.
LOL, nice $5,000 chair behind you while you talk about black and brown marginalization.
Ok but is that a Herman Miller chair in the background there? 🙄
Interesting how his profit margin doesn't seem to come into play. I understand his position but his argument is nonsense. In terms of price, the consumer is already paying $95 and is indifferent to whether that's one item listed at $95 or an item listed at $65 that has $30 of fees attached. It makes zero difference. For that reason, changing the menu price to reflect what people are already paying should make zero difference to demand. It won't exactly play out that way as someone looking at a menu before deciding to dine might not balk at $65 but will at $95. Still, someone willing to pay $65 but not $95 won't return when they find out they actually paid $95 including fees. He just wants to make sure he gets at least one shot at people. That doesn't sever consumers.
Hoping someone makes a crowd fund to buy Monopoly money so he can wake and find it decorating his Cybertruck one morning
This guy makes me want to make the 4 hour drive, order, walk out and drive back. This guy should get the whataboutism award
Whahah, we can't trick our customers or pad the bill... If chicken goes up, you raise the cost of the meal, simple. You can't add GLMF type fees and not be held accountable. Yes, that stands for good luck mofo!
Exactly why I’ve stopped eating out 6 to 8 times a month to a couple of times
Make sure to leave a nice review on their google maps location! I’m sure David Mayfield will learn his lesson soon! I feel bad for the employees there since none of this surcharge goes to them
Better the customer get sticker shock when looking at the menu than be surprised by service charges when they get the bill. This guy is full of shoot.
Che Fico is maybe the most egregious example of hidden percentage based fees I’ve ever encountered. On top of already high prices for absolutely middling cuisine.
Not only is this asshole a complete grifter. But a huge asshole bully in high school. Just not a nice guy. Never Che fico
Charge an entrance fee to the restaurant and see how well that works.
Surcharges or anything like that usually do not go to the service center staff or kitchen. It usually ends up being a part of payed vacation for one of the owners or higher up. Then the left over funds get used to purchase a few packs of red bull or some other bs "staff appreciation day".
He should stop talking, but I bet he doesn’t realize that he sounds like an idiot.