From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcover chargeˈcover charge noun [countable] DFmoney that you have to pay in a restaurant in addition to the cost of the food and drinks, especially when there is a band or dancing
Examples from the Corpus
cover charge• On Wednesday and Thursday nights, the $5 cover charge is reduced to $3.• The Stud had a three-dollar cover charge.From Longman Business Dictionarycover chargeˈcover charge [countable] COMMERCEan amount of money you have to pay at some restaurants and clubs in addition to the cost of food and drinks → charge 