Ministry of Trade warns restaurants about minimum spending limit.

Trade Minister Mahmut Gürcan made a statement regarding the minimum spending limit set at an average of 1,500 lira for some restaurants in Istanbul.

Trade Minister Mahmut Gürcan made a statement on his social media account regarding the minimum spending limit set at an average of 1,500 lira by restaurants in Istanbul. In his post on social media, Minister Gürcan stated that they are closely monitoring illegal activities and included the following remarks: "Recently, news reports and notifications received by our Ministry regarding some restaurant and cafe businesses applying a 'spending limit' to customers are being meticulously examined."

"CLEARLY ILLEGAL"

"These practices clearly violate consumer rights as well as the commercial ethics and legal regulations applicable in our country, and an inspection process has been urgently initiated by our Ministry regarding this issue. Such practices that clearly violate consumer rights and commercial ethical rules are incompatible with the legal regulations governing commercial activities, leading to consumer grievances and negatively affecting market operations. Our Ministry is determined and actively fighting against such illegal practices."

PENALTIES WILL BE APPLIED

"In the event of detecting these violations, all necessary administrative penalties will be applied to the businesses, and legal processes will be initiated; no leniency will be shown in this regard. Protecting the rights of our consumers is one of the fundamental priorities of our Ministry. In this context, our citizens are required to report to our Ministry, Provincial Trade Directorates, or the Alo 175 Consumer Consultation Line if they encounter a similar situation. All applications will be meticulously evaluated, and necessary steps will be taken swiftly. As the Ministry of Trade, we will resolutely address any practices that lead to violations of consumer rights, disruption of commercial order, and grievances of our citizens.