Receiptrocity: DeLessio Tacks on 5% Health Fee

Welcome back to Receiptrocity, wherein entertaining dining/drinking receipts are shared. If you've got an interesting or outrageous receipt, scan/photograph it and send it on over to sf@eater.com.

The health care surcharge movement has evoked strong feelings from both sides of the argument and has put restaurants in a pretty tough situation: either suck up thousands of dollars or piss off the customer.

Everyone's playing it differently. Some restaurants (Delfina, TWO, Zazie) are tacking on a cover charge ranging from $1-$1.25, while others (Epic, Zuni) are taking a 4% cut from the diner. Now, it's one thing to have a 4% boost from the likes of Epic and Zuni, as both aim to be near the top of the class in terms of quality and service, but from a tipster comes word of the biggest markup we've encountered, well at least so far. And surprise surprise, it's not even from a restaurant proper: a 5% surcharge from ... DeLessio Market?

The explanatory letter from the DeLessio CEO, which graces both San Francisco locations, follows:

February 1, 2008

Dear Dedicated Patrons,

Currently, San Francisco is preparing to launch its landmark universal healthcare system which will provide healthcare for uninsured residents. Although a court has ruled that the ordinance was preempted by federal legislation and thereby unlawful, a judge has allowed for funding to proceed while the city appeals this decision. Retroactive to January 1, 2008, the mandate will require DeLessio to contribute a monthly sum of $11,000 to help fund this plan, all of which will be in addition to the healthcare we already grant our employees. Despite any short-term effect to our company's profitability, this initiative's ultimate price tag — along with its benefits — will be shared equally by the San Francisco populace. Therefore, DeLessio embraces the program as a monumental step toward solving a plaguing problem, and is willingly prepared to participate.

Our role, as with other businesses, will be to act as a vehicle by which these funds will be collected and given to the city. Rather than imposing a global price increase for all products and services, we are choosing to apply a standalone 5% surcharge to all receipts and invoices. This transparency will allow our customers to see exactly how much is being contributed to the city relative to their purchase. Furthermore, if the reversal is upheld in court, we will be able to quickly revert to our original pricing structure.

Thank you for your patronage, and please contact me with your questions or concerns.

James Faber, CEO
info@delessiomarket.com