Florida Restaurant Makes Customers Pay Surcharge for Affordable Care Act Expenses (TWEETS)

The owners of a Florida restaurant are charging an additional Affordable Care Act tax to demonstrate just how detrimental they think health care law could be.

According to New York Magazine, chain eatery Gator's Dockside will add a 1 percent charge to all patrons' bills.

"The costs associated with ACA compliance could ultimately close our doors," a sign posted at the restaurant read. "Instead of raising prices on our products to generate the additional revenue needed to cover the costs of ACA compliance, certain Gator's Dockside locations have implemented a 1 percent surcharge on all food and beverage purchases only."

Just one of managers at Gators' eight locations currently receives health insurance, but come winter, restaurant officials will have to give their 250 full-time employees health insurance.

Director of operations for the Gator Group Sandra Clark told CNN Money that she "is not sure how much the company is spending on compliance, but estimates that t it will cost $500,000 a year to extend insurance to its full-time hourly workers."

Clark hopes the extra charge will give the company nearly $160,000 annually.

It appears Gator's Dockside is taking a leaf out of a Los Angeles restaurant's book - owner of Republique Walter Manske tacked on an extra charge to customers' bills to help pay for the extra charges that the Affordable Care Act will surely bring.

"Everyone has the same policy that I do as the owners," Manske told CBS' local station in LA earlier this month. "And we offer it to everyone; [the] dishwasher, busboy, waiters, across the board."

But not everyone was happy with Manske's decision to charge more.

"It's not MY responsibility to take care of YOUR employees' healthcare...that's YOUR job," a disgruntled customer wrote on Yelp.