Bill 72 Quebec - What It Means For Restaurants

On November 7, 2024, the Quebec government passed Bill 72, officially titled An Act to protect consumers against abusive commercial practices and to offer better transparency with respect to prices and credit. While its sweeping reforms affect various industries, restaurant owners across the province need to pay close attention: several provisions in the legislation directly impact how restaurants handle pricing, tipping, and consumer communications.

This bill comes into effect on May 7th, 2025 and impacts all restaurants located or operating in Quebec. Here’s what restaurants in Quebec need to know about Bill 72 and how to stay compliant.

New Rules on Displaying Food Prices

Although the law imposes strict rules on how food retailers must display prices – such as indicating whether sales tax is included and listing price per unit – restaurant services are explicitly excluded from these requirements. That means most restaurants won’t need to modify how their menus or digital displays present food prices.

However, restaurants that also sell packaged food products (e.g., ready-to-eat items, sauces, or retail goods) may be subject to the same transparency rules as grocery retailers. If that’s part of your business model, make sure to:

Clearly display tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive pricing near each item.
Use standardized unit pricing for bulk or multi-pack food products.

Tipping Transparency Requirements

One of the most impactful changes for restaurants involves how tips are suggested and presented to customers -particularly in digital payment systems like tablets and terminals.

Under the new law:

Predetermined tip suggestions must be calculated before taxes – not after, as is commonly done.
Tip options (e.g., 10%, 15%, 20%) must be displayed uniformly without visually emphasizing one over the others.
Consumers must be allowed to input a custom tip amount without extra steps or friction.

Restaurants will need to verify that their POS and payment systems are compliant by May 7, 2025. Non-compliance could result in penalties from Quebec’s Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC).

Finding Bill 72 Compliant POS

Snappy offers a Bill 72 compliant POS system that is also a certified SRS provider by Revenu Quebec and integrates fully with MEV-Web. You can request a free demo for Snappy’s sales recording system here to help your restaurant transition to Bill 72 compliant POS quickly and effortlessly:

Get Free Demo For Bill 72 Compliant POS

Scanner Pricing Accuracy

If your restaurant uses optical scanners, common in fast-casual or self-serve environments, you should be aware of an update to Quebec’s “scanner accuracy” policy:

If a scanned price is higher than what was advertised, the compensation owed to the customer has increased from $10 to $15.

Train your staff to understand the scanner accuracy policy and ensure your pricing systems are synced to avoid compliance issues or costly refunds.

Consumer Refunds

If a customer’s deposit account is charged without authorization -whether from a payment glitch, stolen card, or system error – your business may be obligated to refund the full amount, unless you can demonstrate gross negligence by the customer.

Restaurants using third-party platforms for delivery, loyalty programs, or online payments should review how these partners handle refunds, fraud detection, and consumer data protection.

What Should Restaurants Do

To better prepare for this change, restaurants should take these steps ahead of Bill 72.

Audit your POS and tipping systems to ensure taxes aren’t included in tip suggestions.
Review your online ordering contracts for clarity, consent, and accessibility.
Train your team on scanner price accuracy rules and refund scenarios.
Stay informed through updates from the OPC and your industry association.

Bill 72 may be aimed broadly at consumer protection, but for Quebec restaurants, it’s also a call to modernize systems and prioritize transparent customer interactions. Taking action now will keep your restaurant ahead of the curve – and out of legal trouble.

Conclusion

Bill 72 marks a significant shift in how Quebec restaurants must handle pricing, tipping, and consumer transparency. While some provisions exclude restaurant services directly, others especially those related to digital payments, scanner accuracy, and contract clarity, require immediate attention.

As enforcement deadlines approach, proactive compliance isn’t just about avoiding penalties, it’s about building trust with increasingly informed consumers. By adapting now, restaurant owners can ensure smooth operations, protect their reputation, and continue delivering exceptional customer experiences in a more transparent marketplace.

FAQ

When did Bill 72 officially get passed?

November 7, 2024

When will new tipping rules take effect for hospitality & foodservice?

May 7, 2025

When do additional credit/payment rules come into force?

August 7, 2025

Bill 72 Quebec - What It Means For Restaurants

New Rules on Displaying Food Prices

Tipping Transparency Requirements

Finding Bill 72 Compliant POS

Get Free Demo For Bill 72 Compliant POS

Scanner Pricing Accuracy

Consumer Refunds

What Should Restaurants Do

Conclusion

FAQ

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