Restaurants responsible for discrepancies between printed menus and e-menus: consumer watchdog

Hong Kong’s consumer watchdog said on Tuesday that restaurants are definitely responsible should there be any discrepancies between printed menus and e-menus.

The Consumer Council yesterday announced that some 30 percent of 1,500 complaints about restaurants involved disputes over price differences between what is shown on the menu and customer bills, with discrepancies between the printed menus and e-menus becoming a common source of dispute, as contactless ordering via mobile phones rose in popularity during Covid.

Gilly Wong Fung-han, the council's chief executive, told a radio program this morning that restaurants may have committed the offense of misleading omissions under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance if they omit or hide material information.

Meanwhile, Simon Wong Kit-lung, honorary president of the Institution of Dining Art, said having new technologies to assist restaurant operations is a new trend.

He said restaurants used to rely on service providers to update their online ordering system, but now most restaurants would change the information themselves.

However, he noted that when it comes to the printed version of the menus, it will take up to two weeks for restaurants to make changes as it involves menu designs and printing.