I've never seen a 20% service fee at a restaurant before.

No.

It's funny I would probably not complain about a food price going from $9 to $11 but a 20% "service fee" seems ridiculous.

There was a little info icon next to the service fee on the app but all it said was that it "helped the restaurant cover expenses".

I don't think there is any requirement that a "service fee" goes to the staff. So if you don't tip because of the service fee you might just be moving money from the staff to the owner. Which isn't necessarily an awful thing especially if they don't really provide any service but could also screw the staff.

And outside of DC and for services like GrubHub and DoorDash or Amazon grocery delivery, there is no guarantee that the tip even goes to the driver it just goes to either the delivering company or the restaurant. And I have been seeing tips requested everywhere like at checkout, when the person literally doesn't provide any service.

My favorite was at the Union Market cheese shop where the tip suggestions were 20%, 25%, or 30%. I'm going to tip someone 30% for cutting and wrapping a wedge of cheese?

I get that but it seems like bars and restaurants are changing their policies, or new places are starting out with them, that are intended to work with Initiative 82 once it kicks in. Like why else would you randomly add a 20% service fee to every check? Maybe this is the only place in DC doing it -- I doubt it -- hence my question.

We had a solid cedar fireplace mantle installed and it was interesting how they did it. They drilled holes into the brick with a masonry drill, then had rods that looked like rebar, and set them into the holes with epoxy gel. They propped them up so they'd be somewhat level. Once they set, they drilled holes into the back side of the mantle, coated the protruding pegs with glue, and set it in place.

This is a gotta-get-it-right-the-first-time kind of thing but might work for your situation.