“The audacity to ask for a tip on top of this”: Panda Express customer shocked to find the location added a 5% employee benefits surcharge to his bill

A Panda Express customer posts their receipt on Reddit after noticing a strange surcharge. Others say it’s a sign tipping is getting more sneaky.

What surcharge was on the Panda Express receipt?

In a post on the subreddit r/EndTipping, one user posts a picture of their receipt. The last line item is a 5% “Employee Benefits Surcharge” that amounts to $1.08.

“Had a lunch at Panda Express, SFO and they added a 5% Employee Benefits Surcharge. Why not just increase your menu prices by 5%? They even had the audacity to ask for a tip on top of this,” the caption reads.

According to ABC7, this surcharge may be used to offset the cost of benefits for Panda Express’s workers in California, such as their health insurance.

Do customers agree with the surcharge?

In the comments of the Reddit post, other anti-tippers share outrage over the new surcharge.

“Gonna pay cash, minus the bs fees, and if they don’t agree, then keep your food and get $0.00. Or they can accept my 10% customer fee for visiting their establishment (sarcasm),” one jokes.

“Nah, bro…Unless I see a sign, they’re not getting that. And if I see the sign, I’m walking…,” another writes.

“I’m not leaving until I get my dollar back. Even if it means I’m stealing a dollar’s worth of forks lol,” a third remarks.

Others suspect that the charge could be location-specific.

“I’m guessing this has to do with SFO and not Panda Express. All dining options at SFO are vendor employees, typically a company like HMS Host,” a commenter suggests.

“SF charges this specifically. If you go to Oakland or other surrounding cities, you won’t see it (as far as I know). Some places in LA do this too, but SF is one place that does it everywhere I have been in that city,” another points out.

The Daily Dot reached out to Panda Express via email for further comment.