Florida restaurants are about to get a lot more literal about the fine print. A state law kicking in on July 1, 2026 will require public food-service businesses to spell out automatic fees, from service charges to delivery and credit card surcharges, everywhere prices are shown and orders are placed.
What the law requires
Senate Bill 606 expands Section 509.214 to define an “operations charge” as any automatic fee, other than a government tax, that is added on top of the menu price. It explicitly includes automatic gratuities, delivery fees and credit card surcharges as examples, according to Florida Statutes. The statute requires any establishment that imposes operations charges to disclose the amount or percentage and the purpose of each charge on menus, written contracts and any website or mobile app where orders are placed. It also calls for a clear notice on the face of the bill and separate receipt lines for gratuity, operations charge and sales tax so customers can see exactly what they are paying.
DBPR guidance and enforcement
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation issued an industry advisory on June 26, 2026 telling licensed food-service operators to update menus, point-of-sale templates and online ordering pages before the law takes effect, per the department's bulletin. The advisory repeats that notices must appear in a font no smaller than the menu item descriptions and that every customer receipt must break out gratuity, any operations charge and sales tax on separate lines. The agency also provided contact information for licensees with compliance questions and said the Division of Hotels and Restaurants will handle oversight.
Who sponsored it and how industry reacted
The measure was filed as Senate Bill 606 by Sen. Tom Leek, with the filed bill text listing him as sponsor. Industry groups, including the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, backed the disclosure approach and pushed for an implementation that minimizes extra burden on operators, as reported by Orlando Weekly. At the same time, restaurateurs and small operators say the immediate work of reformatting menus, changing digital checkout flows and altering receipt templates will cost real time and money between now and the July 1 deadline.
Why it matters to diners and operators
For customers, the change is meant to cut down on sticker shock. Mandatory fees must be visible before an order is placed and clearly labeled with both an amount and a short explanation. For businesses, the disclosure rules can overlap with payroll and tax rules. Lawyers warn that how an operation labels these dollars and where the money goes can affect tip-pooling arrangements, overtime calculations and tax treatment, so many operators are being advised to consult counsel or their payroll providers, as explained in industry analyses. Policy and legal notes stress that the change is primarily a transparency and compliance project, but one that sends ripples through point-of-sale and accounting systems.
What to watch for starting July 1
Beginning July 1, diners should see menus or checkout pages that list a dollar amount or percentage and a short purpose for any mandatory charge, plus a bill that shows separate lines for gratuity, operations charge and tax. The statute specifically states that the transparency requirement does not create a private cause of action and points enforcement to the state's regulatory division, so consumers who spot potential violations are directed toward DBPR rather than private lawsuits. Operators that still need clarity are being steered to review the text of Section 509.214 and the DBPR advisory and to update online menus, mobile ordering flows and printed receipts as soon as possible.
Bottom line: the new rule does not ban mandatory service fees, but it does compel plain, visible disclosure, and that change lands on menus, websites and receipts across Florida starting July 1.
