Are Pizza Hut being unreasonable?

[ToothGah]

Went there for lunch today - very nice, no complaints about food or service (in fact, service was excellent).

Bill came - they are adding 20p to every bill to pay for a bowl of rice for a child for some sort of famine/hunger campaign (have tried to find it online and can't).

I don't begrudge the 20p, but thought it was kind of odd that they stick it on your bill automatically.

Are they being unreasonable adding it automatically to the bill? The couple at the table next to us seemed peeved about it - "charity by stealth" was mentioned.

My children have a very clear memory relating to my feelings on this. I think it was in the Easter holidays this year, I took them to Pizza Hut for lunch and we had 15p put on out bill for this bowl of rice. No information about the charity, the country they were sending the money to, no advertising or warning anywhere on the menu that this was going to happen, they just stick it on the end of the bill exactly as if you had ordered an extra diet coke.

I complained and had the money taken off. It's not the 15p, it's the principle of the thing. I object to told who I will donate to without any warnings and I object to being put in a position where I actually have to ask for my bill to be amended so that I can ensure I only donate to causes I actually support. I do a lot for charity and give both time and money, I would be horrified if one of the charities I love took such an underhand tactic to get people's money.

If they just asked their waiting staff to ask if they could add this to the bill, I wouldn't have minded, and I don't see why they can't do that.

Do Pizza Express still give 25p to Venice in peril if you buy one with a disgusting egg in the middle?
I have just unwittingly given about 50p to some charity or other. I didn't see it when I was booking some air tickets.
No idea whatsoever what the charity is for. It's written in Malay.

It's so sad having a full tummy and then being asked to donate 20p to someone who is starving. Take a bit of responsibility for other human beings and treat everyone like you would want yourself or your children to be treated.

I don't think it's right they take charity money without a persons knowledge.
What if your short of cash and don't have the 15p on you?

20p isn't much, it is a good cause but without knowing from the start that you are having it added to your bill or what is it actually for imo is very wrong.

Not only that but we all have are own charities we support, we cannot support them all.

But you're not being asked Soup, that's the point. You are being told and put in a position you might to want to be in. There is a big difference to being asked, and it automatically being added to your bill.

I don't object to giving 20p, but it is the principle. What about if they added £1? or £5? It's up to me who I donate to! AND if they asked on the receipt for a donation, if they hada line to fill in (like for a tip), they would probably get a lot MORE than 20p from most people too!

I agree that it's the principle rather than the amount. To be honest, they may raise more if they were up front and asked if people would like to add a donation onto their bill. With me, if it's something i want to donate to i would usually put £2 so they have got 10 times what they were hoping for plus i feel in control of the situation. Win win.

ForthTimeAround Shhhh, I blame DS