Hawaii restaurant sneaks 3% ‘kitchen appreciation fee’ onto woman’s bill, but it backfired when she posted the receipt on TikTok

A Hawaii restaurant is at the center of an online debate after a customer shared a receipt showing a 3% “kitchen appreciation fee.” The incident gained attention on TikTok and sparked a wider conversation about service charges and tipping culture in the US.

According to Brobible, the receipt came from Cafe O’Lei at the Plantation. TikTok user Kiara, known as @kiki.alchemy, noticed the extra charge and recorded a video of the bill, zooming in on the line item and asking her followers, “What TF is a kitchen appreciation fee?” She noted in her video description that it was the first time she had ever seen such a charge. The clip has since racked up 317,000 views.