Highlighting Service Fees

Some locations are required to clearly display and highlight service fees to comply with local regulations. This article explains how to configure the Highlight Service Fee option in the Direct Ordering User Interface (DOUI) and ensure the correct display behavior.

Why Highlight Service Fees

Displaying service fees prominently helps customers understand exactly what charges apply before completing their purchase.
This is also important for meeting state-specific regulations—such as California Senate Bill (SB) 1524—which requires restaurants to clearly and conspicuously disclose all mandatory fees (for example, service charges, kitchen surcharges, or employee benefit fees).

Beginning July 1, 2025, SB 1524 will apply to both in-person and digital ordering platforms and requires that:

• Fees must be visible and easy to read
• Formatting should make fees stand out from other text (e.g., bold, colored, or larger font)
• Fees must be shown before checkout is completed, not only in the final summary

Failure to meet these requirements can result in fines, legal action, or delays in launching online ordering for California-based restaurants.

Highlighting service fees in DOUI ensures compliance with such regulations and promotes a transparent guest experience.

What Fees can Be Highlighted?

You can highlight any mandatory or non-optional fee, including:

• Service fees
• Kitchen surcharges
• Bag fees
• Employee wellness or benefit fees
• Delivery surcharges (if applicable)

This ensures both compliance with the legislation and greater transparency for guests.

How to Highlight Service Fees in DOUI

Follow these steps to highlight service fees and make them visually distinct across checkout, confirmation, and receipt pages:

This enables visual distinction for applicable fees on the Checkout, Confirmation, and Email Receipt pages.

Example Display

Before Highlighting:
Service fee appears in standard font and blends with other charges.

After Highlighting:
Service fee appears bold, colored, or enlarged, clearly visible to guests on checkout and confirmation pages.