Diners at numbers of restaurants in the UK and elsewhere are seeing surcharges on their bills that appear to be part of the meal cost but are actually ‘voluntary’ contributions for causes.
The most common one recently, endorsed by a number of celebrity chefs, adds a £1.23 charge to ‘counterbalance the environmental impact of meals.’ Described as a ‘carbon footprint charge,’ it is added to the bill at the end of the meal. The funds are also said to “also help some of the poorest communities on the planet.”
While the charge is voluntary and staff are instructed to remove it on request, psychology and etiquette experts say it’s likely to be left because people will feel they face the prospect of social embarrassment if they ask to have it removed.
