The woman, who goes by “blondeswhoeat” on social media, explained that she went out to dinner at a restaurant in Dallas, Texas.
Posting a video to TikTok, she explained that she was a bit startled when they got the bill with the total of US$530 (AU$795).
“Normally, I don’t look at bills. I’m just like, ‘yep, sounds good, here’s my card’ — I know that sounds ignorant, but whatever,” she said.
“We got the bill, and in my head, I knew we only got $150 (AU $225) worth of food, which, the food was great. So how did we get to $530 (AU $795)?”
She and her friend ordered four skinny, spicy margaritas, which cost $14 (AU$21) plus $3 (AU$4.50) for prep. This brought the cost of the drinks to $17 (AU$25.50) each.
When she asked the waiter what the “prep” charge was, she was told that it was for the “shaking of the margarita.”
Another drink which had a listed price of $32 (AU$48) had a prep charge of $13 (AU$19.50).
“Thirteen dollars to shake the margarita,” she asked, before explaining that another woman bought three cocktails that had a $15 (AU$22.50) prep charge.
The prep charge also changed depending how much alcohol was put in the drink.
“All this to say, what the F? This place charges to shake your margarita. And he was like they charge the prep per the tequila of your choice,” the woman said.
People were horrified to hear how the restaurant charged for the drinks.
“Lifelong bartender here and bar OWNER – this is insane. Unacceptable they weren’t upfront. Hidden fees for drinks are insane,” one said.
“I would 100 per cent dispute those charges. Those upcharges sound illegal if they are not in writing on the menu,” another said.
“Charging prep is crazy, but tell me why it fluctuates based on the quality of tequila? Are they shaking it differently?? What’s a $3 shake vs. a $20 shake? At least do it table side,” another said.
@blondeswhoeat Charging extra to “prep” aka SHAKE your drink is WILD! Or better yet.. a $70 margarita is wild! Has anyone ever seen this before? #dallas #dallasrestaurants #dallasfoodie #fypage ♬ original sound - Blondeswhoeat
