Why do restaurants charge extra for basic sides and additions?
Charging separately for essential meal accompaniments like bread or simple syrup makes customers feel nickel-and-dimed over minor details. This frustrating pricing practice damages trust, leads to immediate cancellations or returns, and drives paying customers away permanently.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1increasing the menu price of the main dish slightly to include a sufficient amount of breadDid this help you?
- 2leaving bad reviewsDid this help you?
- 3never returning to the establishmentDid this help you?
- 4Asking the resort to lower or remove the per-person food fee.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I ordered a bowl of mussels, the menu mentioned It came with bread. Imagine a slim French baguette, two half inch slices cut on the bias. That was the portion. I never went back.”source ↗
“I went to this very expensive coffee/breakfast/pastry place. I ordered a large iced coffee $9 along with a bunch of stuff for the family. All told It was about $75... They told me $1 per pump [for simple syrup]... They did and they stood there ground on the subject, so I said fine I am going to return this coffee and credit it back to payment method. Which they did. We will never go back”source ↗
“I’m having a hard time understanding why we have to pay a pretty large per person fee for the wedding buffet when everyone attending is already paying to stay at an all inclusive resort where food is included.”source ↗
“Would love to hear if anyone was able to work something out with their resort.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Why do restaurants charge a fee for sharing a meal?
- 4Hidden fees and higher prices on restaurant bills abroad
- 3Seller asking for extra money after purchase
- 14Why are service fees so expensive for tiny repairs?
- 10Why am I being double charged or seeing higher prices when booking flights?
- 2Hidden travel fees from wedding vendors before the wedding