A New Florida Bill Could Impact Automatic Gratuity at Disney World

A new Florida bill seeks to crack down on automatic gratuity and service charges at restaurants.

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HB 535 is currently making its way through the State House and passed its first committee approval on March 12th, according to WKMG. The bill’s overall goal is to make it easier for restaurants or hotels to remove someone who is not paying their bill.

Despite the main points of this bill, committee members have added an amendment to the bill that would “ban automatic gratuity and service charges for parties of fewer than six guests at restaurants, cafes, and other food service establishments.” For parties of more than six guests, an automatic gratuity would not be required if someone in the party complains to a manager about the quality of service.

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In addition, information on the gratuity must be clearly labeled on menus, and on receipts, the business would be required to explain who is receiving the gratuity — and how much of it they’re actually getting.

State Rep. Demi Busatta, R-Coral Gables, proposed the amendment after she received a bill at a Miami restaurant in March that had both a service fee and an automatic gratuity.

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“In Miami, we’ve seen a growing circumstance where all the restaurants are automatically including a 20% gratuity, or they’re calling it gratuity or service charge or service fee or tip, not just on regular sitdown meals but on take-out as well at fast-casual establishments,” Busatta said.

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“While we understand consumer fatigue surrounding service charges at businesses where it does not make sense for there to be gratuity, many restaurants in Florida and across the U.S. use service charges as a key tool for ensuring service and success,” said Samantha Padgett, FRLA’s vice president for government relations and general counsel.

HB 535 will now move to the Criminal Justice Subcommittee for voting next.

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As far as Disney World is concerned, if this bill were passed, it could impact dining with large groups at table service restaurants. For now, tipping practices are still happening normally around the parks and more.

Tipping practices vary slightly, but the general US custom is that tips should be 15-25% of your pretax bill. The suggested tip level at Walt Disney World is 18%.

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In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for more updates regarding this bill and how it could potentially impact your Disney World trip. Make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest updates from Disney and more.

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