Ørchard Farm Stand - Catawba Island

My husband and I used to love coming here. Now we're so disheartened because of the business' charging practices that our visits to the Farm Stand and the Bar and Table will be rare.

Last year, they began implementing a non-gratuity surcharge of 2.5% on all transactions. This is not related to the credit card transaction fees that establishments have been passing off to their customers to cover. This is a separate charge that the Farm Stand is adding to anything purchased on their property. Food, beverage and the Gift Shop. On the menu this year, they have it clearly stated that all transactions will have the additional 2.5% non gratuity fee so that they can pay their staff a "livable wage".

It is my understanding that when one runs a business, that person (or persons) has a responsibility to calculate all overhead/property/rental costs, utility costs, cost of staffing, cost of consumable goods, cost of non consumable goods and miscellaneous expenditures...and this is the short list off the top of my head is what goes into calculating the Cost of doing Business (or COB). After all of that is broken down to figure out what the expenses are yearly, quarterly and monthly, a person is then obliged to set their pricing structure to ensure they can not only cover their COB, but make enough to reinvest back into the business as well as show a profit. If this has been done properly, why do the customers, who are already paying for food that has been marked up exponentially (and the atmosphere is gorgeous so the higher food cost is expected) need to be charged extra because someone responsible for the profit/loss margin and profit projection isn't doing their job?

The food is good. The service is ok. The grounds are beautifully landscaped. If they would raise their menu prices from $20 for a cheese burger to $20.25 for a cheese burger to build in their "livable wage" they need to pay their staff into their menu instead of charging it on the backend then I'd come back and come back frequently. Until then, I will sadly be passing on this restaurant with so much potential and such terrible financial management.