According to Arizona Attorney General Chris Mays, two restaurants in the Phoenix subway, Maple & Ash and its chef Etta, have added extra charges to the bills of thousands of customers without prior disclosure. was imposed.

On Friday, Mayes’ office fined two fine dining restaurants $20,000, forcing them to disclose additional charges to diners before ordering.

maize said in a press release Maple & Ash in Fashion Square and Etta in Scottsdale Quarter included a 3.5% surcharge on meals. At the time of the investigation by Mays’ office, the restaurant did not have information about the additional charges listed on the menu.

In Etta Cheapest menu item retails at $12, the most expensive one is $600. So a 3.5% charge could increase the item’s cost by 42 cents to $21.

“The public needs to be transparent when dining out, which includes knowing the total cost of a meal before ordering,” Mays said in a press release. “This settlement sends a clear message to restaurants that they must disclose all surcharges on their menus so that customers can make informed decisions.”

This fee appears on the customer’s invoice as “Emp Benefit” or Employee Benefit. According to a lawsuit filed by Mays Against two restaurants in April. The charges were only disclosed on the restaurant’s website’s “About Us” page or the reservation checkout page, according to the complaint.

According to the lawsuit, the restaurant posted a 3.5% fee on all transactions paid to cover insurance, benefits and staff health at the bottom of the booking checkout window. We are adding ,” he said.

The Attorney General’s Office launched an investigation in May 2022 and sued the restaurant in April. The restaurant began disclosing the additional charges in August 2022 after learning of the investigation, according to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, “Defendants made separate seemingly coercive claims and allowed defendants to advertise lower menu prices, knowing that they would charge higher prices on their final bills.” .

“Defendants subsequently hid, suppressed, or omitted material information about their claims on menus, phone calls, and websites. We billed consumers and collected thousands of dollars in additional revenue in the process,” the lawsuit added.

According to a 2020 New York Times articleit is almost impossible for customers to know exactly where their money is going after paying such vague fees.

legal dispute

This isn’t the first legal entanglement for What If Syndicate, the Chicago-based company that owned both eateries until January. April 2022, Hospitality group sued in Illinois court by a former employee who claimed that an “illegal coup” was designed to get him kicked out of the company.

What If Syndicate responded with its own lawsuit, alleging that an employee embezzled $265,000 from the company.

party settled the dispute out of court in January.

Also in January, the restaurant changed ownership after its What If partner settled a lawsuit. By restaurant business.

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office encourages Arizonaans who believe they may have been cheated by a restaurant to file a consumer complaint. office website.

Maple & Ash was named Best Steakhouse in New Times’ Best of Phoenix 2020 for its affordable steak frites, sumptuous bar and hearty side dishes. This restaurant opened in April 2018.

In September, former New Times food writer Natasha Yee named Etta one of her top picks to try at Arizona Restaurant Week. The restaurant opened in April 2022.