London restaurant chain adds ‘brand charge’ as it bans tipping by card

Ping Pong has five dim sum restaurants in London. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

A London restaurant chain has banned customers from paying a tip by card and introduced a “brand” fee instead, just three months before new legislation makes it compulsory to give all tips to staff.

Ping Pong, which operates five dim sum outlets in the capital, said the new optional 15% charge would go towards “franchise fees and other brand-related expenditure”, and replace a 12.5% service charge, 90% of which went to staff.