No Surprise Eats

Understanding Our Tags

Our Mission

No Surprise Eats is a community-driven project helping diners avoid unexpected fees at restaurants. We believe transparency is key to a positive dining experience.

By sharing information about fees and tipping policies, we help each other make informed decisions about where to dine.

Disclosure Tags

These tags indicate where a fee is disclosed. The more visible, the better!

Disclosed on Website

The fee is clearly disclosed on the restaurant's website. No surprises before you arrive!

Disclosed on Signage

The fee is posted on signage inside the restaurant. You may not see it until you're there.

Disclosed on Menu

The fee appears on the menu. Sometimes available online, but not always.

Disclosed by Staff

Staff informs you of the fee before ordering, either at the host stand or your table.

Surprise on Bill!

The fee only appears on your final bill. No prior notice given.

Tipping Tags

The restaurant industry is constantly evolving. Service fees have become popular as an alternative to raising menu prices or relying on tips.

But this creates confusion: Is the fee replacing the tip, or is it just a price increase? Our tipping tags help clarify.

Tipping Not Required

The restaurant explicitly states tipping is not expected or needed due to their service fee structure.

Fee Acts As Tip

The service fee goes directly to your server. Think of it as a mandatory minimum tip. Additional tipping may still be an option.

Unclear Tipping Policy

The fee is significant (15-25%) but the restaurant's stance on tipping remains ambiguous.

Example language:

"We include a 20% service charge to guarantee a base wage of at least $17/hr, healthcare, and PTO for our team."

This is great for workers—but should you still tip? It's unclear.

Tipping Still Encouraged

The fee covers other costs (not tips), and you're still expected to tip your server as usual.

Special Tags

No Fee or Tipping

The gold standard! What you see on the menu is what you pay. No fees, no tipping expected.

Have Feedback?

Spotted an error? Have a restaurant to add? Let us know!