![\"Many](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/noncash.jpg\" "\\"Many")
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Many restaurants in Miami are adding a 3% credit card processing fee to the bill without notifying customers in advance. Starting July 1, they will be required to notify diners on the menu or at the register.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve eaten out in Miami lately, you\u2019ve likely seen an automatic 20% service charge added to your bill. For many diners, the added fee can be an unwelcome surprise, especially if it isn\u2019t disclosed until the check arrives.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the kind of confusion Florida\u2019s new restaurant fee transparency law is intended to prevent.<\/p>\n
Known as the \u201cOperations Charge<\/a>\u201d law, which took effect on July 1, the new rule means any food service establishment that imposes mandatory charges \u2014 including service charges, automatic gratuities, credit card surcharges and delivery fees \u2014 is required to disclose them before customers place their orders.<\/p>\n And restaurants aren\u2019t allowed to hide the information. The percentage amount and its purpose must appear in type no smaller than the print used to describe the food. Bills and receipts must also separately identify operations charges, gratuities and sales tax.<\/p>\n Andrew Zelman, a partner at the law office of Berger Singerman in Fort Lauderdale, told the Editorial Board that the new law, \u201cfocuses towards disclosure and transparency to customers, eliminating any confusion, so that customers understand at the time they order and once they get the bill what\u2019s included in the check.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s a win for consumers.<\/p>\n The law doesn\u2019t tell restaurants how much they can charge or whether they impose a service charge. It only requires one thing: restaurants to disclose those charges to the customer before they order. Restaurants can keep control over their pricing, while diners get the information upfront and can make an informed choice.<\/p>\n That kind of transparency matters, because diners often assume a 20% service charge is the server\u2019s tip, but that may not be the case. As Zelman explained, service charges go to the restaurant, which decides how the money is distributed. Some or all of it can go to its employees as a tip \u2014 or it could be used to cover operating costs. Without clear disclosure, customers could believe they have paid a tip and unintentionally shortchange a server \u2014 or tip them twice.<\/p>\n To address that issue, the new law also requires restaurants to explain the charge\u2019s purpose, giving customers the ability to decide whether they want to leave an additional tip. As Zelman said, \u201cI think for consumers it is a good thing… in areas where you have a lot of tourists, and you have a lot of people who, particularly in South Florida, where you have people who are not used to an operations charge or service charge being automatically applied to every bill. I think the more disclosure you have, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n Mandatory charges shouldn\u2019t be buried in fine print or quietly applied to checks. Consumers deserve to know what their meal will cost at the beginning of the meal, and restaurants have the right to cover their costs. Disclosing the charges ahead of time strengthens consumer confidence.<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s new law helps diners make informed decisions, reduces confusion over service charges and tips and builds trust between restaurants and their customers. In the long run, transparency in pricing isn\u2019t just good for consumers \u2014 it\u2019s good business.<\/p>\n BEHIND THE STORY MORE <\/a> What’s an editorial? <\/p>\n Editorials<\/a> are opinion pieces that reflect the views of the Miami Herald Editorial Board, a group of opinion journalists that operates separately from the Miami Herald newsroom. Miami Herald Editorial Board<\/a> members are: opinion editor Amy Driscoll and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.<\/p>\n What’s the difference between an op-ed and a column? <\/p>\n Op-Eds<\/a>, short for \u201copposite the editorial page,\u201d are opinion pieces written by contributors who are not affiliated with our Editorial Board. <\/p>\n Columns<\/a> are recurring opinion pieces that represent the views of staff columnists that regularly appear on the op-ed page. <\/p>\n How does the Miami Herald Editorial Board decide what to write about? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board, made up of experienced opinion journalists, primarily addresses local and state issues that affect South Florida residents. Each board member has an area of focus, such as education, COVID or local government policy. Board members meet daily and bring up an array of topics for discussion. Once a topic is fully discussed, board members will further report the issue, interviewing stakeholders and others involved and affected, so that the board can present the most informed opinion possible. We strive to provide our community with thought leadership that advocates for policies and priorities that strengthen our communities. Our editorials promote social justice, fairness in economic, educational and social opportunities and an end to systemic racism and inequality. The Editorial Board is separate from the reporters and editors of the Miami Herald newsroom.<\/p>\n How can I contribute to the Miami Herald Opinion section? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board accepts op-ed submissions of 650-700 words from community members who want to argue a specific viewpoint or idea that is relevant to our area. You can email an op-ed submission to oped@miamiherald.com. We also accept 150-word letters to the editor from readers who want to offer their points of view on current issues. For more information on how to submit a letter, go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many restaurants in Miami are adding a 3% credit card processing fee to the bill without notifying customers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-362877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}