Profeco to fine Mexican establishments for mandatory tipping

Mexico’s Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) has announced that restaurants, bars, and cafes face significant fines for forcing customers to pay tips. Under the Federal Consumer Protection Law, tipping is a voluntary expression of gratitude and must never be a mandatory requirement by establishments.

According to Article 10 of the law, providers are prohibited from using coercive or unfair commercial practices, including abusive or imposed conditions. Article 128 outlines the penalties for these infractions, which include fines ranging from approximately 702 pesos to over 2.7 million pesos.

In particularly grave cases, Profeco may impose total or partial closures of up to 90 days and fines reaching as high as 4.1 million pesos. Consumers are encouraged to carefully review their bills and report unrecognized charges or mandatory tipping practices via the Consumer Telephone.