Daniyar Amangeldiev, the First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, stated that public catering establishments are not allowed to include a 15% service charge in the price of their dishes. He emphasized that this contradicts current legislation.
According to him, the law stipulates that service fees must be voluntary. Amangeldiev added: "The cancellation of the 15% charge was aimed at protecting consumer rights. We conducted the necessary calculations and measures in the service sector. Now, including this amount in the bill constitutes a violation of consumer rights. Recently, the public catering sector has shown a significant increase in prices, and we are trying to regulate this," he noted in his speech to parliament.
Earlier, the Ministry of Economy reported the need to optimize prices in cafes and restaurants, as well as to introduce a 10% discount on orders and takeout of ready meals.
A round table organized by the antimonopoly regulation service gathered representatives of the restaurant business in Bishkek to discuss pricing issues in the public catering sector. The event, chaired by Zhenala Orozbaev, included staff from the Ministry of Economy, representatives of the HoReCa Club Association of Hoteliers and Restaurateurs, as well as entrepreneurs.
During the discussion, changes that came into effect on January 1 were considered, according to which:
the separate charging of service fees, serving dishes, and other actions by the service staff, aside from the main cost of the order, is prohibited;
all components of public catering services must be included in the price indicated in the menu or price list;
the total payment amount must not exceed the amount stated in the public price list.
It was also emphasized that the sale of food and services must correspond to the menu, which specifies the price per portion and its weight. Entrepreneurs set the prices for the dishes themselves.
The antimonopoly regulation service stressed the inadmissibility of unjustified price increases. In January, a rise in prices for dishes was recorded, and in some establishments, the increase exceeded 15 percent.
Representatives of restaurants reported that since January 1, service charges are not collected separately. They explained the price revision by the following factors:
an increase in rent;
rising utility tariffs and fuel costs;
an increase in prices for products used in cooking dishes;
an increase in operating expenses, including the purchase of inventory (dishes, napkins, sanitary and hygiene supplies, etc.);
an increase in employee wages and an increase in tax burden.
Participants of the round table agreed on the need to optimize prices.
The HoReCa Club Association of Hoteliers and Restaurateurs plans to prepare analytical information soon and present it to the Antimonopoly Service for joint development of price stabilization mechanisms.
