Woman says restaurant added a 22% tip policy to its website right after she disputed the charge at her birthday dinner

A woman said a Vancouver restaurant updated its website with a 22 percent tip policy right after she and her friends disputed an automatic charge on their birthday dinner bill. Channie, who posts on TikTok as @channieats, shared the account in a video that has gained over a hundred thousand views. In the clip, she described the meal at ELEM at 2110 Main St. and what she said happened afterward.

Channie said in her TikTok video that she and her girlfriends went to the upscale place for her birthday celebration. She explained that the reservation included a $50 cancellation fee per person if they did not show up. They ordered the signature tasting course set at $100 per person, though she said the items brought out appeared to total exactly that amount.

She stated that the food was pretty good, but the service was slow, lasting around 3.5 hours at a regular table in the middle of the restaurant. Channie said the bill came to about $800 before tax and tip. She noticed an automatic tip had been added and described the amount as really high.

The video includes screenshots of the bill and website changes

Channie said she asked the server about the charge. According to her account, he went to check with a manager and returned about five minutes later. She quoted him as saying, “This is our 22% we normally charge for large groups.” She replied that she had not known about it beforehand.

She claimed the server told her it was written on the website and that she should check her email. Channie said she pulled up the OpenTable reservation confirmation and showed him that nowhere in the email did it mention a mandatory 22 percent charge for large groups. She added that she and her girlfriends then checked the restaurant’s website and all the menu pages but found no such policy listed.

Channie said in the video that she is okay with that kind of policy if it is stated beforehand. She described 22 percent as a lot, especially for what they received, and called the service average at best. She and her group then asked to speak to the manager, who she said took about 10 minutes to come out. Surprise add-ons like this are not unique to one restaurant, as other diners have noticed unusual house fees on restaurant bills.

She claimed the manager insisted the 22 percent mandatory service fee was on the menu and website. Channie described him as extremely rude and said he argued that 22 percent is normal for any restaurant in Vancouver. She responded that she eats out enough to know that is not the case and that places usually notify customers ahead of time.

According to Channie, the manager eventually said, “I’m willing to cover the 22% to cover for our service tonight.” She and her friends pushed back, explaining that the issue was the lack of prior notice and that they did not feel the service was worth that amount. She said they wanted to enter the tip themselves, and the bill was readjusted.

Channie called the next part “the crazy part.” She said that as soon as they left the restaurant, they refreshed the website and the policy appeared. Screenshots in the video show the site before and after, with a note about mandatory 22 percent gratuity for parties of seven or more. She added that the restaurant later adjusted the wording to groups of six or more and that the policy now appears when booking.

Viewers offered mixed takes on the tip amount and the restaurant’s practices. One commenter said the charge aligned with local norms, writing, “18% is automatic for groups of 6 or more. That is the norm.” Another person who said they had eaten at the same place with a much larger group claimed their automatic gratuity was different, stating, “We went to this restaurant as a party of 15+ for a company dinner and the automatic gratuity was definitely not 22%.”

A third commenter pushed back on the idea that the policy was new, writing, “lol the 22% grat policy for parties of 6+ has always been on their website, at least since sept 18. i copy and pasted this straight from the reservations tab on their website when trying to book for my bf’s bday.”

One viewer expressed broader frustration with tipping, saying, “At this point, I don’t tip at all. They’ve abused tipping since post covid.” Another simply responded, “That’s crazy! which restaurant was this? good for you to speaking to the staff about this.”