Food Influencer Shocked by Luxury US Restaurant's $3,600 Cake Cutting Fee That Goes Viral Before Price Cut in Half
A Beverly Hills luxury restaurant faced global backlash after charging $110 to cut and serve a customer's own birthday cake, but halved the fee to $5 per person following the viral Instagram post and public outcry.
On May 20, a food influencer's Instagram post about a luxury Beverly Hills rooftop restaurant's $110 cake-cutting fee went viral globally. The influencer, posting on the account justinelovesushi, shared a receipt showing the restaurant charged $10 per person (about 330 baht) to cut and serve a birthday cake the customer had brought themselves, bringing the meal total to over $1,100 (around 36,000 baht). The post triggered heated online debate, with many criticizing the service charge as excessive. However, following the backlash, the restaurant issued an apology on Instagram, stating the cake-cutting fee was not their standard practice and offering a full refund. The restaurant also announced it would reduce the cake-cutting charge from $10 to $5 per person going forward. Some social media users defended the restaurant, explaining that cake-cutting fees are standard at high-end establishments, especially when customers bring desserts from outside instead of ordering from the restaurant. However, most critics pointed out that the main issue wasn't the price itself, but rather the restaurant's failure to inform customers of the charge in advance, leading to misunderstanding and the viral drama.
