PHOTO
25 June 2016
Doha - Customers going to restaurants, coffee shops and hotels will no longer have to worry about minimum charges or minimum order. The Ministry of Economy and Trade yesterday announced that it has decided to ban restaurants, coffee shops and hotels from using a minimum charge.
The new diktat will allow customers to place even smaller orders at restaurants, coffee shops and hotels. Presently many restaurants, coffee shops and hotels force its customers to place a minimum order.
The Ministry said that the charge forces people to have a minimum consumption level that could exceed their needs. This in turn, violates article 10 of law No. 8 of 2008 on consumer protection.
In addition to incurring financial loss to consumers, the ministry said that minimum charges promote bad habits, particularly overspending. That quality is in contrast to Islam which calls for rationalising consumption.
Another bad habit the Ministry said was overconsumption of food and drinks that consumers are forced to take to meet the charge, which could result in health hazards.
Such measures include revising prices on the menus, ads, bills as well as removing any sign that states a minimum charge. The decision is part of many initiatives the ministry is implementing to regulate the market and control prices.
The Ministry has asked the concerned eateries to inform their staff about the no minimum charge policy. The new move by the Ministry is in line with law no. 6 of 2016.
It has given coffee shops, restaurants and hotels 30 days to carry out the changes necessary to end minimum charge or any other method that controls consumption levels.
After the end of grace period, the Minister will carry out inspections to ascertain that the new rule is being implemented by the restaurants, coffee shops and hotels.
Legal actions will be taken against erring outlets. The Ministry has urged customers not to accept any minimum charge requirement.
If customers come across any incident of these outlets forcing them to pay minimum charge, customers call Ministry's hotline-16001 or email at info@mec.gov.qa
The new decision is a part of Ministry's Ramadan initiatives that aims to regulate and monitor the markets and business activities in the country in a bid to check the prices and protect consumer rights.
The Ministry has a launched a campaign with the theme #Aqal_Min_Al_Wajeb," the Arabic for "#the_least_we_can_do".
Doha - Customers going to restaurants, coffee shops and hotels will no longer have to worry about minimum charges or minimum order. The Ministry of Economy and Trade yesterday announced that it has decided to ban restaurants, coffee shops and hotels from using a minimum charge.
The new diktat will allow customers to place even smaller orders at restaurants, coffee shops and hotels. Presently many restaurants, coffee shops and hotels force its customers to place a minimum order.
The Ministry said that the charge forces people to have a minimum consumption level that could exceed their needs. This in turn, violates article 10 of law No. 8 of 2008 on consumer protection.
In addition to incurring financial loss to consumers, the ministry said that minimum charges promote bad habits, particularly overspending. That quality is in contrast to Islam which calls for rationalising consumption.
Another bad habit the Ministry said was overconsumption of food and drinks that consumers are forced to take to meet the charge, which could result in health hazards.
Such measures include revising prices on the menus, ads, bills as well as removing any sign that states a minimum charge. The decision is part of many initiatives the ministry is implementing to regulate the market and control prices.
The Ministry has asked the concerned eateries to inform their staff about the no minimum charge policy. The new move by the Ministry is in line with law no. 6 of 2016.
It has given coffee shops, restaurants and hotels 30 days to carry out the changes necessary to end minimum charge or any other method that controls consumption levels.
After the end of grace period, the Minister will carry out inspections to ascertain that the new rule is being implemented by the restaurants, coffee shops and hotels.
Legal actions will be taken against erring outlets. The Ministry has urged customers not to accept any minimum charge requirement.
If customers come across any incident of these outlets forcing them to pay minimum charge, customers call Ministry's hotline-16001 or email at info@mec.gov.qa
The new decision is a part of Ministry's Ramadan initiatives that aims to regulate and monitor the markets and business activities in the country in a bid to check the prices and protect consumer rights.
The Ministry has a launched a campaign with the theme #Aqal_Min_Al_Wajeb," the Arabic for "#the_least_we_can_do".
© The Peninsula 2016
