On August 20, 2026, my wife, Janet, and I took our granddaughter, Kara, for a “summer break from college” day trip to Half Moon Bay.
Kara chose a highly-rated downtown restaurant for us to treat her to lunch.
The food and service were excellent. The dining room was lovely. The small town location was charming.
There was a “luncheon special” for $40 that included an appetizer, main course and dessert. Since the price for a salmon main course was $38, two of us chose the “luncheon special”.
And then we received the check to pay for the meal.
There were $20 in “surcharges”!
After I paid the bill, I asked the waiter to explain. He showed me “stars” on the menu that said “extra charge applies”.
There was no disclosure on the menu of the amount of the extra charges. The waiter didn’t tell us that our menu choices would result in extra charges. (Admittedly, we didn’t notice the “stars” and didn’t ask about the extra charges.)
Evidently there are extra charges at this restaurant in Half Moon Bay for ordering seafood selections and for ordering seafood for your appetizer and your main course! Instead of $40, our investment for the “luncheon special” was $50.
Later, my wife said she was thinking of ordering a salad, and changed her mind when she saw the “bargain price” for the “luncheon special”.
We did enjoy our meal, but left with a bad taste in our mouths because of this “chef’s surprise”.
Businesses will build customer goodwill, including encouraging repeat business, by managing customers’ expectations and communicating what could be unpleasant news to their customers in advance. In this case, the waiter should have informed us about what the extra charges would be for our menu selections. This indicates either poor training or careless behavior by the management of the restaurant.
If we ever go back to that restaurant, we’ll be sure to ask what extra charges might apply to our order.