A popular Woodbridge-area breakfast spot has introduced a new billing rule for larger tables, and, although the restaurant is known as having one of the best breakfasts in the neighbourhood, some customers aren’t taking the policy lightly.
The Vaughan City Grill recently announced that groups of five or more will now be placed on a single bill.
“To ensure the best service for our valued customers. We have a new one bill policy on groups of five or more one bill only,” management wrote in an Instagram post late last month, alongside a picture of the new policy sign posted in the restaurant: “Groups of 5 or more. No splitting bills. No exceptions.”
The restaurant later defended the move in the comments, saying customer service was the reason behind the new rule.
“Customer service is our number one priority. We cant have other customers waiting to be served while our servers are stuck at a table for at least a good 15 minutes spliting [sp] bills,” management wrote in a comment.
Still, the comment section quickly filled with pushback from diners. One user wrote, “3 couples should be able to get 3 bills,” while another said, “Won’t be going there anymore with my buddies.” Others were even blunter, calling the rule “selfish,” “stupid” and “lazy.”
Some argued that separate bills should be manageable if the table tells the server at the beginning of the meal. “If 6 customers at a table tell you that bill is being split when the initial order comes in, then your server just has to write 6 bills,” one commenter wrote, adding that two things would stop them from visiting a restaurant: “no bill splitting” and a “set tip for groups over certain size.”
A few did side with the restaurant. “I agree with this 100%,” one commenter wrote, while another said they were “fine with the policy” and would follow it, though they questioned whether splitting a bill on a POS system really takes 15 minutes.
And even though the new policy has sparked frustration, one-bill rules aren’t exactly unheard of in Toronto. At Oxtail Pho & Banh Mi,parties of six or more receive a single bill with an 18 per cent gratuity included, and after 10 p.m., the restaurant doesn’t allow separate bills at all. Bar Poet tries to accommodate split bills, but they aren’t guaranteed, and groups of 10 or more are placed on one bill. Gia Restaurant says groups of five or more are subject to a one-bill policy with a 20 per cent auto-gratuity, while The Drake Hotel has a one-bill policy for groups of eight, along with 20 per cent gratuity.
For now, the policy at Vaughan City Grill appears to be sticking around, so if you head over with a large group (and don’t mind one bill), the family-owned spot is located on 211 Marycroft Ave.
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