It's not cheap to eat out. "Foodflation" is REAL, and it's getting increasingly expensive to feed ourselves, let alone go out to eat and enjoy a nice restaurant.
And don't get me started on tipping culture. These servers seriously pass you a credit card machine that asks you for a tip starting at 20 or 25%!
Now, just to make our wallets hurt a little more, a Goodfellas pizzeria in Toronto has started charging customers a 2% "carbon fee" on all bills.
The restaurant can only get away with this extra charge by calling it a "fee." According to the Canadian Federation Of Independent Business, the carbon fee is "completely legal" as long as "it's not called a tax."
WATCH: A pizzeria in Toronto has caught the attention of some patrons with a two per cent 'carbon fee' on their bill. @AdrianGhobrial has more. https://t.co/Xg4TU9xwiJ
— CTV News Northern Ontario (@CTVNewsNorthern) March 7, 2024
A local man, Joseph Christiano, recently dined at the restaurant and only noticed the new "fee" on the bill on his way out. When asked if a carbon fee would make him think twice before dining at the establishment again or any other, he told CTV News that he could probably "live with 2%," but if they start charging 10% or more, that's when he'll start cooking at home.
Toronto already has a 13% tax.
Is this guy seriously saying he is going to wait until the new restaurant carbon tax — I mean, carbon "fee" — doubles the tax we're already paying before taking a stand?
I mean, how much methane do they expect you to produce after consuming their pizza?
So, how does this restaurant justify its phony "fee?"
The bottom of the receipt reads:
What we eat fuels climate change. Adding 2% to every restaurant bill to invest in carbon capture will help offset our carbon footprint.
CTV News
"Carbon capture."
"If I pay a tax to this restaurant maybe it'll make the weather gooder! I am smart!"
This type of carbon fee has yet to be the norm in Toronto, but give it time, my friends. Give it time.
Recently told the NTB