A RESTAURANT co-founded by Marco Pierre White has caused outrage by charging diners for tablecloths and napkins.
The London Steakhouse Company asks customers to pay £1.50 per person “to cover the cost of napkins and table linens”.
Diners also face a discretionary service charge of 9.5 per cent on top of the fixed linen fee.
Expert Steven Hesketh told the Telegraph: “Adding charges for customers is another nail in the coffin of the hospitality industry.”
Hesketh said the charge may have been brought in ahead of minimum wage hikes next April.
The charges are shown on the central London steakhouse’s à la carte menu.
But the set menu has a £1 per head cover charge plus a 12.5 per cent service charge.
The steakhouse also charges a £10 fee for booking certain set menus more than 48 hours in advance.
On its website, the restaurant says this “is not a deposit and won’t be credited to your bill, just a fee to allow you to make the reservation.”
Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White opened the steakhouse near Liverpool Street station back in 2008.
Expert Jane Hawkes said: “If you go to a restaurant you expect to get a bill for the food and drink you have had, nothing more.
“It’s not at all fair to introduce an extra charge for something that should be included as standard.”
Hawkes warned diners could skimp on tips for staff if they are slapped with a cover charge.
Cover charges for linen or bread are standard practice in some European countries, like Italy.
But the charges are becoming more common in top-end UK restaurants.
Harrods recently brought in a £1 cover charge at its London restaurants.
The London Steakhouse Company has been contacted for comment.
It comes after diners slammed another restaurant for its £2.99 “checkout fee” on top of its 13.5% service charge.
Meanwhile, a dad is furious after an ‘all you can eat’ Chinese joint measured his 10-year-old son – and then charged him full price.
