Double billed? Blame it on the doggy bag

Many years ago, a veteran actress made headlines when a high-end Asian restaurant in Mumbai refused her request for a doggy bag, citing house policy. She responded by scattering the excess food on the floor. The restaurant later clarified that its cuisine wasn’t designed to last beyond the plate, and the refusal was out of concern for quality. Recently, while paying a neat `50 ‘packaging charge’ for my remaining entree at a trendy Italian restaurant, I was struck by how things have changed since then. Most upper-crust restaurants will put together a complimentary doggy bag for you. Just as some will bill you for the same. Order online, and three portions of the same dish may attract three separate packaging fees, even if they arrive in a single box. It’s no surprise that recent Reddit threads are calling this a ‘sneaky cash grab’.Restaurateurs cite rising costs. With single-use plastics being phased out, many have shifted to eco-friendly materials like bagasse, bamboo fibre, and durable, microwave-safe containers – options that can cost up to three times more than plastic. In an industry with diminishing margins, absorbing that increase isn’t easy. Some also use packaging fees on delivery apps to offset steep platform commissions. The ‘packaging charges’ are also meant to be a psychological deterrent. Restaurateurs claim they are often expected to pack everything from one slice of pizza to leftover raita, house condiments to a few pieces of calamari, in boxes that would cost far more than the dish itself. Still, there are some who refuse to pack anything that has already been served. An irate customer, they argue, is better than a sick one. The law, however, favours the diners. Consumer forums across India have penalised restaurants for unannounced packaging fees, ruling them an ‘unfair trade practice.’ The argument is simple. If you’ve paid for the food, taking it home shouldn’t come at an extra cost. Going by the chatter on various forums – doggy bags are still in a fair bit of a grey area. While packaging has become an extension of a restaurant’s quality control, ensuring food travels well, customers are pushing back against the alleged lack of transparency. Or even consistency. If you can pack rice, why not the raita? As for the famous restaurant that once refused the doggy bag – I hear they now provide complimentary packaging for their valued guests.