Petition · past parliament
Require restaurants to show total prices, inclusive of service charges, in menus
Closed
105 signatures
What the petition asks
Please prohibit restaurants from automatically adding service charges, typically 12.5%, on top of menu prices, as they cause a misleading indication of price and distort competition. Menus should show total prices that restaurants expect to be paid for each dish or drink including service charges.
The starting point should be the total price including service, and in the event of poor service, Sections 54(3)(b) and 56 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 already give the right to a price reduction, which can be more than 12.5%. In the event of exceptional service, diners can add a tip. Because automatically-added service charges are technically optional in that diners can in theory ask for them to be removed, restaurants exclude them from VAT, thereby cheating the Exchequer out of tax revenue.
Timeline
| 4 Mar 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 4 Sep 2020 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
105
Status
Closed
Opened
4 Mar 2020
Closed
4 Sep 2020
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.