Quote:
Originally Posted by tazzy
The sneaky extra surprise charges in Japan annoy me so much.
Last night with some friends we went to some restaurant which we've been to before, whilst we're waiting for our food what should appear but some random small tubs of fishy stuff...we expect the worst and sure enough when the bill appears they cost 400 yen a piece.
Afterwards we decide to go exploring and find a small pub somewhere. We do this and sit down and all seems good until the woman starts bringing us snacks....what? We never asked for this?....there's some mad 1200 yen fee just for being in the place- a normal little pub, not a live music venue or a club or any of that.
This is madness. Why is this so? In particular why is it done via the medium of crappy bits of food you never asked for instead of just an entry fee? Is there some Japanese law against such charges and they get around it by giving the food? Why are these little pubs always so full despite the gouging- is there some sort of yearly membership people buy?
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This is pretty common in Tokyo, actually. A lot of places seem to do it, even large chains. What you are usually doing (not always) is paying the service fee. The people running around in the Izakayas don't get paid much, and as most Japanese don't tip you pay the 'seating fee' instead. It also means they can offer the food at lower, more competitive prices. And with low paying table hoggers, instead of the awkwardness of having to ask a customer to finish up and go, it means the business has at least made enough off of them to call it quits and let them stay as long as they like. They give you food because, well, I guess it softens the deal; makes it less direct. "please pay for service, we'll provide you good service and a little something free in return." If you like, the random dish is the kitchens way of showing it's service, just like the waitresses' attentiveness or smile does.
As MMM said, if you don't like the custom, ask before you sit down. If you don't want to pay it, don't go to those places.