Is it legal for restaurants to charge for tableware?

It is illegal for restaurants to charge for tableware.

The tableware fee refers to the additional consumption fee charged when dining in a restaurant, which is mainly used to cover the costs incurred by the restaurant in providing customers with tableware, cleaning the tableware, and maintaining cleanliness. Some restaurants will add the cutlery fee to the total price of all dishes, while others will list the cutlery fee separately.

According to the relevant regulations, companies are not allowed to bundle sales or increase the price of goods or services in disguised form. If a restaurant lists tableware fees as consumption, it will be regarded as a disguised increase in the price of goods or services. Therefore, some consumers believe that charging tableware fees is illegal and refuse to pay. Nonetheless, in practice, some restaurants are allowed to charge cutlery fees. For example, some high-end restaurants or luxurious royal restaurants use exquisite tableware when the price of the dishes is relatively high. In order to improve the dining experience and taste, it is feasible to charge tableware fees.

Penalty for charging tableware fees in the catering industry

1. Regardless of whether it is explicitly informed or not, charging separate tableware disinfection or usage fees is unfounded and violates the fair trade rights of many consumers. . According to relevant regulations, it is the legal obligation of operators to provide sterilized tableware to consumers. When consumers dine in restaurants and hotels, they purchase both food and services from catering companies. Whether catering companies provide safe and hygienic dining conditions is directly related to the realization of consumption purposes.

2. For catering companies that illegally charge tableware fees, the industrial and commercial departments will intensify rectification efforts. Those with minor violations should be ordered to make corrections, illegal gains will be confiscated, and fines may be imposed; in serious cases, , ordered to suspend business for rectification. At the same time, consumers are advised to carefully check the charge details after dining in the restaurant. If the merchant charges tableware fees in violation of regulations, they can point it out in time. If the merchant refuses to make corrections, they can keep the charging voucher and call 12315 to complain.