The Ministry Steps In: The Era of “Mandatory Charges” in Restaurants Is Coming to an End

Restaurants that have been quietly adding “mandatory tips,” “service fees,” and even “table charges” to bills are now facing a major intervention from Turkey’s Ministry of Trade. After a growing wave of complaints, the Ministry has officially declared these practices unlawful and warned that businesses imposing such charges will face heavy fines.

A Crackdown on Hidden Fees

In recent years, especially in big cities, many cafés and restaurants began slipping extra charges into the bill under names like mandatory tip, service fee, or table fee. Following rising consumer complaints, the Ministry sent new notices to businesses, clearly stating that these charges violate regulations. Businesses that refuse to comply will be met with significant penalties.

According to reporting by Türkiye Newspaper, the Ministry had already made an earlier regulatory update requiring all prices to be displayed clearly and transparently at the entrance of the venue and on menus placed on tables. Any additional fees — like service charges — were allowed only if they were explicitly listed.

But as more businesses began inventing new charges under labels such as per-person service fees or table usage fees, the Ministry decided to revisit the issue more strictly.

New Restrictions on the Way

A new draft of the price-tag regulation introduces much clearer rules. According to the draft, only optional tipping and the traditional “cover charge” will remain permissible. Beyond these, businesses will not be allowed to demand any kind of table fee, service fee, or similar compulsory charge. In short, customers will pay only for what they order — nothing more.

Voluntary Tipping Becomes the Standard

Under the new framework, any payment outside food and beverage orders must be based entirely on the customer’s free will. Mandatory service fees will be abolished, making tipping fully voluntary again. The aim is to protect consumers, increase transparency, prevent unfair practices, and create a predictable and honest pricing system in the food and beverage sector.

Keywords:
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