@coolarj10/Tiktok

Dining today can sometimes come with unexpected surcharges.

For example, one internet user claims he was charged a 20% service fee with his meal, then asked to tip on top of it. Another alleged they were charged a 5% fee for ‘employee health,’ and someone else noted how a ‘no-tip’ restaurant added a 17.5% service fee to its bills.

Occasionally, these charges are simply restaurant policy. However, sometimes a restaurant might try to overcharge you or mistakenly add something extra to your bill.

This is exactly what happened in a recent video from TikTok user Arjun Mehta (@coolarj10). He shared his experience to explain why it’s always a good idea to “take pictures of your food.”

Charged for truffles, but received no truffles

In a clip with over 1.8 million views, Mehta recounts how taking photos of his food helped him save 25 Euros, which is about $27.33 USD, on his final bill.

“They told me that they put truffles on our french fries. And I was like, ‘No, you didn’t.’ And they’re like, ‘Yes, we did.’ And I said, ‘No you didn’t,’” Mehta recalls.

To prove his point, Mehta took out his phone and showed the server pictures of all their dishes. He showed photos of rigatoni, chicken, burrata, foie gras, and more, finally landing on the french fries—which clearly did not have any truffle shavings.

“‘I’m so sorry, sir, for our mistake. Item removed,’” Mehta recalls the server saying. He later adds, “The only thing that could have happened is if I took the truffle shavings off the french fries and then took the picture. But that would be ridiculous.”

Commenters have questions

Some viewers were skeptical of Mehta’s explanation, especially his suggestion that someone could have taken the truffles off before taking the photo.

“How you mentioned the last part now has me suspicious,” one user commented.

“You definitely took the shavings off,” another user added.

“I was expecting to see a napkin filled with truffle shavings,” a third user stated.

In response to these comments, Mehta denied that he had removed the truffle shavings.

While many comments focused on the ethics of ordering foie gras, others shared similar experiences of being overcharged at restaurants.

“Experienced this in France too,” one commenter wrote. “They charged us a different table’s bill and it was double our order, but we had the pictures.”

It seems that having photographic evidence of your food can help resolve disputes over restaurant charges.