City restaurant bodies agree service charges can't be forced

They say it should be the choice of patrons; recall that the issue had cropped up four years ago and it was agreed that such charges can't be mandatory; FPJ speaks to restaurateurs and patrons

SHEFALI PARAB-PANDIT AND SHERINE RAJ A recent clarification by the Department of Consumers Affairs (DOCA) that payment of service charges at restaurants and hotels by patrons is only voluntary and not mandatory has been welcomed by AHAR and FHRAI, the key associations in the city. Amid complaints from consumers, the associations claimed that not more than five per cent of city's eateries collect service charges. Further, if a patron is not happy with the service, the charge is removed by the restaurant, they said.

The DOCA recently discussed with the representatives of restaurants the issue of service charges levied by eateries and also warned against forcing customers to pay the charges. A meeting with the National Restaurant Association of India will be held on June 2.

Shivanand Shetty, the president of Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR) welcomed this move and said that paying service charges should be the customer's choice. According to AHAR, there are around 8,000 eateries in the city registered with it, but 99 per cent don't collect such charges, he claimed.