The NYTimes recently featured an interesting article about 
restaurants charging a “cakeage” or cake cutting fee to customers who brought their own cakes into the restaurant where they are going to dine. (Throwing a party in a private room may be treated differently). But don’t be surprised if this happens to you, particularly at a better quality restaurant. If you think about it, it not only reduces the restaurant’s revenue, but also hurts the server’s tip, so the fee is only trying to compensate for that. I highly recommend calling the restaurant first to check on their policies if you’re thinking of bringing a cake with you to lunch or dinner. Read up on how restaurants feel about this practice here.
