A restaurant in Atlanta has drawn heat for issuing an unusual surcharge to its patrons.
An angry client at Cabbagetown, Georgia’s JenChan’s Pizza and Chinese, took to social media to complain about the 4% employee health insurance charge.
Last month, the client shared a screenshot of their invoice on social media, revealing an additional $2.02 fee at the bottom.
“Everything appeared great” when they served the client in question at the restaurant, according to the proprietors’ counter-Facebook message uploaded on December 29, 2023.
The fact that the health insurance fee is discretionary and may be waived by any consumer was also brought up.
The restaurant stated that the “opt-out” is posted on the menu and the bill.
“We were motivated by a few other restaurants in town who serve something similar, so we’ve had it on the menu for around a year now.”
The health insurance costs for JenChan’s workers increased from $408 to $650 in February 2023, according to a Facebook post by the company. The receipts at the establishment will show that they instituted a 4% health insurance premium increase after their rates more than quadrupled the previous year.
The restaurant stated that If any of their employees are experiencing emotional or physical distress, they appreciate the public helping them ensure they can get the help they need.
In the same Facebook post, the restaurant said that some companies deal with increased expenses by reducing meal sizes or raising pricing.
According to the institution, they are only attempting to pay the costs of their workers’ health insurance and maintain an open and honest operation.
“To put it simply, we care,” they said.
The proprietors said they had not turned a profit yet and brought up that many other locally owned restaurants in Atlanta have gone out of business.
