Florida customer questioned a to-go fee on his bill. Then the manager told him he was trespassing: ‘Greed!!!’

A customer filming at a J. Alexander’s in Tampa, Florida, questioned a charge on a takeout bill in a TikTok video posted by mamonzita. On-screen text in the clip read, “J Alexander’s Tampa Florida scam” and “How can u charge for a to go box ?? Greed !!!”

The short clip had received about 1.9 million views. In the video, the customer showed a close-up of a restaurant bill that listed a “Package Fee” of $3.00, then spoke to a man in a white collared shirt and glasses who appeared to work at the restaurant.

The customer asked why no one mentioned a packaging fee when the order was placed, but still expected payment. The employee identified himself as the assistant general manager. The exchange then shifted, and the employee told the customer to leave and said he would have him trespassed.

Viewers debate the $3 package fee and the staff response on camera

In the recording, the customer said, “you don’t tell anybody when they’re placing an order that there’s a packaging fee, but you expect them to pay it?” The assistant general manager replied, “Okay, I’m gonna ask you to leave the restaurant now.”

The customer asked, “Is that what you’re asking?” The employee answered, “I’m gonna have you trespass.” The customer then asked, “Well, who’s the general manager?” The employee said, “I, I’m the assistant general manager.” When the customer asked if he had a card, the employee said, “Uh, no, but I’m gonna have you, uh-” The customer then told viewers, “so here he is, guys. So this,” while continuing to film.

According to BroBible, some restaurants add takeout packaging charges to cover boxes, bags, and other containers, while others fold those costs into menu prices. The video itself did not show whether the fee had been disclosed before the order was placed, or what took place off camera.

People watching the post split over the $3 line on the bill and over the decision to tell the customer to leave. Some compared the charge to other restaurant costs. Others said filming a manager over a small fee went too far. Several focused on whether asking about a bill should lead to a trespass warning.

One commenter pushed back on people defending the restaurant and compared the box charge to other items used during a meal. For the Florida restaurant, the disputes over fees don’t stop at to-go boxes, as a Cheesecake Factory customer recently refused to pay a listed price.

They wrote, “For those backing the restaurant and his actions : So when you eat in and they start charging you for the plates, bowls, and glasses that they serve you on, and have to wash, that’s gonna be OK as well? What about the pans in the back that they cook on… They’re gonna start charging you extra for those too? When does it stop??”

Another commenter said the customer should not fear a police response if the only issue was the bill. They wrote, “I wouldn’t be scared. When the police show up you have a valid complaint and WILL NOT BE TRESPASSED.”

A viewer treated the $3 fee as money that adds up across many orders. They wrote, “But $3 is a lot of money they are making off of customers at the end of the month. Curious how many customers they get per month x $3.” One person called the employee’s response too strong for a billing question. They wrote, “He is definitely an incompetent manager. What an overreaction to a straight forward issue.”

Not every comment sided with the customer. One person focused on the decision to record the staff member and wrote, “imagine whipping out your phone camera and putting a manager on blast over a $1 fee.”

Another commenter questioned the choice to end the talk by asking the customer to leave. They wrote, “That’s how you handle a customer complaint? Ask them to leave? Weird.” This is not an isolated incident, as in Alabama, a restaurant manager looked at a new one-star review, allegedly found the customer still dining, and asked her to leave.

A third take said both the fee and the trespass warning were problems. That commenter wrote, “everyone sucks here. charging for to go packaging, is pretty standard. trespassing someone for asking a question is also ridiculous.”