Big Mamma Group responds to criticism over 'checkout fee' on its app

Big Mamma Group has responded to criticism over customers being charged an extra fee to settle their restaurant bills through its Sunday payment app.

An article in the Daily Mail said diners at its Gloria restaurant in Shoreditch were seemingly charged for “the privilege of paying” for their meal.

One customer shared a snapshot of their bill, which showed they were charged a £2.99 ‘Sunday checkout fee’ on top of the 13.5% service charge. The added fees took the total cost of the meal from £193.50 to £222.64.

The ‘checkout fee’ applies to those using the Sunday mobile payment and ordering app, which was created by Big Mamma founders Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux.

Use of the app, which is accessed through a QR code, is optional in Big Mamma restaurants and guests can still pay using a normal card machine.

Big Mamma said credit card issuers typically charged merchants higher fees to process digital transactions, which was why it added the ‘checkout fee’ to its app payments.

Big Mamma said in a statement: “We would like to clarify some facts that have not been properly reported and may have been misunderstood by individuals who haven’t used this payment method yet.

“Only those who want to use the fast and efficient payment option through the QR code are charged a small fee. Others who don’t use this option aren’t charged anything.

“The QR code payment solution is optional and is not pushed upon the guest under any circumstances. As proof of that, more than 60% of our clients pay by using a credit card terminal or cash, with no fee incurred.

“The cost is made very explicit to 100% of guests before they pay.

“Think of this service as optional, similar to a delivery service. If you choose to have food delivered at home, you will be charged a delivery fee along with a service fee.”

When asked by The Caterer if the £2.99 rate was a flat fee, Big Mamma said that "in some cases a small fee between 0.5% and 2% (capped for big checks) is applied to customers who decide to pay quickly with QR codes, not wait for the bill and get their digital receipt instantly". It said in the majority of cases the fee was less than 0.5%.

Big Mamma is the latest restaurant group to come under fire for adding extra fees to diners’ bills. In April, Dim sum chain Ping Pong made headlines after replacing its service charge with a 15% ‘brand charge’ ahead of upcoming changes to tipping laws.

Big Mamma, which is backed by private equity firm McWin, operates around 23 restaurants across France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Monaco and the UK – including five in London.

It is understood to be eyeing a site in Manchester for its first UK restaurant outside the capital.

The Sunday app launched in 2021 and claims to work with over 2,000 businesses, serving more than 50m diners per year.