Restaurant Hidden Fee Class Action Settlements: 2026 Guide
By Timo Bakker · July 6, 2026 · 4 min read
Restaurants have increasingly added surcharges — "wellness fees," "healthy SF" fees, credit card surcharges, hidden service fees — that plaintiffs argue violate consumer protection laws. Multiple class actions are pending or settled.
Common restaurant fee cases
- Hidden service fees. Restaurants add 3-5% service charges without menu disclosure. Multiple state UDAP violations alleged.
- Undisclosed automatic gratuities. Automatic 18% tip for parties of 6+ that were not disclosed until receipt time.
- Credit card surcharges without disclosure. Some states require menu-level disclosure of card processing charges.
- Wellness / healthcare surcharges. SF chains and others added employee-health surcharges beyond legal maximums.
How to know if you were affected
Check your last 3 years of restaurant receipts (credit card statements can help reconstruct). Any receipt showing a non-tax line-item you did not clearly consent to may qualify.
How to file
Check the directory for restaurant-industry settlements. Some are chain-specific (Applebee's, Denny's, McDonald's franchise cases), others are city-wide (San Francisco, Los Angeles).