Shoreditch restaurant faces backlash over £2.99 'optional check-out fee' on top of service charge

An Italian restaurant in east London has faced a backlash for encouraging customers to pay through a smartphone app that adds a £2.99 ‘checkout fee’.

Gloria sparked anger from diners who noticed an added fee when they paid using the optional Sunday app.

The app is used by other restaurants such as Dishoom, Bocca di Lupo and Japes.

One customer posted a digital receipt from their March 28 visit to Gloria, showing they were charged a 13.5 per cent service fee of £26.15 and an additional 'checkout fee' of £2.99.

“Is Gloria in Shoreditch the only restaurant that charges you for the privilege of paying your bill?”, they wrote.

The post generated over 1,600 likes and more than 440 comments, with users venting their fury at the cheeky 'checkout fee'.

One person replied: “It actually borders tacky. Would put it on their Google reviews, they might not be aware that it shows up like that, or that it just ruins the whole experience.

“They might see it and reconsider. People are sick to the back teeth of booking places, bonkersservice charges and still expecting tips, and now stupid things like this.

“It's for their own good they know about this!”

Another added: “This needs stamping out fast before it spreads. I hope the restaurant gets boycotted until they see sense.”

Christine de Wendel of Zalando and Big Mamma restaurant founders Tigrane Seydoux and Victor Lugger launched the hospitality app aimed at saving diners time by allowing them to scan a QR code, split the bill and tip in as little as 10 seconds.

The company claims that over 2,000 businesses have adopted the Sunday app, with more than 50 million diners using it since its 2021 launch.

Ms de Wendel discussed the app in a 2022 interview, saying: “It’s a web app, so you don't have to download anything or sign up for anything.

“When you're ready to go, you just scan the code and it pops up on your phone, and literally 10 secondslater, you're out of there, being able to split the bill, tip and leave a review.”

A spokesperson for Gloria - which is owned by Big Mamma - said: “Big Mamma does propose Sunday as a payment option for clients who wish to pay faster, and the fee is part of this software which allows customers to pay via their phone, split the bill and instantly receive their receipt.

“Sunday is 100% optional. Of course, the traditional ways to pay (cash and credit card) are free of charge and are used by more than 60% of our guests."