Sometimes the cover-up is worse than the crime.
When a Tampa diner decided to question a surprise charge on his takeout bill, the restaurant’s response turned a simple billing question into a full-blown viral controversy. Do you agree with how the manager handled the situation, or was the customer in the wrong for bringing it up?
Man Questions Extra Fee
In a viral video with more than 2.4 million views, content creator Roy (@getsolid) filmed his interaction with a manager at a J. Alexander’s restaurant in Tampa, Florida.
He calls out that there’s a $3 packaging fee that appeared on his takeout receipt that was never mentioned when he placed his order.
“Have a packaging fee here, but you guys, they give them the bill,” Roy says in the video. “And you don’t tell anybody when they’re placing an order that there’s a packaging fee, but you expect them to pay it.”
The text overlay reads: “J Alexander’s Tampa Florida Scam.”
Rather than addressing Roy’s concern about the undisclosed charge, the assistant general manager escalates the situation immediately.
“I’m gonna ask you to leave the restaurant now,” he tells Roy as he escorts him out to the door and says it’ll be considered trespassing if he doesn’t leave.
Roy asks if that’s really what’s happening and requests to speak with the general manager. The assistant manager confirms he’s the highest authority present and declines to provide a business card.
“So this is Jay Alexander’s in Tampa. So they’re charging a packaging fee,” Roy says as he’s walked out. “This dips— right here is telling people that you gotta pay for a packaging fee. So everybody can see that J. Alexander’s is gonna charge a $3 packaging fee for a carryout.”
Restaurant Fees On The Rise
Roy’s frustration taps into a broader national debate over restaurant surcharges.
According to CNBC, 15% of restaurant owners added surcharges or fees to checks in 2023 because of higher costs. By the second quarter of 2024, 3.7% of restaurant transactions processed by Square included a service fee—more than double the rate from early 2022.
The fees take many forms:
- Credit card surcharges (1.5% to 3%): Offset swipe fees, which doubled over the past decade and now represent the third-highest cost for restaurant operators
- Health care charges (2% to 4%): Fund employee benefit programs
- Kitchen appreciation fees ($3 to $5): Compensate back-of-house staff who don’t receive tips
- Service charges (up to 20%): Function like mandatory gratuities but legally belong to the restaurant, not the servers
- Administrative or inflation fees: Vague charges with no specific explanation
Restaurant operators argue these charges help them maintain thin profit margins of 3% to 5% while compensating employees fairly. They claim that building fees into menu prices would scare away customers, increase sales tax burdens, and provide less transparency about where the money goes.
The Federal Trade Commission was expected to publish a rule last fall banning businesses from “charging hidden and misleading fees,” but that may have stalled. The National Restaurant Association is lobbying to protect three specific fees: large party charges, delivery fees, and credit card processing surcharges.
According to CNET, many states require businesses to properly disclose surcharges through visible signage and on their websites. The practice of revealing fees only at checkout is called “drip pricing,” and it’s exactly what consumer advocates are pushing back against. If a charge doesn’t come with adequate disclosure, the merchant may be violating state laws, and consumers can file complaints with their credit card issuer and the state attorney general.
Commenters React
“It’s not about the $3. It’s about not disclosing it and throwing the man out for asking about it,” a top comment read.
“Trespassing a customer for asking questions about a bill? Great customer service,” a person pointed out.
“Dude just made it 100x worse instead of addressing the issue,” another wrote.
“Questioning a 5% fee gets you kicked out without your food?” a commenter added.
BroBible reached out to Roy via TikTok direct message and comment and to J. Alexander’s via contact form. We’ll be sure to update this if they respond.