Went to a restaurant in LA today and when I got the check I noticed that it was a bit higher than it should be. Then I noticed this 18% service charge. So… We, as customers, need to help pay for their servers instead of the owners paying their servers a living wage. And on top of that they have suggested tip. I called bs on this. I will bet you that the servers do not see a dime of this 18% service charge. [deleted a word so it wasn’t a grammatical horror to read]
OP said LA so while these numbers are a little high they’re not out of the ordinary for a high CoL American city. I live near NYC and prices at fairly mainstream not particularly upscale restaurants and Manhattan are similar to this. As long as you’re living within your means there’s no reason to avoid doing things you enjoy