The fight broke out after a family received food bill with service charge mentioned in it.
A shocking video has emerged from Noida that shows a violent clash between a family and staff members of a restaurant over the issue of service charge in the bill. The incident took place at Float by Duty Free in Spectrum Mall on Sunday. The clip was recorded by people who were present there at that time and went viral after it appeared on social media. The video shows fight between the members of the family and the restaurant's bouncers, who are also abusing them.
The video shows some people throwing punches and dragging the restaurant staff, who in turn push them away. A few women are also caught in the fight.
A few people, presumably staff of the restaurant, are seen trying to calm the group down and end the fight but their efforts are in vain.
According to tweets of one of the family members, some staff members abused them. The tweets claimed that there were 30 people involved in the attack, all of them associated with the restaurant.
According to Harish Chandra, DCP, Noida Zone, the scuffle broke out after the family received the bill with service charge mentioned in it.
"The fight broke out over service charge. We have identified the accused and are following the process of law. We will ensure that those who resorted to violence are arrested," said Mr Chandra.
A case has been registered by Sector 113 police station.
The aspect of service charges levied by restaurants has has always been a contentious issue. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs had last year pointed out that restaurants are levying service charges as a default billing option, even though it is completely voluntary and its collection is not mandated by law.
The Centre had informed the Delhi High Court that customers are unwillingly paying the extra charge, even if they are dissatisfied with the service.
The high court had stayed the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guideline for a ban on service charge, but clarified in April that its order cannot be shown by restaurants to the customers in a manner which suggests that the charge has been approved by it.
Justice Prathiba M Singh asked two bodies - National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Associations (FHRAI) - to hold a meeting of their members and inform the court how many of their members are willing to inform the consumers that service charge is not mandatory and is a voluntary contribution.
Meanwhile, NRAI president Varun Khera said levying service charges is the sole discretion of a restaurant. "Earlier there was a misconception among some people that restaurants cannot levy service charges. However, a court order has ruled that restaurants can impose service charges as long as they make it clear to customers," Mr Khera told news agency PTI.
"If the service charge is mentioned on the menu card, it means that the customer is aware of it and they have the choice to walk out if they do not agree with the condition," he added.
