Rameshwaram Café faces complaints about extra charges on takeaways. Things are boiling at Bengaluru’s popular Rameshwaram Café after it was found that the place charged about ₹40 for takeaway packaging. So while the food was the price of ₹150 and the bag for that was a brown paper bag at ₹20, the café has been charged around ₹40. The restaurant has been attacked on social media and its service has caused even more frustration because not only does it not make any sense for it to charge to do so; it’ll cause a delay in cooking or order of a drink and is there no ethical reason so the price is too high (if you’re going to pay even as much for that we pay too much for that food).
The customer put their experience on a Facebook page and shared the unpleasant charges. Many restaurants do pay for picking up their bags from takeaways and leave-aways with a small amount so that they should pack. But for the customer, the fee needed to be split between the order and a paper bag and the café gave it two times; it came with double fees of the package that the customer is paying, according to him. That incident went national on social media and instantly went viral and focused on how hidden pricing of food has increased.
Social media users expressed anger and disappointment, feeling that the café was exploiting customers. Packaging must be placed as part of the food price or taken out and not treated as an independent revenue stream or the product itself. However, restaurants have the freedom to set the prices and transparency is a key element, some added. All the anger is reflected in people’s hearts because in these times people can’t afford high food prices and hidden price items under the surface can be much worse to them or will make your life a lot harder in any way.
That one example points at a larger problem in the restaurant business: some restaurants don’t have clear packaging rules. Some stores and restaurants incorporate packaging in their menu price, but many don’t unless very soon after the fact, customers notice an additional charge (without informing them in advance). Consumer rights advocates contend food packaging may be bad for consumers and demand regulation for it. And the debate also pertains to sustainability: a lot of restaurants have higher retail pricing for eco-friendly packaging, leading to consumer complaints that their business should never be at the cost of green measures.
Food is so much more than taste; it is loyalty and trust. When customers feel cheated on these hidden costs, restaurants and guests will not trust and lose trust in restaurants. Fair billing is required to maintain fairness in everything we do at our schools. The Rameshwaram Café case shows, though, that for good companies those brands who put great emphasis on ethical practices can be able to retain customers as customers too.
Rameshwaram Café's backlash against it shows customers are sensitive to hidden costs. Packaging is good but it is unfair to charge separately for a parcel and for a paper bag. In this world, restaurants should be clear on and fair in price for customers and give them the service they need to do better. The only way such an issue would be resolved is through communication and reasonable prices.
