Are we tipping at Per Se now?
I always knew the Keller restaurants to be service included, but when I went a few weeks ago, I got an awkward little speech and the check offered a line for "optional gratuity," I did tip maybe 10%, the bill was outrageous for more after wine pairings. I reviewed the website and tock again today and it seems the "service included" language has been removed?
ETA: I've been informed privately by more than one person that there is no baked-in service fee for FOH, and while Per Se pays more than tipped-minimum-wage, they don't pay much more than untipped-minimum-wage, certainly not a living wage. Given that, you probably SHOULD go ahead and leave that "optional gratuity," but I personally do not think $400 for a 2 hour experience is even within the realm of reasonable, unless you're a stripper or an attorney, so I'll continue with simply considering the hourly investment and going with $100-200 max. And actually, I don't need to go to Per Se again. There are better restaurants, but for anyone wondering the same thing I was, here you go.
I'm also turning off reply notifications because I can't turn off comments and I think this post is worth leaving up, but I have lost patience with the number of idiots who have no experience with this restaurant deciding to offer unformed and inexperienced opinions.