0 a charge that is sometimes added to the amount that a customer pays for food, drinks, and service in a restaurant, or that is added in a nightclub to pay for entertainment
1 a charge added to the amount that a customer pays for food and drink in a restaurant or nightclub to pay for service or entertainment
2 an amount of money charged by some restaurants in addition to the charge for food and drink, or an amount of money added in a club to pay for the entertainment:
What this appears to mean is that the service charge is becoming another form of cover charge.
Therefore, it is a minimum charge rather than a cover charge.
However, the management imposed a cover charge which, if converted into today's money, would amount to about £2 per customer.
There the restaurant had managed to cover up the indication of the cover charge and the service charge with the menu of the day.
With a menu stating "cover charge and service included" there is a gap for the gratuity when the bill arrives.
To my mind, a £16 steak is £16 and there should not be any cover charge, nor should there be an automatic service charge.
At lunchtime only today my wife went to a restaurant where a £2.50 per head cover charge was imposed.
