So spouse and I had a gift card for a restaurant in Winooski that we used to frequent. Hadn't been in a long time. Had the gift card for 9 months before we got around to using it.
$5.95 to park for an hour on a Monday, plus the 13% "service fee" with no alternative way to pay.
The actual food was $72. Add in tip, a 3% "kitchen service fee", a Winooski local tax, and the final bill was over $100. So even with a $50 gift card we ended up paying over $50 for dinner when parking is included.
There was nothing wrong with the food or the service. But we will not be back. $6 (with hidden fee) for the privilege of spending money in the community. $81 for two entrees (with hidden fee and extra tax), more than a week's groceries.
It just feels like everything is designed now to suck every last penny out of your pocket. No wonder downtowns are dying, when what's supposed to be an enjoyable night out feels like you're getting ripped off at every turn.