A swanky London steakhouse is facing backlash over its introduction of charges for tablecloths and napkins.<br>
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Diners at the London Steakhouse restaurant, which was opened by <br>
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celebrity chef Marco Pierre White in 2008, are now expected to <br>
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fork out an additional cover of £1.50 per person.<br>
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The restaurant, located near Liverpool Street train station, <br>
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has stated that this will be a fixed fee 'to cover the cost of <br>
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table linen and napkins', with a discretionary service charge of 9.5 per cent also appearing on bills.<br>
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Industry experts have cautioned though that this could be just the start <br>
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of restaurants seeking more 'innovative' ways to raise additional revenue from customers.<br>
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Off the back of the government's autumn budget which saw both the minimum wage and national insurance rates increase, restauranteurs have been warning that <br>
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prices must rise for them to be able to foot the bill.<br>
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From April, the national minimum wage will increase by 6.7 per cent to £12.21 per hour,<br>
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with employer's NI charges to jump by 1.2 per cent. <br>
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Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch has previously claimed the national minimum wage is detrimental to British businesses, and told this year's Tory <br>
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conference that it was 'over-burdening' many small <br>
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enterprises.<br>
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The London Steakhouse appears to be reacting proactively <br>
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to its impending expenditure increases, through both the tablecloth and napkin fee along with a host of other charges.<br>
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Marco Pierre White's (pictured) London Steakhouse has come under fire over the introduction of <br>
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charges for tablecloths and napkins<br>
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The London Steakhouse restaurant (pictured) has been open near Liverpool Street station since 2008<br>
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Diners are now expected to fork out an additional £1.50 per head for tablecloths and napkins<br>
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Be the first to commentBe one of the first to commentComments<br>
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Would you pay for the napkin fee?<br>
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Comment now<br>
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The charges for the linen are displayed on the restaurant's à la carte menu, with the set menus seeing additional charges such as a £1 <br>
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head cover fee.<br>
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A 12.5 per cent service charge is also added to set menu bills, <br>
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as the self-proclaimed 'linen-topped table dining' establishment seemingly seeks more <br>
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ways to charge patrons.<br>
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The cover charge concept is one which is standard practice <br>
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in many places around Europe, particularly in Italy where the 'coperto' charge covers table linen and bread.<br>
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Cover charges are becoming ever more prevalent in the UK, with Harrdos also recently jumping on the trend and implementing <br>
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a £1 levy at its London eateries.<br>
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Other charges laid out on the London Steakhouse's website <br>
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include a £10 fee for booking certain set menus over two days in advance.<br>
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This fee is not considered as a deposit by the restaurant and is not credited from your <br>
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final bill, but rather a charge simply allowing you to make your reservation. <br>
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Consumer specialist Jane Hawkes told the Telegraph that the introduction of such fees is unfair on diners and that customers should be made to feel valued by businesses, rather than 'bamboozled'.<br>
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One potential unintended consequence of these fee introductions is that patrons will <br>
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feel less obliged to pay service charges or leave behind tips.<br>
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Despite new legislation coming into effect in October which ensures staff <br>
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receive equal distribution of tips, industry expert <br>
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Ms Hawkes says that this may prove to be redundant if fee gouging persists. <br>
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The London Steakhouse restaurant has been approached by <br>
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the MailOnline for comment. <br>
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ItalyMarco Pierre WhiteKemi Badenoch<br>
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A swanky London steakhouse is