> "Customers often seem to be more willing to accept the surcharges than outright price increases, he said. One restaurant operator recently tried raising the price of a signature sandwich, which resulted in a 6% decline in sales of that particular item, he said."

Maybe because they don't know about the additional fees until the check comes. The true cost of a dish (price of the dish + all other unavoidable and foreseeable cost/fees, tipping being optional) should be easily accessible to customers while ordering, and without requiring the use of a calculator. Does it call for more regulation? Similar to the one that required more transparency on fares in the airline industry?