Chinese New Year is just around the corner, which means there will be plenty of sales, offers, and contests to get you in the spirit of the Year of the Snake. Due to the festivities, some food establishments will be adjusting their operating hours, menus, or prices, but most of these changes are reasonable.
This popular restaurant, however, had netizens riled up after deciding to increase its service fees during the Chinese New Year celebrations. Here’s the story:
Recently, the Malaysia Shopping Mall page posted a photo on Threads of a notice at an Oriental Kopi outlet informing customers about changes to the service fee. According to the post, the restaurant will increase the service fee from 10% to 15% on 29th and 30th January, the two days of the Lunar New Year. This change applies to all outlets in Malaysia.
Not only that, but this fee is entirely separate from the standard 6% SST (Sales and Service Tax). In total, this means a 21% increase for the upcoming holiday. As expected, the Threads post quickly went viral, with netizens mostly criticising Oriental Kopi for imposing extra charges on customers during Chinese New Year.
Many expressed their frustration, with some suggesting that the restaurant might as well not operate during the holidays if they don’t want to increase staff salaries. Others questioned whether the decision was even legal. A few argued that, while they disagree with normalising such practices, it’s not necessarily uncommon for businesses to increase their service fees during the holidays.
There were also those who tagged the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDNHEP) to investigate the restaurant over the price hike. According to ChinaPress, KPDNHEP will review the submitted reports and complaints and summon the accused restaurants for clarification. “The enforcement unit has taken action to track the parties involved and will summon these restaurants for discussions to determine the reason behind the increase or change in service fees,” the ministry said.
The case is currently being investigated under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011. This is not the first time Oriental Kopi has increased its service fee, though. The restaurant previously posted a similar notice on their official social media pages during Chinese New Year last year. However, based on this recent incident, it appears that no one reported the restaurant at the time.
What do you think about this issue?
Sources: Threads, ChinaPress, Instagram
