Restaurant owner plans 'ObamaCare surcharge'

By Sam Baker - 11/15/12 04:17 PM ET

In protest of President Obama's healthcare law, a Florida restaurant owner plans to charge his customers a 5 percent fee.

John Metz, who owns a chain of Denny's and Dairy Queen locations in Florida, told The Huffington Post he'll be adding a 5 percent "ObamaCare surcharge" to every bill. If customers don't like it, he said, they can leave a smaller tip.

"If I leave the prices the same, but say on the menu that there is a 5 percent surcharge for ObamaCare, customers have two choices. They can either pay it and tip 15 or 20 percent, or if they really feel so inclined, they can reduce the amount of tip they give to the server, who is the primary beneficiary of ObamaCare," Metz said.

But Metz is also cutting his employees' hours so that he won't have to provide them with healthcare benefits — meaning he won't be paying the additional healthcare costs the fee is intended to cover. (Metz already provides health benefits to some full-time employees.)

Metz told The Huffington Post he's adding the fee because he thinks the law will eventually expand, requiring him to begin covering part-time employees.

Other companies, including Papa John's pizza, have said they'll raise their base prices — Papa John's will charge about 12 cents more per pizza — to cover the added costs of providing healthcare coverage to their workers. Metz, though, is the first to tack on a separate fee, specifically itemized for "ObamaCare."

UPDATE: Metz, through a spokesman, is now saying won't actually implement the policy. He still plans to cut his workers' hours, but "the surcharge is not to be implemented or considered at this time.”