Spring 2026 San Francisco Restaurant Week kicks off April 10 and runs through April 19, promising prix fixe menus and curated dining experiences across the city. It's the annual tradition where SF's restaurant scene puts its best foot forward and invites you to explore neighborhoods, try new spots, and — ideally — spend a little less than you normally would on a nice meal out.

Sounds great on paper. But let's talk about what actually happens when the check arrives.

If you've eaten out anywhere in San Francisco in the last couple of years, you've noticed the surcharges. A "San Francisco Health Mandate" fee here, a "living wage" surcharge there, maybe a vague "service fee" tacked on for good measure. What started as a workaround to keep menu prices looking lower has become a city-wide bait-and-switch that's now essentially codified. State Senator Scott Wiener initially moved to ban the practice, then caved to the restaurant association and carved out an exemption — as long as the fee is disclosed somewhere in the restaurant, it's fair game. Naturally, once the green light was given, nearly everyone started doing it.

As one SF resident put it bluntly: "It's a 100% legal but obviously unethical business practice." Hard to argue with that.

And the surcharge isn't even the worst of it. Another local pointed out that many restaurants now present tip guides calculated on top of the surcharges and sales tax — not just the subtotal. So you're being asked to tip on fees that aren't even going to your server. That's not a gratuity; that's a math trick.

Look, we love SF's food scene. It's genuinely world-class, and Restaurant Week is a solid excuse to try that place you've been eyeing. But fiscal responsibility doesn't stop at City Hall — it applies at the dinner table too. Read the fine print. Tip on your subtotal. And don't let a prix fixe menu lull you into ignoring a check that's 20% higher than advertised.

Enjoy the week. Just bring a calculator.