LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — Florida restaurants are now required by law to disclose all mandatory fees to customers before they order, eliminating surprise charges that customers previously may not have seen until they received their receipt.
The law, which took effect July 1, requires businesses to clearly disclose any fees customers will pay on menus, contracts or online ordering platforms before a purchase is made. The requirement covers automatic service charges, delivery fees and credit card surcharges.
WATCH: Customers react to Florida's new law requiring restaurants to disclose fees upfront
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Annette Gutierrez spoke with customers at Stonewater Grill and That Place Down the Street, a food truck venue in Land O' Lakes, where most said they support the new transparency requirement.
Kellie Carr, a Wesley Chapel resident, said she welcomes the change.
"I think it's wonderful. I cannot stand when I realized after the fact and gave them a 20 or 22% tip and they've already added in 18% and not told you anything," Carr said.
Jose Santiago, a Land O' Lakes resident, said the law is a win for consumers.
"They're protecting the consumer, which is, which is correct, you know, that's, that's good for me," Santiago said.
Dianna Bublitz, also a Land O' Lakes resident, said her experience working in the service industry shaped her view.
"I was a waitress and I always felt, you needed to let people know what was going on," Dianna Bublitz said.
Not everyone is on board, however. Some worry the law could negatively affect servers.
Bryn Rose, a Land O' Lakes resident, said the disclosure may backfire.
"I think that the disclosure of it is somewhat unnecessary because I think it might actually have a negative impact on how people tip their servers," Rose said.
Kaya Malezian, owner of That Place Down the Street and Nourish'd Food Truck, said she has mixed feelings. While she agrees with transparency, she also worries about the impact on the service industry.
"Unfortunately you could see where the servers will get hurt if these fees are, you know, everybody knows, oh, there's already all these extra fees and they're not gonna tip then service might go down," Malezian said.
She said her business currently absorbs all credit card processing fees rather than passing them on to customers.
"What happens as restaurant owners, as everything on our end is going up, we either absorb these costs or are being told by some merchant processors to pass them on to the customers," Malezian said.
Malezian said she may have to reconsider that approach as inflation continues to impact her small business, and she hopes customers understand where those fees actually go.
"If the people that it's clarifying for understand that that's not us putting it in our pocket," Malezian said.
For a list of the new Florida laws, click here.
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