Under a new city council ordinance, New York City restaurants are able to add a 10-percent “COVID relief” charge to the tabs of customers dining indoors.
The measure is intended to help eateries meet the rising cost of labor and added costs of sanitizing their facilities.
The measure allows restaurants with up to 15 locations in the city to add the surcharge, which will end 90 days after full indoor dining is allowed to resume.
Indoor dining at 25-percent capacity can resume 30 September, by order of governor Andrew Cuomo.
The new law ends a four-decade ban on restaurants adding surcharges to customers’ bills.
“I think most New Yorkers would be open to paying just a little bit more to make sure that their favorite neighborhood spot stays open during the pandemic,” said council member Keith Powers, a co-sponsor of the bill.
TREND FORECAST: With the economy falling into the “Greatest Depression,” cash strapped customers will not be willing to pay a surcharge.
