A big brunch with hash browns begs for ketchup as much as a late-night stop for a burger and fries ... but more restaurants are upcharging for condiments and more Americans are raging about it.
A man recently went viral for questioning the $3 charge on his bill for a side of ketchup at a downtown Miami eatery, but it turns out that more of us may be paying that charge without realizing it.
In this particular case, the diner had paid $27 for a salmon burger, $21 for avocado toast and $7 for a Diet Coke. But it was the $3 ketchup that sent him over the edge.
His Instagram video was deleted, but reaction was swift, and negative. “Bro is right, no serious restaurant should charge for ketchup,” one man wrote.
“I have just started subtracting any additional charges from the tip,” another added.
Even McDonalds charges -- sometimes -- for dipping sauces to go with a meal, although ketchup remains free. Why the charge, and why is it so random? Daily Meal reported that each restaurant is responsible for setting its prices based on "specific factors like rent and minimum wage costs." Those that charge can go as high as $1 per dipping sauce, although most settle closer to .50 cents, the report notes.
Money Digest reported condiment charges are quietly spreading as the cost of ingredients rises and margins thin. And it's also a way for restaurants to cut down on food waste.
As for the outrage over $3 ketchup in Miami, this follows an incident in November, where a Kansas City man caused $1,000 in damage to a restaurant when they tried to charge him for condiments. When staff refused to give him extra sauce for free, he started throwing rocks at the windows and glass doors, breaking multiple panes, police said. He fled, but was caught on surveillance video and was eventually charged with a four-year felony.
A woman in Kentucky was arrested this fall after she allegedly caused $1,000 in property damage at a Little Caesar's because they wanted to charge her $1 for extra sauce. She went berserk at the counter, smashing cash registers and other items to the ground.
She was charged with assault as well as criminal mischief, according to the reports. A judge ordered her to stay away from the pizza shop and its employees.
In defense of those issuing the charge, Operation Sports noted that a restaurant that "serves around 200 meals per day and provides two ketchup packets per table could spend about $600 per month on ketchup alone. When you add in other condiments such as mayonnaise, hot sauce, and salad dressing, those costs can grow even higher."
But how do consumers feel about it? As more are adding a condiment fee to the bill, it's worth it to check out the data, and according to a survey by the Chicago-based NPD Group, over 80 percent of consumers said they would not be willing to pay a small additional fee for condiments. "About 16 percent of respondents agreed that they would spend a little extra for a condiment, but 25 cents was about the limit," the survey found, and "half the consumers surveyed said they would go to another restaurant rather than pay for a condiment that has always been free."