Petition · past parliament
Make it illegal to force waiters to pay for unpaid customers' bills.
Rejected
15 signatures
What the petition asks
The petition has arisen because of the recently publicised policy of the Wahaca Restaurant chain who made a waiter pay part of a bill left by customers. The reason this came to light was because it was witnessed by a former Councillor, but this practice is widespread in pubs and restaurants.
Sarah Hayward from Camden tweeted the Wahaca Restaurant after seeing a waiter being made to pay part of a bill resulting from customers absconding. The tweet went viral as so many people were appalled at this practice. But this practice is not only widespread across the country, it has been so for decades. It unfairly exploits some of the most poorly paid staff in the country. Waiters are usually too scared of losing their jobs to complain and the money is often taken from the waiter on the day to avoid falling foul of the minimum wage rules.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 18 Jun 2019 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 15 Jul 2019 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
15
Status
Rejected
Rejected
15 Jul 2019
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.