Petition · past parliament · Department for Business and Trade

Ban restaurants from adding a service charge to bills

Closed 219 signatures

What the petition asks

The increased cost of living has seen the price of almost everything going up. Restaurants are no different, and many restaurants now also put a service charge on every bill. Many say they are a discretionary service charge, but add it automatically instead of giving the customer a choice.
Most people don’t like awkward confrontations or discussions, and when you ask for a discretionary service charge to be removed, you can be confronted with hostility, awkwardness, etc. We think you should be able to add tip at the end, but not have to have a discussion to remove an extra charge.

Timeline

2 Jan 2024 Petition opened for signatures
29 May 2024 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 219
Status Closed
Department Department for Business and Trade
Opened 2 Jan 2024
Closed 29 May 2024

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.