Would Montana Restaurants Suffer Pushback With a ‘Share Tax?’

Full disclosure: We are not aware of any restaurants in Montana doing this. But if there are, it can't be good for business, can it?

"It's not the money, it's the principle of the thing." Yeah, maybe yes, maybe no. But a couple more bucks out of nowhere can be frustrating to people, say, on a fixed income, trying to enjoy a meal at a restaurant. And you see more and more places implementing $2, $3 and $4 service fees if you pay with credit or debit cards. Missoula restaurants and eating establishments everywhere have to constantly pivot and balance revenue streams with customer relationships. I don't envy them. It's not easy.

Anyway, here's the source of this post and as always, curious to get your reactions. This came to me from a relative in Michigan. Friends of hers shared a story via social media about an additional meal charge at what USED TO BE a restaurant to which they enjoyed going.

"Today we were at ___ Cafe for the last time. As much as we enjoy the food, they implemented a new policy to charge customers for "sharing." Because we shared a meal (I literally ate 4 or 5 bites of my husband's omelet), they charged us an additional $2.50.

"They did not split the meal for us. They did nothing on their part. There was absolutely NO extra effort on their behalf. I cannot eat a whole meal, so I often just eat a little bit of my husband's.

"We've never been charged for sharing. (A couple other named restaurants) will actually split one meal on two plates for us. It just doesn't make sense to waste food I will not eat. At the cash register, we were asked if we enjoyed the food. My husband said we did, as they usually do, but wouldn't be back due to this unnecessary charge. The cashier simply said, "I'm sorry."

"The cafe posted what they feel is justification for this charge, which is still ridiculous. It was posted without allowing comments because they don't really want to know how the community feels about it. I'm a fairly intelligent person. If your revenue doesn't cover your expenses, change your prices. Charging someone who didn't order is ridiculous.

"So long, ____ Cafe. Looking for a new place for our morning dates."

We are really only getting one side of the story, here. But it doesn't sound like this one was a good PR move.