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London chef and restaurateur Selin Kiazim has publicly announced that her Oklava restaurant will scrap a discretionary 12.5% service charge, and instead incorporate the charge into its menu prices when it re-opens on 17 July.
Making the announcement on social media channels, the chef from the modern Turkish grill and bakery said it's something that they had wanted to do for years, but they'd never had the confidence until the coronavirus lockdown gave them "ample time" to rethink how they do things at the restaurant, and the push they needed to "break the mould." An official statement can be found on the restaurant's website.
The online response has already been overwhelmingly positive, with over 1000 likes in response to the tweet from chefs, journalists and diners.
London restaurants have widely applied a 12.5 per cent service charge for many years, but the coronavirus pandemic has paved the way for change, allowing restaurants to re-consider staff working conditions and wages among other business practices.
Oklava is joined by other London restaurants, including Broadway Market and Hill and Szrok, who have also announced plans to re-structure their pricing after lockdown.
The coronavirus pandemic has already led many industry leaders such as Amanda Cohen to call for change, with some restaurants planning to pay their chefs higher salaries.
