Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Wiktionary
n. 1 An amount of money to be paid for entering a bar or restaurant where entertainment is provided. 2 An amount of money added to a restaurant bill in lieu of tips, and to pay for uncharged items such as bread and water.
WordNet
n. a fixed charge by a restaurant or night club over and above the charge for food and drink [syn: cover]
Wikipedia
A cover charge is an entrance fee sometimes charged at bars, nightclubs, or restaurants. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as a "fixed amount added to the bill at a nightclub or restaurant for entertainment or service." In restaurants, cover charges (or "couvert" charges) generally do not include the cost of food that is specifically ordered, but in some establishments, they do include the cost of bread, butter, olives and other accompaniments which are provided as a matter of course.
Usage examples of "cover charge".
He was invited to pay a cover charge and gave the man behind the counter a fiver.
We paid our cover charge, mostly by pantomime, because the bar was too wide to get close enough to yell in the guys ear.
We paid our cover charge, mostly by pantomime, because the bar was too wide to get close enough to yell in the guy’.
It had no cover charge, no hat check, nothing to prevent a person from quickly going through to the gaming rooms, where bigger change was to be made.
I guess it would be hard to insist on a cover charge out front if wily patrons could go around the back and get in for free.
It cost me a two-dollar cover charge when I returned to the Poptop Club that evening.
On his way in, Treloar gave the giant Mongolian bouncer a twenty-dollar bill for the cover charge.