24-06-2025
Fancy Sydney restaurant sparks outrage over detail that's easy to miss on the bill: 'Don't accept that crap'
A Sydney restaurant has come under fire after a customer discovered a tip had been added to the bill without their consent.
The customer had visited Lana Dining, a fine dining Italian restaurant located in Sydney's Circular Quay.
In a Reddit post on Friday, the customer shared a photo of their bill, revealing that a seven per cent gratuity had been added to the total.
The original bill was $221 for the 12 items ordered, but it increased to $236.45 after a $15.47 service charge was included.
'This is the second occasion I have seen this at a fine dining Sydney restaurant,' the customer wrote.
'Is this slowly becoming a norm? Is the gratuity actually shared with the staff who goes above and beyond?'
The customer noted that the seven per cent gratuity was mentioned on the menu, but only in 'very tiny print.'
Social media users expressed outrage, calling the restaurant's optional gratuity a sneaky tactic to extract more money.
'Sneaking in a service charge and calling it gratuity is underhanded -especially when it's not clear if the staff even see that money,' one said.
'Tipping should be a choice, not something quietly forced on customers.'
'Places like this should be made famous for scummy tactics of forced gratuity,' a second said.
'I feel like it's questionable to include it on a bill to make it look like it's mandatory - very misleading,' a third said.
Others slammed the restaurant for being out of touch with Australian values and claimed hospitality was following the tipping culture often seen in America.
'Don't accept that crap. This isn't America, and they sure as hell better not try to add the cost without telling you,' one said.
The restaurant, owned by hospitality giant House Made Hospitality, fired back at the criticism, claiming the optional gratuity was communicated clearly to customers.
'The optional seven per cent gratuity at Lana is communicated at multiple stages during the booking process (on our website, in the booking widget, in the confirmation email), written on the menus, and verbalised again when the bill is presented,' a spokesperson said.
'It is designed to reward our team for their dedication and hard work. It also serves to incentivise exceptional service and support increased tenure within our industry, at a time when experience is hard to find, and living costs are increasing.'
The restaurant added the surcharge was not mandatory and a customer is able to opt-out of the gratuity at any point, should they request to not pay it.
It added that every dollar of the gratuity goes directly to the team working during the shift, including those in the kitchen.
The restaurant's gratuities are managed through a third-party software program, which it said ensured transparency and was the fairest approach for tipping.
However, social media users were not convinced with many claiming the restaurant put customers in an awkward position if they wanted to opt-out of the gratuity.
'That is sooo NOT cool. Puts customers in such an awkward position - I guess that's the point,' one person said.
'They're counting on the fact that a good number of diners will feel too awkward to ask for it to be removed,' a second person wrote.
A third agreed: 'Exactly, you have to look the person in the eye who won't be getting the extra money. Please venues just pay your staff above award wages and incorporate that into your price'.
It comes after another Sydneysider was left fuming when the restaurant he visited added a generous tip onto the bill without asking first.
Mark and his wife were eating out at Tilda, a Sofitel Wentworth restaurant in Sydney's CBD, when they were presented with the bill.
On his receipt towards the bottom was a 'gratuity' surcharge of seven per cent which meant he was lumped with an additional $18.50 on top of the $142.80 he spent on the meals.
Tilda is also owned by hospitality giant House Made Hospitality.
Unlike other countries, particularly the United States, tipping isn't expected or mandated in Australia.
Restaurants in Australia are permitted to add an automatic service charge or tip to their bills but they must abide by strict legal requirements.
If a restaurant chooses to add a gratuity or service charge it must be transparent about the fee and also provide customers with an option to opt-out of the extra cost.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission explains businesses must be transparent about optional charges and ensure customers are not misled.
Customers must be able to request the removal of any automatic gratuity before paying the bill.
