1 / 8The Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Thursday told restaurants not to levy 'service charge' on bills, dubbing the move 'illegal'. 2 / 8The ministry said it will soon formulate a legal framework, that among other things, will prevent hospitality establishments from levying the charge. The move is being planned to protect the interests of consumers.3 / 8The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) called the hospitality industry association Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) for a meeting on Thursday to discuss the matter of service charge on restaurant bills.4 / 8FHRAI in a clarification earlier said service charge known colloquially as ’tip’ is the amount paid to the staff of the restaurant or other similar establishments by patrons.5 / 8'Service charge is considered a beneficial payment since it is meant for the benefit of the staff of the establishment. So, some establishments make a conscious choice to adopt a beneficial policy towards its staff members by assuring them a minimum tip which is a percentage of the rest of the charges. There is nothing illegal nor is it in violation of the law for restaurants to collect a service charge,” Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI had said in a statement earlier.6 / 8FHRAI’s joint honorary secretary Pradeep Shetty said that it is entirely a restaurant’s discretion whether to charge service charge or not. If a guest has any objection to paying the service charge, then, it can be removed from the bill.7 / 8Shetty added that it is a common practice by even other service providers that charge certain ‘convenience fee’ for providing services to customers.8 / 8 Services like train and air ticket booking through websites or portals, food ordered via website or mobile apps, or movie tickets booked through online portals all levy a convenience fee on the customers.