PSA: Emerald City Comedy Club, deceptive pricing, and labor law violations

Hi friends!

I’m here tonight to see the incomparable Nicole Byer.

I happily paid my ticket cost. I less happily paid the online service charge. I even less happily noted the “2 item minimum” that you have to agree to for the show.

I arrived and sat at our table. I noticed the TWELVE PERCENT service charge on all checks, which of course made no mention of who this service charge gets paid out to. I asked a lovely server, who told me that it of course goes to the house and not the employees.

I informed the general manager of the establishment that their surcharge notice violates state law (RCW 49.46.160) which requires the surcharge notice to prominently describe who the actual surcharge gets paid out to. He told me that it was “good to know.”

While I love local comedy and local businesses, please consider withholding your support for this business until they fix their nonsense.