Wuhan Catering Industry Association said it is not illegal for restaurants to refuse to bring their own drinks.

A (Reporter Wang Zhixin) the urgently revised "Wuhan Food and Beverage Industry Business Standard (trial)" has deleted the clause of "refusing to bring your own drinks". Yesterday, the Secretariat of Wuhan Catering Industry Association insisted to the media that operators can independently decide whether to bring their own drinks and whether to charge service charges.

The secretariat of the association claims that whether operators allow consumers to bring their own drinks and whether to charge additional service charges is a civil agreement between the two parties to the transaction and does not violate the provisions of the General principles of Civil Law on invalid civil acts. Therefore, operators can decide whether to bring their own drinks and whether to charge a service charge.

"even if some restaurants refuse to bring their own drinks and charge a service charge, they do not violate the provisions of the Consumer Protection Law." The secretariat of the association said.

The reporter randomly interviewed five consumers, all of whom were puzzled by the association's self-contradictory practices: the "norms" have deleted the clause that refuses to bring their own drinks, but the Catering Industry Association still insists on this unregulated business behavior. Do operators and consumers listen to the "norms" or the interpretation of the association? "

It is understood that since 2004, the China Consumer Association has repeatedly blasted the catering industry for "refusing to bring their own drinks" and other overbearing provisions. In November 2007, Wu Gaohan, deputy secretary-general of the China Consumer Association, reprimanded in an interview with the media that catering industry associations in some places formulated regulations to rationalize hotels'"prohibition of bringing their own drinks" and became a backstage with a tough attitude of businessmen.

In April 2008, the industry and commerce department of Jiangan District, according to the "Consumer Rights and interests Protection Law": "consumers have the right to choose independently in accordance with the law", took the lead in the city to stop "refusing to bring their own drinks".

Consumers interviewed said that the highest price of drinks in the catering industry in Wuhan was four times that of the market, and that "bringing your own drinks" was to avoid being "slaughtered".