Their menus will be required to list comprehensive prices for each item, with all mandatory charges baked into one figure. Only fees that are entirely optional — like leaving a tip for staff — can be left out of the posted price.

In its new guidelines, the state says it won’t focus initial enforcement efforts on “fees that are paid directly and entirely by a restaurant to its workers, such as an automatic gratuity. However, businesses may be liable in private actions.”

If I’m reading all that correctly, they’re saying that automatic gratuities that are paid in full to staff are supposed to be included in the listed menu price, but they won’t actually be enforcing that initially? That’s odd and bound to cause some confusion for people when some restaurants choose to take advantage of this loophole.

Overall, this is quite exciting, but I’m still disappointed that sales tax seems to be exempt from this new law.