Two restaurant practices will keep us from ever coming to your establishment, forced tipping and ordering kiosks. We stopped at a chicken place in Greeley, Colorado once, and it had an ordering kiosk, looking like an oil slick with fingerprints and smudges. It reminded me of when I worked and looking at coworkers phones, no thank you. But it’s more of a lack of respect for your customer that you can’t have a person take their order, and unfortunate as I had wanted to try Shake Shack and pay with Bitcoin Lightning now that one is in Fort Collins, Colorado. And I’d respect restaurants that just charge more because they pay their employees a proper wage instead of me having to subsidize their wages above the cost of our meal. Though I factor in a 20% tip when looking at the menu, provided we get good and prompt service. We should copy the Japanese where tips aren’t a thing, and you get good service from people taught to be courteous and respectful in their education system, instead of the entitled trash they’re producing in America.
By Harvey Jones
Nothing says “we appreciate your patronage” quite like an automatic 20 percent hit on the bill before you’ve even tasted the burger or decided whether the server earned it. Ford’s Garage, the Florida-born chain of burger joints decked out in vintage automotive decor, is now signaling it may walk back exactly that policy at a handful of locations after enough diners made their displeasure known.
According to Fox News, chain president Billy Downs told the outlet that the experiment—run by franchisee 23 Restaurant Services at five Florida restaurants—remains under review.
“I think that we need to listen to the consumer on those things, to be honest with you,” Downs said. “So, we are, and we may be encouraging a change to that program.”
He added that while there have been “some big wins,” the biggest complaint is simple: people do not want a mandated service charge. “You know, I’m not sure I want it either in certain times.”
The franchisee sees it differently. Marc Brown, president of 23 Restaurant Services, told Fox the model has produced higher average hourly pay for servers and bartenders than at locations still on traditional tipping, and that most of the participating restaurants have posted year-over-year growth. Under the setup, a 20 percent service charge is added to every check in lieu of tips. Servers and bartenders earn commissions based on sales, while the structure is also meant to spread compensation more evenly to kitchen and support staff. Extra tips remain optional.
Brown insists the charge is disclosed verbally and in writing before customers order, and that “to us, it’s no different than just charging a higher price on the menu.” Most guests, he said, “aren’t bothered by the fee because they like the Ford’s Garage experience.”
“But the biggest pushback is people don’t want to have a mandated service charge, and I get it.” — Billy Downs, Ford’s Garage president
One of the locations, in Plantation near Fort Lauderdale, also tacks on a separate 1 percent entertainment fee assessed by the shopping center. The restaurant’s site states that fee “is passed directly to the retail center, is not a gratuity and is not retained by Ford’s Garage or distributed to employees.”
Founded in Fort Myers in 2012, the chain has grown to 36 restaurants across nine states. Downs has previously emphasized affordability, noting an average check around $26 and weekday value meals starting at $10.99.
This is not an isolated experiment. Restaurants nationwide have leaned harder into automatic gratuities, admin fees, and service charges as labor costs climb and tipped minimum wages shift. Florida itself now requires clear disclosure of such charges before ordering. Yet customers keep reacting the same way: they resent the feeling that a voluntary reward for good service has been converted into a non-negotiable tax.
Recent New York Post reporting on a viral Waffle House 20 percent fee for to-go orders shows the same irritation bubbling up elsewhere. TripAdvisor reviews for various Ford’s Garage spots in Florida repeatedly flag the surprise of being asked for an additional tip on top of the automatic 20 percent.
Scripture is plain about honest dealing in commerce. “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God.”
A menu that lists one price while the final check quietly demands another is the modern equivalent of a tilted scale. Workers deserve fair compensation, and restaurants face real cost pressures. Neither fact requires deceiving the customer or removing the element of voluntary gratitude that has long defined American tipping culture.
When diners push back and management listens, that is the market working as intended. Ford’s Garage appears to be discovering that honesty is still better for business than a forced 20 percent.