The company that owns a popular Wichita cafe will pay over $60,000 under a consent judgement with the Sedgwick County district attorney’s office.

The DA’s office received several consumer complaints about a four percent surcharge that Riverside Cafe was charging to customers for using credit cards to purchase their meals.  The district attorney’s consumer protection division notified Riverside Ventures that the surcharge was in violation of state law.    A case was filed when Riverside continued to impose the surcharge at its three locations in Wichita and Derby.

The DA’s office said it would be impractical to identify and repay consumers for the roughly 50-cent surcharge, so under a consent judgement the company will pay $30,000 to charitable organizations, and a $30,000 civil penalty along with court costs and investigative expenses.   The total to be paid under the agreement will be $60,397.28.

The district attorney’s office says an illegal surcharge or price increase is “unconscionable” and therefore a violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.