Centre empowers customers to pay or decline service charges in restaurants

Onus now on states to enforce Centre's rules

Next time you go to a hotel or a restaurant, you can decide to pay the service charge in the bill or not. If any establishment says the payment is mandatory, one may approach a Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission or Forum.

The Centre on Friday issued a series of guidelines that make payment of service charge in hotels and restaurants absolutely voluntary. The establishments have to clearly mention this in invoice or bill. The guidelines will be sent to states for necessary action, food and consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan said.

Hoteliers and restaurant owners, however, say unless the guidelines are