Don’t be tempted by the low prices!! I have been sucked in twice only to get the bill and then gotten the gratuity and it shocked me. TravelZoo estimates the cost of what the meal would have been, at a very high rate, and then puts the gratuity on that. Our meal tonight at Cicada in downtown LA, which was good, not great, had the total bill of $151. The gratuity was $46 and I questioned that. Our waiter said that Travelzoo estimated the cost of dinner at $232 and charged the gratuity on that, although we could have had that dinner for about $160 had we eaten the without using Travelzoo, and had the choice of the whole menu. I guess nothing’s free…I’m passing from now on!
On Cicada’s behalf, the room is said to have the most Lalique of any building anywhere. It’s a beautiful art deco room that has been well preserved.
Jerry–I don’t know about that particular deal, but the general principle is familiar to me. Often there are places that offer discounted restaurant meals but then you are expected to tip on the “regular” price. That’s OK by me–the server should get the normal tip regardless of whether we use a coupon–but that’s separate from the question of whether the “regular” price is calculated in a realistic fashion.
Bruce
P.S. This “discount off the regular rate” is an issue you see in all these kinds of offers. Someone will say the “regular” price is $300, but this deal is $150 so you “save 50%.” It’s always best to be skeptical about these claims, regardless of the discounter offering them. The same thing applies to travel “discounts.”
How does the restaurant control how much gratuity you leave? We do a lot of those deals from TZ, Groupon and Living Social in our bar and the problem we have is getting them to tip the servers fairly on the actual (pre-discount) bill. Many leave $5 on a $50 tab. We have zero control over what they put on the tip line of their credit card slip or leave in cash on the table.
In Miami Beach, most restaurants will automatically add 18% gratuity on the bill, then leave a place for “additional gratuity.” Many visitors don’t know this and end up tipping twice!
ive used for meals, works for me. How does travelzoo charge you for the dinner when you’ve already paid for their voucher? sounds more like the restaurant is taking advantage?