You order a Rp 95,000 main in Seminyak, a S$28 laksa at a Singapore hotel, or a €14 pasta in Florence, and the bill comes back noticeably higher than the numbers you added up in your head. Nobody has ripped you off. The menu almost certainly told you, in small print at the bottom of the page. You just did not know how to read it. Here is how surcharges work in the places Australians travel most, and how to work out the real price before you order.
Tax and service rates change, and they vary by region, venue type and even individual restaurant. The figures below are typical at the time of writing. Always check the menu's fine print and confirm locally if a number matters to you.
What "++" means
When a price is followed by ++ (for example "IDR 95K++" or "S$28++"), it means two separate charges will be added on top: a service charge and a government tax. The plus signs do not tell you the rates; those are usually printed somewhere else on the menu, often as a line like "All prices are subject to 10% service charge and prevailing government tax."
The opposite is "nett" or "net": the printed price is what you pay. Occasionally you will even see "+++", usually where a third charge applies or simply as emphasis, so read the fine print.
The catch most people miss is that the two charges are often compounded: service is added first, then tax is calculated on the subtotal including service. So 10% plus 10% is not 20%. It is 21%.
Southeast Asia, country by country
| Where | Typical service | Typical tax | Typical uplift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bali / Indonesia | 5–10% | ~10% regional restaurant tax | Around 15–21% |
| Singapore | 10% | 9% GST | About 19.9% |
| Malaysia | Often 10% | 6–8% service tax (SST), depending on the business | Roughly 16–19% |
| Thailand (hotels, upscale) | 10% | 7% VAT | About 17.7% |
Bali and Indonesia
In Bali, restaurants, beach clubs and hotel dining rooms commonly add a service charge of around 10% plus a regional restaurant tax of around 10%. That tax is still widely called PB1 (Pajak Pembangunan 1), even though the legal framework has been renamed; you may also see it as "govt tax". It is a local tax on restaurant meals, separate from Indonesia's national VAT (PPN), which you are more likely to see on shop receipts. In practice, a Bali "++" menu very often means about 21% on top.
Small local warungs usually charge none of this: the price on the board is the price you pay. Our guide to ordering at a Bali warung explains the difference.
Singapore
Most sit-down restaurants in Singapore add a 10% service charge and GST, which at the time of writing is 9%. GST is charged on the subtotal including service, so the uplift is about 19.9%. Hawker centres and most kopitiams do not add service charge, and their prices generally already include any GST.
Malaysia
Restaurants above a certain revenue threshold charge a service tax (part of the SST system), typically 6% on food and drink at the time of writing, though rates for some services have moved to 8%. Many also add a 10% service charge. Mamak stalls and hawker-style places usually do not.
Thailand
Street food and ordinary restaurants in Thailand normally charge the menu price. Hotels, rooftop bars and upscale restaurants often add 10% service plus 7% VAT, giving about 17.7%. Menus usually say "prices are subject to 10% service charge and 7% VAT" or simply show "++".
Europe: cover charges and bread
In Italy, many restaurants charge a coperto, a per-person cover charge that pays for bread, table linen and the place setting. It is typically a few euros per person and should be printed on the menu. Some menus list "pane e coperto" (bread and cover) instead. A separate servizio (service charge) is less common but does turn up, particularly in busy tourist areas; if it is on the bill, there is no need to tip on top.
In Portugal, bread, olives, butter or cheese placed on the table before you order (the couvert) are usually charged if you eat them. It is perfectly polite to send them back if you do not want them.
In France, "service compris" means service is included in menu prices; rounding up or leaving a few euros for good service is a nice gesture, not an obligation. In most of Europe, prices on menus already include VAT.
Japan: 税込, 税抜 and otoshi
Japanese menus may show prices 税込 (zeikomi, tax included) or 税抜 (zeinuki, tax excluded). Consumption tax on eating in is 10% at the time of writing. Displaying the tax-inclusive total has become the norm, but you will still see pre-tax prices with "+税" beside them, especially in smaller places.
At an izakaya, expect an otoshi: a small appetiser that doubles as a per-person table charge, typically a few hundred yen. Some hotels and higher-end restaurants also add a service charge (サービス料), usually 10% or so. There is no tipping. Our guide on how to order food in Japan has more.
The United States: tax at the till, tip on top
US menu prices almost never include sales tax. Tax is added when you pay, and the rate depends on the state, county and city. It is often somewhere in the high single digits, sometimes more. Then, at sit-down restaurants, a tip is expected. At the time of writing, 18–20% is common for table service, and payment screens frequently suggest higher amounts.
Increasingly, US restaurants also add their own line items, such as a "service fee", "kitchen appreciation" charge or automatic gratuity for larger groups. Read the bill before you tip so you are not paying twice. Canada works similarly, with GST or HST added at the till and tipping expected.
At home in Australia, menu prices must include GST, so the printed price is normally what you pay, apart from weekend or public-holiday surcharges and card payment surcharges, which should be disclosed on the menu or at the counter.
How to work out the real price
The formula is simple once you know the rates:
Real price = menu price × (1 + service rate) × (1 + tax rate)
If the tax is calculated on the subtotal including service (the usual case for "++"), multiply them as above. If they are both calculated on the menu price, simply add the percentages together. The difference is small on one dish and noticeable over a long dinner.
Worked example: dinner for two in Bali
Say you order two mains at Rp 95,000 and Rp 85,000, and two cocktails at Rp 45,000 each, at a restaurant whose menu says "subject to 10% service and 10% government tax".
| Line | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Food and drinks | 95,000 + 85,000 + 45,000 + 45,000 | Rp 270,000 |
| Service (10%) | 10% of 270,000 | Rp 27,000 |
| Subtotal | Rp 297,000 | |
| Tax (10%) | 10% of 297,000 | Rp 29,700 |
| Total | 270,000 × 1.10 × 1.10 | Rp 326,700 |
That is Rp 56,700 more than the menu prices added up, an uplift of 21%. Using a round illustrative rate of Rp 10,000 to A$1 (check the live rate, as it moves), the meal you thought was about A$27 is really about A$32.70. Not a disaster, but across a two-week holiday of restaurant meals it adds up, and it is the kind of thing that makes a budget go quietly wrong.
Quick mental shortcut: for a "++" menu in Bali, add about a fifth. In Singapore, add about a fifth. In Thai hotels, add a little under a fifth. You will be close enough to decide whether a dish is worth it.
How swap.menu handles surcharges
When you photograph a menu, swap.menu reads the fine print as well as the dishes. If it finds "++", a service-charge line, a cover charge or a note that prices exclude tax, it applies those surcharges to your order total and converts the result into your home currency, so the number you see is much closer to what will actually land on the bill. You still see the original printed price next to each dish, which makes it easy to check the bill when it arrives.
It can only work with what is printed. If a restaurant adds a charge that is not on the menu, or the fine print is cut off in your photo, it cannot know about it. So if the total matters, include the bottom of the page in your shot, and ask staff if anything else will be added.
Stop doing surcharge maths at the table. Your first 3 menu scans are free, and passes start from $4.99 with nothing that renews.
Start free with 3 scansThe short version
- "++" means service and tax will be added, often compounded.
- "Nett" means the printed price is final.
- Coperto in Italy and otoshi in Japan are per-person charges, not mistakes.
- In the US, add sales tax and a tip; check for service fees first.
- Rates change, so read the fine print and treat any figure, including ours, as a guide.