Bookings for New Year’s Eve dinners are booming, and some restaurants are taking advantage of the trend to raise their consumption thresholds

　　A la carte dishes are not accepted, only several set meals can be booked

　　Bookings for New Year’s Eve dinners are booming, and some restaurants are taking advantage of the trend to raise their consumption thresholds

　　Experts point out that setting minimum consumption in disguise is suspected of infringing on consumers' right to choose, and is suspected of inducing and misleading over-ordering.

　　Report from our newspaper (Reporter Zhou Yi) The Spring Festival is approaching, and New Year’s Eve dinner reservations have become a hot topic.

A reporter from "Worker Daily" recently visited Beijing and found that this year's New Year's Eve dinner reservations are very popular, and some restaurants have taken advantage of the trend to raise their consumption thresholds.

Some restaurants have set minimum consumption standards, some restaurants can only book a few set meals, and some restaurants say that per capita consumption must reach 888 yuan before they can book a private room for New Year's Eve.

Many consumers told reporters that they had no choice but to accept high-priced packages.

　　The manager of a restaurant near Dawang Road in Beijing said that reservations for this year's New Year's Eve dinner are very popular. More than 20 private rooms in the restaurant have been booked on New Year's Eve, and there are not many seats left in the lobby.

The manager made it clear that à la carte is not accepted for the New Year's Eve dinner, and only several set meals can be booked, with prices ranging from 2,988 yuan to 8,888 yuan, and the lobby is no exception.

　　"This year's private rooms are much more difficult to book than last year, and you have to pay a lot of money." Mr. Zhao, a Beijing resident, said, "There is one restaurant I usually go to, and the per capita consumption is 200 to 300 yuan, but I have to book a private room for New Year's Eve. You need to book a standard of 888 yuan per person.”

　　The reporter saw on a certain food ordering platform that the restaurant Mr. Zhao mentioned took the daily set menu for 3 to 4 people as an example, the price is 300 yuan to 800 yuan, and the New Year’s Eve dinner set meal for 4 people in this restaurant is About 2,500 yuan.

Although Mr. Zhao had no choice but to accept it for the "sense of ceremony".

　　The person in charge of a restaurant in Beijing admitted to reporters that there is a huge demand for New Year's Eve dinner this year. If there is no set meal, the kitchen cannot prepare the dishes in advance, and customers will be dissatisfied if the dishes are slow to come out.

"New Year's Eve dinner is a meal that every household attaches special importance to. It requires high quality. The set meal can save costs, and the price is much more favorable than the a la carte dishes combined."

　　However, not all consumers buy this "offer".

"We have five people in our family. Most of the restaurants we visited do not accept a la carte orders and can only order set meals. The cheapest one is about 2,000 yuan." Ms. Zhang, a consumer in Tongzhou, Beijing, said, "Let's not talk about the price. There are too many dishes. We can’t finish it, and it may not taste good, which is not in line with the national concept of reducing food waste.”

　　In this regard, some lawyers pointed out that the restaurant does not accept a la carte dishes and can only book a few set meals, which is a disguised practice of setting a minimum consumption.

In fact, as early as 2014, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly promulgated the "Measures for the Operation and Management of the Catering Industry (Trial)", which clearly prohibited catering operators from setting minimum consumption.

The "Beijing Anti-Food Waste Regulations" that will be implemented in May 2021 proposes that catering service operators should clearly indicate their service items and charging standards, and must not set a minimum consumption amount.

　　Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, believes that consumers have the right to independently choose operators who provide goods or services, independently choose product varieties or service methods, and decide independently to purchase or not to purchase any kind of goods. , accept or not accept any service.

The restaurant does not accept à la carte orders and can only order several set meals, which is suspected of infringing on consumers' right to choose.

At the same time, it is also suspected of inducing and misleading consumers to order excessive amounts of food.

　　Zhou Yi