Malta’s Association of Catering Establishments has made its position known when it comes to this week’s news of certain restaurants adding a service charge to their bills, reiterating the need for full transparency and just purpose behind the initiative.“A clear distinction must be made for purpose of clarity between service charge and cover charge,” the ACE started by clarifying with Lovin Malta. “Whilst cover charge is a charge of which the catering establishment owner will benefit from, service charge beneficiary is the employee of the establishment.”“It is at the discretion of every catering establishment to decide whether to introduce a service charge or otherwise,” the ACE continued. “Nevertheless, it is imperative that such charge must be indicated clearly on the menu. Moreover, such service charge should never be another source of revenue for any catering establishment but rather serve its true purpose of being shared among its employees.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lovin Malta (@lovinmalta)On Monday, former Minister for Social and Affordable Accommodation Roderick Galdes shared a photo of a €72.80 food bill that had come up to just under €80 due to a €6.92 “Service Charge”.“In our country, where the expense to eat out is already high when compared to a number of neighbouring countries, we can’t accept more expenses being created for our families without full transparency,” Galdes went on to warn. “While I respect that the market is free, the consumer has a fundamental right to know from beforehand how much he’s going to pay.”A traditional per-person cover charge in Italy, the coperto covers the table setting (tablecloths, plates, cutlery and napkins) and basic service or bread. It is legal and standard in a number of countries, but must always be explicitly printed on the restaurant’s menu. In Italy, the charge typically ranges from €1 to €4 per person, sometimes higher at upscale or tourist-heavy locations.Based on the receipt that Galdes shared, this particular Maltese establishment seems to have charged a service charge of around €2.30 per person.What do you think of this seemingly growing trend among certain Maltese establishments?•