WITH hotels and restaurants being barred from levying service charge, waiters, chefs and other workers are worried they will lose out on money and are planning to approach managements to seek a pay raise. They are also apprehensive that tips given by customers out of goodwill will dwindle.

Uttarakhand-native Prakash Singh Koranga, 27, a chef who works at an outlet of popular franchise Moti Mahal Deluxe restaurant in south Delhi, said service charge which gets proportionally divided among the staff acts as an “extra income” and “incentive to give our best at the job.”

“I have been in this industry for about five years now. As a chef, I will continue to cook the best meals I can for guests, but the decision has affected our morale, as now we would have to be content with our salary only. Is it possible to survive in this time of inflation with just a salary of Rs 14,000. We will have to follow the new norms, so I will ask for a pay raise from my employer to compensate,” he told PTI.

His colleagues in the kitchen and outlet manager Naveen Pandey, who has worked for 18 years for the famous chain, echoed his sentiments.

“I may even switch to another place (restaurant) with better prospect, if they don’t hike my salary,” said Pandey, a

Delhi native. Amid rising consumer complaints, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Monday barred hotels and restaurants from levying service charge automatically or by default in food bills and allowed customers to file complaints in case of violation.