You have to know this: service tax and service charge a different. People who work in Food and Beverage industry (F&B) are one of the most patient workers. They have to face many customers in a day. That doesn’t count how different one customer is from the other. Although there’s a phrase, ‘customers are always right’, it doesn’t apply to every situation. Sometimes, customers can be wrong too.
Recently, there has been a lot of news about F&B workers that were poorly treated. We don’t condone this act, not at all.
It’s a common thing for people to leave a tray or leftover food on the table. It’s also a common understanding that F&B workers have to clean the table. Some say it’s their job. Customers paid them to do so.
However, Lulz (@lellullizms) debunk the statement. She knows this because she works in the F&B line.
According to her, it depends if the restaurant has a service tax or service charge.
What’s the difference between service tax and service charge?
Service tax
Big food chains like McD and KFC have service tax. Service tax (6%) is similar to GST and SST. It’s the amount they pay to the government.
You can look at the receipt you have. At the bottom part, there’s a service tax written there.
This means that workers aren’t responsible for cleaning your table! Their responsibility is only to prepare your food.
If we observe closely, we make our own order at McD. We also take the food ourselves. Therefore, it’s true that F&B workers aren’t responsible for cleaning the mess many diners make.
Service charge
Some restaurants like Kyochon, The Chicken Rice Shop and K Fry have a service charge. The rate is from 5-10%. It depends on the restaurant.
When the F&B outlet has a service charge on the receipt, it means they are responsible to:
- Take your order
- Deliver your order
- Clean your table
But isn’t it common sense to clean up after yourself? Although they are paid to do so, it’s not hard to take the tray away and throw the leftovers into the bin.
These are the differences between service tax and service charge we should know.
Let’s be more responsible customers and clean the table after we eat. It’s not that hard!
Source: TikTok Lulz (@lellullizms)