Chinese allowed to bring own drinks to restaurants

BEIJING - Diners in China have been allowed to bring their own drinks to restaurants after the food industry caved in to pressure from consumers and lifted a ban.

Hubei province is the first region in the country to have lifted the ban on customers bringing their own drinks to restaurants, after food industry representatives backed down on the regulation as the public expressed outrage over the rule, Global Times reported Friday.

The Food Industry Management Regulation in Wuhan in Hubei province had earlier said restaurants have the right to refuse service to customers who bring their own food or drinks into food joints.

The regulation was jointly released by the Wuhan Food Industry Association, the Wuhan Consumers Association and the Wuhan Private Enterprises Association.

The authorities were forced to lift the ban after the China Consumers Association (CCA) reacted to the regulation, saying it was unfair, even though the unwritten rule is a common practice in restaurants overseas and even in Hong Kong.

Industry representatives said the rule will be deleted with effect from May 1.

“Why do customers have to spend so much more money on drinks that they can get at a lower price at the supermarket?” Huang Weiyu, a resident of Wuhan, was quoted as saying.

Some customers said they bring their own drinks because certain restaurants do not offer what they want on the beverage menu.