# Quillfeather Pizza Co. — Illinois All-In Pricing Plan Chicago, Illinois · Preparation date: October 22, 2026 · Target effective date: January 1, 2027 The goal is to show customers the price they must pay for each pizza, slice, side, or drink before government sales tax, while keeping any qualifying automatic gratuity treatment separate from other mandatory fees. Recommended approach: Fold the 3% kitchen appreciation fee into your food and beverage prices. Because Quillfeather keeps that fee to offset kitchen wages, it does not meet the supplied definition of a true gratuity. Fold the $1.50 website convenience fee into website prices if it is unavoidable for every website order, or get Illinois attorney guidance before using a different approach. Your rounding rule is to round up to the next $0.25. The calculations below apply that rule to each individual menu item, not to the combined check. Sales tax is excluded. ## 1. Fee Classification | Fee | Amount | Who keeps it | Class | Why | Action | | ------------------------ | ----------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Kitchen appreciation fee | 3% of food and drink subtotal | Business | MANDATORY — fold in | Required on every check and retained by the business, so it is not a true gratuity. (A, B, C, D) | Increase listed prices to include the fee. | | Website convenience fee | $1.50 per website order | Business | MANDATORY — fold in, if unavoidable | A required order fee generally meets the mandatory-fee definition. Whether this fee can be handled differently across online formats needs attorney review. (A, B, E) | Remove the separate charge and use an attorney-reviewed pricing approach. | | Government sales tax | | Government / collecting authority | GOVERNMENT TAX, if imposed by law | Government taxes required to be collected from consumers are excluded from the mandatory-fee definition. (B) | Calculate and show separately as applicable. | True gratuity: None of the supplied fees qualifies. Quillfeather keeps both fees, so neither meets the supplied definition of a gratuity. (C) Optional fee: None identified. A fee is not optional merely because the customer can choose not to order; it must be possible to decline the fee while still buying at the listed price. Important distinction: The food-establishment disclosure rule in point D applies to qualifying automatic and mandatory gratuities. It does not provide a general exception for fees retained by the business. (C, D) ## 2. All-In Prices ### A. Existing 3% kitchen fee Formula: 1. Calculate the kitchen fee: old item price × 0.03. 2. Calculate the exact fee-inclusive price: old price + fee. 3. Round up to the next $0.25. 4. Difference = rounded price − exact fee-inclusive price. The “Difference” column shows the extra amount caused by rounding, beyond the exact 3% increase. | Item | Old price | Fee math | Exact | Rounded | Difference | | ----------------------------- | --------- | -------------------- | ------- | ------- | ---------- | | Cheese slice | $4.50 | $4.50 × 3% = $0.135 | $4.635 | $4.75 | $0.115 | | Pepperoni slice | $5.25 | $5.25 × 3% = $0.1575 | $5.4075 | $5.50 | $0.0925 | | 14" cheese pie | $19.00 | $19.00 × 3% = $0.57 | $19.57 | $19.75 | $0.18 | | 14" sausage + giardiniera pie | $24.50 | $24.50 × 3% = $0.735 | $25.235 | $25.25 | $0.015 | | 18" tavern-cut special | $31.00 | $31.00 × 3% = $0.93 | $31.93 | $32.00 | $0.07 | | Garlic knots (6) | $7.00 | $7.00 × 3% = $0.21 | $7.21 | $7.25 | $0.04 | | House salad | $9.50 | $9.50 × 3% = $0.285 | $9.785 | $10.00 | $0.215 | | Fountain soda | $3.00 | $3.00 × 3% = $0.09 | $3.09 | $3.25 | $0.16 | Calculations use unrounded intermediate values. The exact column can include fractions of a cent for calculation purposes; the rounded column gives the proposed displayed price. ### B. Website convenience fee: two options The $1.50 fee is charged once per website order, not per menu item. It cannot be accurately converted into a uniform per-item increase without knowing order sizes and mix. ### Option 1 — Absorb the fee Keep the rounded prices above on the website and stop charging the separate $1.50 fee. Quillfeather absorbs the cost. This is the simplest customer-facing approach. Simplest pricing ### Option 2 — Allocate the cost into website prices Estimate the $1.50 fee's average cost per item using actual website order data, allocate that cost into website prices, and round each price upward to the next $0.25. Have an Illinois attorney review the method, particularly because the fee is order-based and website pricing is format-specific. Needs data and review For Option 2, the missing inputs are: -  Average website order size and item mix. -  Whether the $1.50 fee is charged on every order without exception. -  Whether the website has different prices from dine-in or delivery-app menus. Do not add $1.50 to every item; that would multiply the order fee and overcharge customers. ### C. Sample order — one 14" cheese pie and one fountain soda Assumption: the order is placed on your website. Sales tax and any optional tip are excluded. | Calculation | Before | After — Option 1 | | --------------------------- | ------ | ---------------- | | 14" cheese pie | $19.00 | $19.75 | | Fountain soda | $3.00 | $3.25 | | Food and drink subtotal | $22.00 | $23.00 | | 3% kitchen appreciation fee | $0.66 | Included | | Website convenience fee | $1.50 | Removed | | Total before sales tax | $24.16 | $23.00 | The difference is −$1.16. This reflects the combined effect of removing the $1.50 order fee and rounding the two menu items after incorporating the kitchen fee. The example illustrates Option 1; it is not a calculation of Option 2's allocated website prices. ## 3. Draft Wording These are proposed drafts, not a guarantee of compliance. No folded-in fee is listed separately. Menu / price list note Good pizza, straightforward prices. Our listed prices include our kitchen operating costs. Sales tax is added where applicable. Thanks for supporting your neighborhood pizzeria! Receipt line Menu prices include kitchen operating costs. Sales tax: [applicable amount]. Optional tip: [customer-selected amount, if any]. Thanks for stopping by Quillfeather! Door sign Come on