No one can doubt that our currently reality has taken a toll on industries like restaurants. At first, no one was eating out at all because we were scared of disease and other people.

Then, the whole paradigm had to shift so that people could get their food togo and with limited contact from employees.

Things might be back to normal in some ways now, but when it comes to how businesses treat their employees, things have hopefully changed forever.

That said, there are plenty of people who have thoughts about employers passing those rising costs onto consumers.

In 2021, it was reported that fewer than 32% of restaurant workers had access to health insurance. That, combined with poor wages, rough hours, unpredictable patronage, and a lack of other benefits had the industry losing far more good help than they could win back.

Recently, TikToker Ashley Nichole (@ashnichole_xo) was out for dinner in Los Angeles when she noticed a 5% fee for “employee health” on her bill.

@ashnichole_xo

Is this normal?? #greenscreen #receipt #employeehealth #restaurant

♬ original sound – Ashley Nichole

“The weirdest thing just happened to me. We enjoy our meal, we get the check, we pay for our check, and as we’re signing the tip and stuff, we noticed something. Here’s the receipt, and if you notice down here toward the bottom, there is a $4.75 charge for employee health. Do you see that? A 5% charge for employee health.”

When she asked the hostess what it was for, she was told it was for healthcare.

“And she goes, ‘Oh, that’s our healthcare.’ And my reaction was ‘Your health, your healthcare?’ And she goes, ‘Yes, our healthcare.”

Ashley had never heard of that or seen it before that day, and asked TikTok whether or not she was just living under a rock.

In the 13,000 comments you’ll find all kinds of differing opinions.

Some felt that the responsibility of paying for health care should fall on the business owner, not the patrons.

Others said they would have asked for the manager and demanded they remove the charge from their bill.

Still others were torn, realizing that there are far too many people in America who don’t have or can’t afford health care, and also knowing that if they don’t put the charge on there the way it is, they’ll just raise the prices 5% to cover it.

I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I feel like it’s a step in the right direction.

At least we have restaurant employers admitting that their people need health care, right?