Penang Cafe Removes Takeaway Packaging Fee After Customer Complaint
The customer purchased four cakes totalling RM85 at the Bayan Baru outlet on 1 November, but was surprised to find an additional 10% “takeaway fee” of RM8.50 on her receipt, which she only noticed after leaving.
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A cafe chain in Penang has announced it will waive packaging fees for takeaway cakes following a customer complaint on social media that sparked debate about hidden charges.
The incident came to light when a customer posted on Facebook about her experience at the cafe in Bayan Baru on 1 November.
According to her post, she purchased four different flavoured cakes for takeaway, totalling RM85.
However, upon reviewing her receipt, she discovered an additional 10% “takeaway fee” of RM8.50 had been added, bringing her final bill to RM93.50.
The customer said she was not informed of this charge at the time of payment and only noticed it after leaving the store due to time constraints.
In her Facebook post, the customer urged others to be vigilant when ordering takeaway from the cafe, warning that the charge would be applied without prior notification.
Cafe’s Response
Following the complaint, the cafe issued a bilingual notice apologising to customers and announcing the removal of the takeaway packaging fee.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding. To make your experience even more enjoyable, we have decided to remove the takeaway packaging fee for cakes. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused in the past, and truly appreciate your patience and support.
According to comments citing cafe staff, the outlet opened on 5 October and is the chain’s seventh location.
Staff reportedly indicated this was the first complaint of its nature they had encountered.
Service Tax vs Service Charge Confusion
The staff member clarified that what appeared on receipts as “takeaway fee” was actually meant to be a service tax.
The employee explained that menu prices do not include Sales and Service Tax (SST) or Service Tax; however, a system error caused the charge to be printed as a “takeaway fee” on receipts, leading to confusion.
Some observers note that many consumers confuse service tax with service charge.
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Service tax is a government-imposed levy that businesses collect and remit to authorities, while service charge is a fee retained by the establishment itself.
The cafe’s notice concluded by welcoming customers to visit anytime for coffee and mille crepe cake, expressing hope that “every visit will be sweet and delightful.”
As of now, the cafe has removed the packaging fee and publicly apologised for the confusion.
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