in, neighbor! Our posted menu prices include kitchen operating costs. Applicable sales tax is added at checkout. We appreciate you being part of the neighborhood. Online listing note — website and delivery apps Our listed menu prices include kitchen operating costs. Applicable sales tax is calculated at checkout. Online ordering prices may vary by platform. Check your order total before placing it. Auto-gratuity disclosure: No automatic gratuity was provided in your fee list, so no percentage is included in these drafts. If you introduce one, first confirm that it qualifies as a true gratuity under point C. If it does, point D requires a clear and conspicuous percentage disclosure in every offer or advertisement containing pricing information. Social media specials: For posts that advertise prices, use the actual fee-inclusive price. For example: “Cheese pie, $19.75 — neighborhood pizza, no surprise kitchen fee.” Confirm wording with counsel before publishing. ## 4. Staff Script - “Where did the fee go?” — “We’ve built our kitchen operating costs into the menu prices, so you won’t see a separate kitchen appreciation fee.” - “Is the tip included?” — “No automatic tip is included in these prices. Any optional tip you choose is separate.” Only use the second line if it accurately reflects your final tipping policy. ## 5. Update Checklist Complete these updates before January 1, 2027. ### Implementation tracker 0 of 27 complete #### Printed and in-store Printed dine-in menus Wall menu board Door sign and entrance pricing notices Countertop menus, table tents and promotional flyers Takeout menus, paper inserts and printed coupons Catering sheets or event menus, if used POS item buttons and displayed prices POS receipt templates and fee line configuration #### Online and third-party Website ordering page and item detail pages Website cart, checkout and confirmation screens Delivery app 1 — item prices and checkout display Delivery app 2 — item prices and checkout display Instagram specials posts and saved promotional graphics Other social profiles, pinned posts and story highlights Google Business Profile and other listings showing prices Email, SMS and digital coupon campaigns QR menus and mobile menu pages #### Operations and verification Confirm final rounding and price rules with accountant/POS provider Confirm whether each platform permits the revised prices Remove the separate 3% kitchen appreciation fee from checks Remove or revise the $1.50 website convenience fee Verify applicable sales tax remains separately calculated Test dine-in, takeout and website sample orders Test both delivery apps through the pre-checkout price display Review every active promotion and cached/duplicated menu Obtain Illinois attorney review of unresolved fee and format questions Save screenshots, sample receipts and a dated copy of final menus Copy checklist The checklist is a working aid; completing it does not itself establish legal compliance. ## 6. Attorney Questions Ask an Illinois attorney to answer each question yes or no, with an explanation where needed. 1\. Kitchen appreciation fee: Does a mandatory 3% fee retained by Quillfeather to offset kitchen wages need to be included in every advertised, displayed, or offered menu price under points A–D? Expected classification: mandatory. 2\. Website convenience fee: Is the $1.50 fee mandatory under point B if it is charged on every website order and cannot be declined while completing that order? 3\. Website pricing allocation: Can Quillfeather allocate an unavoidable flat $1.50 order fee across individual website menu prices using a reasonable average-order-cost method, rather than absorbing the fee? 4\. Delivery apps: Can Quillfeather rely on the delivery-platform provisions of the Act when pricing is displayed on third-party delivery apps, or must Quillfeather independently include all mandatory fees in the listed prices? The Act contains specific delivery-platform provisions, so counsel should assess the platforms' roles.  [image](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=https://www.ilga.gov\&sz=32) Public Act 104-0472 5\. Instagram specials: Does a price in an Instagram post or story count as an advertised or offered price requiring all mandatory fees to be included under point A? 6\. QR menus: Does a QR-linked menu need the same fee-inclusive prices as the printed dine-in menu under point E? 7\. Rounding: Is rounding each fee-inclusive menu item upward to the next $0.25 an acceptable pricing method under the Act, provided the displayed price is the actual price charged before government sales tax? 8\. Optional tips: Can Quillfeather offer a genuinely optional tip at checkout without including it in advertised menu prices, provided customers can decline the tip and still purchase at the listed price? 9\. Automatic gratuity: If Quillfeather later introduces an automatic gratuity paid entirely to the employees providing the service, does point D permit disclosure of the percentage instead of folding that gratuity into the listed price? 10\. POS receipts: May the receipt show a separate explanatory line for the kitchen operating costs if the charge itself is already incorporated into the displayed item prices, or should the line be removed entirely? 11\. Platform-specific prices: May Quillfeather display different menu prices on its website and delivery apps, provided each displayed price reflects the mandatory charges applicable to that purchasing channel? 12\. Effective date and guidance: Before implementation, has any relevant official guidance or legal development changed the analysis since October 2026? Not legal advice. A drafting aid based on Illinois Public Act 104-0472 (815 ILCS 505/2MMMM), effective January 1, 2027. Confirm with an Illinois attorney before changing prices or wording. Official sources: [https://ilga.gov/Legislation/PublicActs/View/104-0472](https://ilga.gov/Legislation/PublicActs/View/104-0472?utm_source=chatgpt.com) and [https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Small-Business-Advisory/](https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Small-Business-Advisory/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)