What is FairTab?
FairTab is the free, community-driven platform that is setting the standard for restaurant fee transparency. By collecting and verifying real receipts and menu photos, FairTab gives diners a clear, trusted picture of a restaurant's fee practices before they ever walk through the door.
We score every restaurant based on three factors: service charges, credit card surcharges, and default tip prompts. Those scores are color-coded and publicly available so anyone can look up a restaurant and know exactly what to expect on their bill.
Every score is backed by verified receipts and menu photos submitted by real diners. No guesswork, no estimates.
Why We Built This
Anyone who has dined out recently has felt it. You order a meal, enjoy the experience, and then the check arrives with a service charge you didn't expect, a credit card surcharge buried in the fine print, and a tip prompt starting at 25%.
That moment of confusion at the end of a meal is uncomfortable for everyone. The diner feels caught off guard. The server feels the tension. The restaurant loses goodwill it worked hard to earn.
FairTab eliminates that moment entirely.
Who We Serve
Diners
Look up any restaurant before you go. Know the fees, know the tip prompts, and arrive ready. No awkward surprises. No uncomfortable moments at checkout. Just a great meal.
Restaurants
When your guests arrive already knowing your fee structure, there are no awkward conversations. No defensive moments for your staff. Just customers who chose you knowingly and are happy to be there.
⚠️ What FairTab is NOT
FairTab is not a campaign against restaurants or tipping culture. We do not tell restaurants what to charge or tell diners how much to tip. We simply believe that informed diners make better guests. Better guests make for better dining experiences for everyone involved.
How the FairTab Score Works
Every restaurant receives a FairTab Score (FTS) between 0 and 100, calculated from community-verified fee photos. Three factors determine the score:
Service Charges
Any surcharge added automatically to the bill, including service fees, kitchen fees, hospitality charges, and similar surcharges.
Credit Card Fees
Any surcharge applied for paying by card, including processing fees, non-cash adjustments, and convenience fees.
Tip Prompts
The default tip percentages shown on the payment screen, receipt, or menu, and where they start.
Scores are averages across all verified fee photos and receipts submitted by the community. As the FairTab network grows, the FTS is becoming the go-to reference point for diners, food journalists, and consumer advocates nationwide. Browse restaurant scores →
Just as Yelp became the standard for restaurant reviews and Zagat defined fine dining ratings, the FairTab Score is establishing itself as the definitive benchmark for fee transparency. When diners, journalists, and consumer advocates want to know how a restaurant treats its guests at checkout, they look up the FTS.
Our Values
Transparency
All scores are based on real receipts and menu photos. Nothing is estimated or assumed.
Neutrality
We report what we find. We don't advocate, shame, or editorialize.
Community
Every score is powered by real diners sharing real receipts and menu photos.
Accuracy
Submissions are verified before they affect any restaurant's score.
Accessibility
Free for every diner. Always. No account required to browse scores.
Growth
The more photos submitted, the more useful FairTab becomes for everyone.
Join the movement
Submit a photo, browse scores, or become an Ambassador and help build what is becoming the definitive standard for dining transparency in America.
Submit a Fee Photo Ambassador Program