Bishkek, Oct. 15, 2025 /Kabar/. Starting in 2026, cafes and restaurants in Kyrgyzstan will be prohibited from charging a service charge. Akylai Kozhomberdieva, Head of the Antimonopoly Policy Department at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic told Kabar.
According to her, in order to protect consumer interests, a regulation will come into effect on January 1st, allowing catering sector independently set terms and conditions for customers that do not violate Kyrgyz law, with the exception of service charges. Charging additional fees for service, serving dishes, setting the table, or other actions by wait staff separate from the basic cost of the order is prohibited.
Akylai Kozhomberdieva noted that no cafe or catering should charge a service charge. The cost of all catering services must be included in the price indicated on the menu, price list, or other document available to the consumer prior to ordering. The final payment must not differ from the amount calculated based on the publicly available price list.
When we first started talking about this, they started scaring us with the fear that the cost of meals would increase. But we shouldn't forget that meals are already expensive today; the chef's services and other expenses must be included in the price. We're told that because of this service charge, they pay the waiters' wages, buy napkins, and toilet paper. But wages should be paid by the employer, not the average consumer, she noted. Kozhomberdieva emphasized that administrative penalties are provided for failure to comply with the regulations.