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29 eateries in Dubai booked for not having menu in Arabic

The action was taken following an inspection campaign launched by the department on restaurants operating in the emirate to ensure they serve menus in Arabic to the customers.

It is mandatory for eateries to have menu cards in Arabic and to have the prices printed clearly. —KT file photo used for graphic purposes.

As many as 29 eateries have been booked for not having menus in Arabic and for not having proper price details, in contravention of the rules set by the Department of Economic Development-Dubai or DED.

The action was taken following an inspection campaign launched by the department on restaurants operating in the emirate to ensure they serve menus in Arabic to the customers. The food prices also should be clearly mentioned in these menus.

According to Ahmed Al Awadhi, senior director of Field Control at the commercial compliance and consumer protection, the campaign unleashed by the section recently resulted in booking 29 restaurants for not adhering to the above stipulations. “The campaign was launched after an array of extensive awareness campaigns,” he said noting that since Arabic is the official language of the UAE, every food outlet should have its menu in Arabic, too, with prices written clearly against each meal.

He called on restaurants to provide menus in Arabic and other languages, as it is the right of the consumer to have the menu in Arabic.

“Restaurant owners were told to provide menus in Arabic without linguistic errors and without words that go against Islam, local customs and traditions,” he noted and added that the trader should avoid promoting the sale of tobacco products and cigarettes in the menu.”

“Any restaurant found promoting tobacco products and smoking in the menu will be booked,” he warned and said in case the trader wants to deliver copies of the menus outside his establishment, he should procure a permit from DED, and consider putting the logo of the consumer protection department along with the number of the permit on the menu.”

The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Sector last year set off the ‘Arabic bill’ initiative in the retail sector with the aim of arabising purchase receipts and put the consumer protection logo on the receipt issued by the outlet. The launch of the initiative was in pursuance of the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to establish the UAE as a global ‘centre of excellence’ for Arabic language, and in response to his recommendations for launching initiatives to preserve the Arabic language and boost its position in society.

Al Awadhi called on traders and owners of main food outlets to cooperate with the department in establishing the values of the language. He pointed out to the importance of preserving and protecting consumer rights and strengthening the relationship between the trader and the consumer.

He emphasised that the efforts will help in the purchase process and guarantee consumers’ rights by allowing them to read the menu in their mother tongue besides helping those who cannot read English. “It is important for trade outlets to turn their bills and list of products to a platform to create a sense of awareness among consumers on their rights, and demonstrate the policies regulating the trade activities”, he said adding that this will help boost the credibility of the retail sector,” he added.

Boosting the efficiency of inspection procedures

The Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Sector is confident about the ability of its inspectors in performing their duties efficiently and diligently. The inspectors have the authority to discharge their duties without any barriers. To err, however, is human, and it is the role of the field monitoring staff to spot mistakes and correct them. The sector is responsible for ensuring the commitment of consumers and traders alike to the consumer protection law and make sure they understand their liabilities. The sector also facilitates the set procedures to reach a settlement between traders and consumers in cases of dispute.

The field monitoring staff must make sure that errant inspectors learn from their mistakes if they commit any and suggest plausible solutions for them through training courses and internal post rotation for inspectors. Operational procedures also can be improved if it is in the interest of the inspectors, traders or consumers. It is like a well-knit chain where everyone benefits.

The field performance monitoring staff prepares reports every day on the achievements of inspectors and gauges their efficiency in the field. Reports also contain the number and names of the trade establishments that are visited on a daily basis. The monitoring staff ensures that inspectors have carried out their duties diligently. They do so by visiting establishments after they are inspected to get feedback.

This system has enhanced the quality and efficiency of the inspection procedures. Our intention here is not to point out the mistakes of the inspectors, but to measure their quality of work, which is a strategic objective of the sector.

(As told by Mashhoor Al Shamsi) salah@khaleejtimes.com