Ford's Garage reviews mandatory 20% service charge policy in Florida

Ford's Garage is reviewing a policy that automatically adds a 20% service charge to customer checks at select Florida locations. The chain's president, Billy Downs, acknowledged that some diners have expressed dissatisfaction with the mandatory fee. Marc Brown, president of franchisee 23 Restaurant Services, stated that the service charge program has been largely successful.

The policy, which replaces traditional tipping, supports a commission-based compensation model for servers and bartenders. Locations using the service charge program report that their servers are earning significantly higher average hourly pay compared to those without the fee.