A menu update at an Australian pub has sparked intense debate on social media.
Posting on Reddit, a diner at Irish Murphy’s in the Victorian city of Ballarat shared the message that had been placed on the counter.
The notice informed customers that salads and vegetables would no longer be served with main meals in an effort to reduce food waste and costs.
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The pub said diners would now have to pay more if they wanted vegetables with their dishes.
The menu update read: “Please take the time to read this before ordering.
“To keep our prices and waste down, salads and vegetables are no longer being served with the meal.
“They are still available to buy as a side dish.
“I appreciate your understanding.”
The split sign sparked a huge backlash on Reddit, dividing users on whether it was a reasonable move on the part of the establishment.
Some were outraged by the update.
‘Why even bother?’
“At this point, why bother going out to eat?” one asked.
Another wrote: “So what, they just serve a steak or schnitzel with nothing else on the plate if you don’t ask for sides?
“I mean, they tell you up front how it’s going to be, so I guess people can make up their own minds, but I’d find it off-putting unless there was a noticeably lower price for principal than before.”
Wrote a third: “Next will be BYO plates and cutlery.”
Added one more: “However, there are other methods to counter that, such as asking if they would like a side salad when ordering. This feels like a method of increasing profits, not reducing food waste.
But many others felt it was a fair move on the pub’s part, especially considering the rising price of fresh produce across Australia.
“I don’t really hate this idea, as someone who worked in a hospo, the number of times the plates came back with vegetables or the salad not even touched,” said one Reddit user.
“It makes a lot of sense to me to reduce waste AND keep your costs down by not wasting time preparing and shipping food that is not going to be eaten. However, I don’t love that they charge for it if you want it.”
Another wrote: “I worked in a pub years ago. About half of the dishes returned to the kitchen with the salad intact.
‘Makes sense’
A third added: “Fresh produce is still quite high, especially in rural areas where economies of scale are not a factor.”
Another said: “The people pushing the concept are probably the same people who were lamenting that iceberg lettuce was $10 a few weeks ago.”
Another said: “I work as a waitress and most of the time people leave the salad bowl untouched, we can’t reuse it because it’s already served and goes in the trash. Same with the fries.
Others could see the advantages of having less salad and vegetables on the plate.
“I mean I never eat salads with parma or whatever,” said one. “Pub salads are never good, and it will free up space on the plate so they don’t have to put the fries under the parma.”
Another wrote: “Look, as long as that entree comes with a truckload of fries, we’re all for it.”
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