The Page — Restaurant in San Francisco

TL;DR good drinks, bad transparency. You need to ask for an itemized receipt, because otherwise they won't show it to you. You're paying double tax and double tip on the food next door. And they're rounding up. And they're adding extra drinks. Our 15% tip was effectively a 66% tip.

The Page is partnering with The Little Chihuahua (TLC) next door to serve Mexican food with their drinks. Here's how they do it, as explained to me by the manager after the fact:

They send your order to TLC. The Page pays TLC for your order, adding a 20% tip and a $3 delivery fee. This is added to your bill at The Page as a single line item.

After accounting for undisclosed tax, tip, and delivery fee, my TLC charge was still higher than it should have been. Nobody I spoke to could explain the discrepancy. Maybe they tipped after tax. Maybe they rounded up. Point is, this would be a lot less shady if they would show you an itemized receipt from TLC. I asked for one and my server said no.

They don't tell you any of this beforehand. All you see on your bill is a single line item from TLC, which is 20%+tax+$3+??? higher than you're expecting. Without realzing it, you are then paying tax and tip on the tax and tip they paid The Little Chihuahua. Plus undisclosed fees. Plus whatever they rounded up to.

On top of all that, we were charged for an extra margarita. Finally, when you press "15% tip" after scanning your card, it's using the post-tax amount. If you're keeping track, that's tip on the tax on the tip and the tax.

In the end we were refunded the margarita and the manager gave me some cash to drop the food issue. At best they're not transparent about tax, tip, and fees. At worst they're intentionally rounding up and adding drinks you didn't order.

Edit: they lost another star because they can’t keep it...

First off, I really like the Page. It's been my go to for years. Over the years, seen alot of turnover, some good, some ok. Great parklet with killer music and a great vibe. That being said, the last few times I've been in, it's been One bartender for a full house. Last visit was a 20 min wait to get a beer while standing directly at the bar. Tender kept passing me by as I waited patiently. He saw me there, but kept letting the "regulars" jump in at the other end of the bar and serving them...definitely not the way to get repeat business, even though ive been going there for years. When I did get served, tender was nice. I wanted another drink or two, but didn't want to deal with feeling ignored again, so i just moved on. I felt bad for the tender cuz he was spread thin and didn't look like he was having fun. Additionally, it was 1 to 1.5 min after every service cuz he had to ring it in the register. I used to come in all the time and they had 2 tenders, which was way better for everyone. Just seems a bit like it's turned into a "regulars" bar and you don't get fat service unless your recognized....kind...

Just decided to stop in on the off chance that they would still have Pliny the Younger from Russian River Brewing left over from this years San Francisco beer week, they didn't for obvious reasons (it's amazing!). However there was still a very welcoming feeling in this cozy and intimate atmosphere. The bartender was welcoming and charming, offering suggestions with knowledge and she was very observant and pleasant! The ambiance is created not just by the friendly interactions of those around you but also the red tinted lights and how they complement the red walls and chairs. If that doesn't do it for you take a short walk to the back to find foosball, a pool table, dice, and a tabletop arcade game. I appreciate this bar not only for being in a neighborhood of up and comers but also this establishment has been the Page since Thanksgiving 2004 and there has been a bar on this corner since the 40's. This well known bar is perfect for those who enjoy the dive bar experience with a little class. Do yourself a favor...