Many restaurants in Vancouver have begun to tack on fees (mandatory 18% service charge, mandatory 7% kitchen service fee, etc.)

Given that these costs are NOT optional and cannot be opted out of, shouldn’t they be considered a part of the cost of a purchase? Shouldn’t the fees be reflected in the price listed on the menu? Transparent pricing means that we know how much we can actually expect to spend on something. It gives consumers more information to make decisions.