The Turkish Ministry of Trade has prepared a new draft regulation on service surcharges in restaurants, cafes, bars, pastry shops and other establishments that are added to customers’ bills, Turkish state television TRT Haber reported.
The draft bans the inclusion in customers’ bills of a service surcharge, or so-called tip, for place settings, etc., which is currently applied and varies between 10 and 15 percent of the cost of consumption.
The issue has long been a topic of debate in society and the media. Recently, complaints from customers have become more frequent that many establishments, especially in the metropolis of Istanbul, charge table and service fees ranging from 20 to 50 liras per person.
In order to stop this vicious practice, which has caused outrage and complaints, the new regulation provides for the prohibition of entering service charges or gratuity in customer bills, the explanatory memorandum to the draft states.
Previously, the ministry required that the prices of all services, food, drinks, etc. in establishments be clearly written at the entrance and on the tables of the respective establishment – a regulation that is being complied with. In many establishments, the inscriptions are in Turkish and English.
According to the current practice, additional fees, such as service charges, gratuity, etc., can be charged, provided that they are clearly indicated in the price list.
The prepared regulation provides for the customer’s bills to be entered only the price of the consumption, without adding a service charge. And the service charge or tip is to be entirely voluntary, at the discretion of the customer.
Solid fines are also foreseen for failure to comply with the new regulation.
“The new price regulation bill, which will be submitted to parliament, eliminates most of the additional fees. Customers will only pay for consumption and what they have ordered. Payments outside the order will be entirely voluntary; mandatory service fees will be abolished,” writes the Türkiye newspaper.
Illustrative Photo by Emir Bozkurt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/men-playing-cards-in-a-restaurant-12296667/
