cover charge

American  

noun

1. a fee, in addition to the cost of food and drink, charged by a restaurant, nightclub, etc., for entertainment.

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cover charge British  

noun

1. a sum of money charged in a restaurant for each individual customer in addition to the cost of food and drink

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Etymology

Origin of cover charge

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cover charge

I understand where she’s coming from, but I can’t help feeling like it’s a bit ridiculous to essentially require an $80 cover charge for your birthday party.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

Few dancers were scheduled to perform and management floated the idea of a cover charge that dancers disagreed with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2023

There's a cover charge for show nights, but bowling is reasonable if you have a group, as it's only $35 per lane, per half hour.

From Salon ● Mar. 19, 2023

While diners with reservations don’t have to pay the show’s cover charge to eat upstairs, it might be loud.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 4, 2022

Friday nights were college nights at Club Victor, which meant no cover charge and a chance to dance to the offerings of a local bandmaster, Vic Meyers.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown