Most venues apply one service charge to the whole bill. But some items shouldn't carry it — a bottle of wine taken away sealed, a corkage fee, a packaged retail item. Charging service on those can be awkward to explain at the table, and in some cases it isn't appropriate at all.
You can now mark an individual menu item as exempt from service charge. The rest of the bill is unaffected.
When to use this
Item type | Why exempt |
Bottled & retail goods | Sold sealed, no table service involved |
Corkage | Already a fee in its own right |
Packaged takeaway | Handed over, not served |
Alcohol (some venues) | House policy or local practice |
How to exempt an item
Go to Settings → Base menu → Menu items
Click the ⋯ button at the end of the item’s row, then Edit
Scroll to Exempt from service charge, just below Tax rate
Turn the toggle on and hit Save
The setting sits on the base menu item, so it applies everywhere that item is sold — every outlet, every channel. There is no per-outlet or per-channel version of this toggle.
What changes on the bill
Service charge is worked out only on the items that aren't exempt. Say your outlet charges 10% service and a table orders:
Item | Price |
Coke (exempt) | ฿20.00 |
French fries | ฿85.00 |
Bill total | ฿105.00 |
Service charge | |
Before exempting the Coke | ฿10.50 (10% of ฿105) |
After exempting the Coke | ฿8.50(10% of ฿85 only) |
Tax follows the reduced service charge automatically, so the totals stay consistent all the way down the receipt.
Splitting the bill
If you split by items, the exemption follows the item. A guest paying only for the exempt Coke sees no service charge on their share; a guest paying for the fries is charged service as normal.
⚠️ Splitting by a custom amount works differently. A custom amount is just a number — Papaya can't tell which items it covers, so service charge is worked out on the amount entered. When a bill contains exempt items and you want each payer charged correctly, use Split by items. The bill's grand total is always correct either way.
What this doesn't change
Channels that never had service charge. Takeaway and delivery prepay orders, and delivery partners like Grab or LINE MAN, already never carry service charge. This toggle is for items that should stay exempt even on dine-in.
Your outlet's service charge rate. Unchanged — set in outlet settings as before.
Tax. Handled separately — see Tax on your menu.
FAQ
Will this change orders that are already open?
No. Each item records how it should be treated at the moment it's added to an order. Items already sitting on an open bill keep their original treatment — turn the toggle on before the item is ordered. Re-adding the item picks up the new setting.
Can I exempt an item at one outlet only?
Not currently. The setting lives on the base menu item and applies everywhere it's sold.
Can I exempt an open item or a set menu?
No — only individual base menu items. Open items are typed in at the till and set menus are priced as one line.
Does the guest see anything different?
The receipt shows a smaller service charge figure. There is no separate “exempt” label per line.
What if every item on the bill is exempt?
Service charge is ฿0.00 and the line is left off the bill entirely.