Gulf News readers refuse to pay service charge any further

Dubai: Gulf News readers were surprised to know that the customary 10 per cent service charges at restaurants should not be levied.

Omar Al Bu Saidi, a Dubai-based Emirati reader, was taken aback since most of the restaurants he dines at had been levying these charges.

"If the 10 per cent service charge is illegal, it is absolutely appalling! I always thought about why this was being levied, as this charge was not being applied by all restaurants. I presumed fine dining restaurants were allowed to charge for special service."

The 23-year-old reader added: "It is a great step by the authorities to notice this practice and inform restaurants and residents about it."

Al Bu Saidi refuses to pay the service charge any more, saying that he would not revisit a restaurant that added such a charge to the bill.

Many readers were also under the impression that the 10 per cent service charge was for the waiting staff, and therefore did not give a tip if the charge was included in the bill.

Bina Mathews, a Dubai-based Indian expatriate, said: "I never questioned the service charge! I always thought it was going to the waiter, and did not give a tip if it was in the bill."

Remedy

Mathews questioned what recourse residents could seek if a restaurant levied a service charge, as she eats out regularly.

"I would like to pay the waiting staff and not the restaurant. It is good to see that the issue has been clarified, as it would benefit the waiting staff as well as the residents," she said.

Jamie Watson, a Sharjah-based American expatriate, agreed.

"I always thought that the money was going to the waiters. Now that I know it wasn't, I feel bad for not giving them a tip," she said.

Watson added that most restaurants had started charging 10 per cent of the cost of food, even if they were not for fine dining. While she often wondered which service she was being charged for, she never really asked the waiter or the manager about it. "10 per cent is quite a considerable amount of money. It is good to see that people are being informed about the issue, as many were unaware of it."

Watson, too, refuses to pay the charge any more, as she feels it is not justified.

Avnish Gupta, another Dubai-based reader, said that it was surprising to know that the service charge was illegal, as levying it was quite a common practice. "I guess I am not too concerned about the issue, as it is common to see restaurants charging customers 10 per cent of the bill. However, if it is against the law, then restaurants should definitely be stopped from the practice."