Some catering companies implement "minimum consumption" in disguise
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Under the prohibition of relevant departments and the boycott of consumers, the old routines such as setting minimum consumption in the catering industry have become rare, but new charging routines have begun to emerge. The minimum usage fee is set in private rooms, the catering system that must order a signature dish, and the landscape seat needs to be paid extra. And other disguised charges are in the routine of consumers.
In this regard, consumers should protect their rights in accordance with the law, and relevant departments should also strengthen supervision.
In recent years, with the improvement of relevant laws and regulations and the improvement of consumers' awareness of rights protection, the situation of restaurant overlord clauses such as setting minimum consumption thresholds, strictly prohibiting self-catering, and refusing to take out food has improved.
However, there are still some high-end restaurants that use private environments and one-to-one service to set minimum consumption for private rooms.
There are also some restaurants that require signature dishes to be ordered and set minimum consumption for Internet celebrity views, which in disguise damages the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.
Minimum consumption continues
A few days ago, Mr. Zhou, who lives in Chaoyang District, Beijing, was recommended by a friend to go to a well-known hot pot buffet restaurant on Dawang Road with his family on the weekend.
When Mr. Zhou called to reserve a private room, the restaurant staff reminded that the minimum consumption of the private room was 5,000 yuan, and an additional 15% service fee was charged.
"The minimum consumption of 5,000 yuan for private rooms is not in line with the regulations, and it is difficult to meet the standard for meals with less than 6 people." According to Mr. Zhou, he found that the per capita consumption of this store in Dianping was about 700 yuan, and the buffet charges It is divided into 3 grades: 980 yuan, 750 yuan, and 530 yuan, which means that private rooms are not friendly to dining for less than 6 people.
Mr. Zhou also mentioned that the restaurant staff recommended to him that he could buy a stored-value card ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 yuan in the store, and he could get the corresponding stored-value gift amount and exempt the service fee for the private room, but even if the stored-value card was used, There are still regulations for private room consumption.
"For example, a 30,000 yuan stored-value card can give an additional 12,000 yuan, but this card can only swipe the self-service amount for 12 people every day, and the extra people need to pay separately." Mr. Zhou said.
The reporter called the store to ask what kind of service the 15% service fee for the private room was for. The other party replied: "The private room has a better environment, more privacy, and provides one-to-one service." The content of the question, the other party said that it can help customers in the private room to pick up meals and other beverage services.
But the other party also mentioned that if the FIT in the lobby needs the help of the waiter to pick up the meal, the restaurant will also provide corresponding services and no service fee will be charged.
Disguised minimum consumption and new tricks
Different from the situation encountered by Mr. Zhou, although some stores do not clearly stipulate that they need to meet the minimum consumption amount, they have other regulations on private room consumption.
Ms. Li from Wuhan recently dined at a Hubei restaurant on Hong Kong Road. When she ordered food in the private room, Ms. Li asked if there were any minimum consumption and service fee regulations in the private room according to her usual consumption experience. "The staff told me that there is no minimum consumption limit, but You must order one of our signature dishes, which range in price from 600 yuan to 1,000 yuan.”
The reporter called the store a few days ago to ask, and the other party said that there is indeed such a provision.
When the reporter asked what to do if the guests have taboos or are not used to the signature dishes, the other party still emphasized that there are more than 10 kinds of dishes such as soft-shelled turtles and king crabs, which can be chosen arbitrarily.
In addition, the reporter saw on various platforms such as Dianping and Xiaohongshu that many consumers mentioned that catering units with strong atmosphere such as bars and coffee shops will set different minimum consumption limits according to different spaces.
For example, according to a user's evaluation, a Cantonese restaurant on the Bund in Shanghai, whose per capita consumption is about 650 yuan, proposed that the window seat belongs to the landscape position, and the minimum consumption is 2,000 yuan.
The reporter asked the store staff and confirmed that there is indeed a minimum consumption requirement of 2,000 yuan for the landscape.
But the other party also made it clear that, except for the different spatial locations, other services enjoyed by the landscape location are no different from other locations.
Personalized service should be clearly communicated
In fact, consumers have long resented regulations that set minimum spending limits at restaurants.
With the improvement of the legal environment and the improvement of consumers' awareness of rights protection, many restaurants have cancelled this regulation, and this move has also been well received by consumers.
The reporter browsed and found that many netizens will praise the restaurant's behavior without the minimum consumption limit through comments and other methods, which indirectly helps the restaurant to gain more goodwill and attractiveness.
In restaurants that focus on atmosphere, such as bars and coffee shops, it is true that some seats will have a better viewing experience.
In this regard, some restaurants have not directly adopted the minimum consumption limit method, but let consumers make reservations to order.
A coffee shop on the Bund in Shanghai told reporters that customers can make an appointment for any location in the store directly, with no difference in consumption quota or space location.
Lawyer Zhang Di, head of Beijing Mengnuo Law Firm, believes that the above-mentioned behaviors such as minimum consumption in private rooms, must-order signature dishes, and different prices for landscapes are all the restaurants that use different means to set minimum consumption thresholds for consumers. Article 12 of the Administrative Measures clearly stipulates that "catering operators are prohibited from setting minimum consumption." According to the relevant provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, the above behavior violates the basic rights of consumers, specifically including the choice of goods or services. rights and the right to fair dealing.
Zhang Di reminded that for consumers, they should reject the infringing acts of the restaurant as soon as possible, negotiate with the catering operators to resolve disputes, and protect their own rights and interests; consumers can request the local consumer association and market supervision and management department to intervene in the dispute resolution, In addition, catering operators can be punished for their illegal acts, and they can also safeguard their legal rights through judicial channels.
Zhang Di also mentioned that if catering operators provide the same service, consumers should pay the same price.
If catering operators charge for personalized services or landscape seats, they should clearly inform consumers when consumers choose the service, and provide better services based on the additional price paid by consumers.