"Last week, an accidental service charge at Melrose Umbrella Co. reignited anger surrounding restaurant service fees on social media. A diner posted, then deleted, their receipt on Reddit that showed a 40 percent service charge, which the restaurant says was a clerical error. But the backlash is well underway. Melrose Umbrella Co. and Umbrella Hospitality Group owners Austin Melrose and Zachary Patterson told Eater this was a massive mistake. The point-of-sale system produced the error and the server failed to catch it before presenting the bill to the guest. To make amends, Melrose and Patterson also refunded the entire meal and invited them back in for dinner. And while the original post was deleted on Reddit, an endless stream of fiery comments remains. Unaware of the POS error, Redditors lashed out at Melrose Umbrella Co. Some suggested reporting this to the California attorney general, called this type of service model deceitful, and even called into question the standard cake-cutting fee or corkage fee. The incident raises questions about how this can happen, but the timing is unfortunate for the nearly 10-year-old restaurant." - Mona Holmes
