Chances are that the next time you eat out you’ll end up with scrumptious food, but also dollops of confusion. Not over how you want your steak done, or how spicy your butter chicken should be, but over a set of guidelines that will most likely affect how much you should pay at the end of your meal.
Earlier this week, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which was set up by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Distribution in July 2020, announced five major guidelines that say no restaurant or hotel shall add service charge by default or by rechristening it, neither can they force a customer to pay it or restrict services based on it. Last, it says, a service charge shall not be collected by adding it along with the food bill and levying a GST on it.