KOLKATA: The hospitality industry in the city is divided over the new directive issued by The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) that bars hotels and restaurants from levying service charges on food bills. Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (HRAEI) has already issued advisory to its 1,300 odd members to stop taking service charges.
Some restaurant owners feel that there will be a pressure on management because the money from service charges used to go to the employees but now the owners might have to raise their salary in absence of service charges. However, some others feel that service charge should have been discontinued earlier because it should be the prerogative of customers whether to give tips for service or not. Incidentally, CCPA has allowed customers to file complaints in case of norm violation. “There should not be any collection of any service charges in other name,” it added.
