Irish pub’s move to reduce food waste causes stir among foodies online
A regional Victoria pub has sparked debate online after a photo emerged of an unconventional menu change to reduce operational costs and food wastage.
An Irish pub’s decision to stop including salad and vegetables with main meals and serve each option as a side dish instead has divided Australian foodies online.
In a post to Reddit, a customer shared a photo of a sign at Irish Murphy’s in Ballarat, explaining the usually-included leafy green relish and other garden-grown foods will no longer be presented with the main course and will come at an additional expense if ordered.
The sign then goes on to justify that the pub, which is located in the state’s Central Highlands, has implemented the menu update in a bid to lower prices and reduce food waste.
“To keep our prices and wastage down, salad and vegetables are no longer presented with your meal,” the sign reads.
“They are still available to purchase as a side. Appreciate your understanding.”
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But the post featuring the restaurant’s sign and captioned “at this point why even bother going out for a meal”, has sparked debate online with consumers providing their opinions on whether the restaurant’s move was warranted.
One viewer of the post was confused over what would come on their plate if they didn’t order the optional sides.
“So what, they just plate up a steak or a schnitzel with nothing else on the plate if you don‘t order sides?” they questioned.
“I mean, they're telling you upfront how it’s going to be, so I guess people can make their own decisions, but I would find it off-putting unless there was a noticeably lower price for the main then previously.”
Meanwhile another person against the idea suggested the restaurant should have taken a different approach.
“There are other methods of countering that though – such as asking if they would like an included salad when ordering. This feels like a method to increase profit, not reduce food waste.”
A third added: “But salad and vegetables are part of the meal? Nobody cooks themselves a steak and calls it a “meal”. You also need potatoes, carrots, beans etc. for it to be a complete meal.”
While some of the 290 comments on the post have criticised the move, not all are against it, especially wait staff from other restaurants.
“Worked in a pub years back. About half of the plates came back to the kitchen with the salad untouched,” a former hospitality employee commented.
“I work as a waitress and most of the time people leave the salad bowl untouched, we cannot reuse it because it was already served so it will go in the bin. Same with chips,” added another.
Others understood that the restaurant was finding alternative methods to reduce their operational costs, especially with inflation hiking fresh produce prices.
Earlier this year, shoppers were seeing the price of lettuce reach highs of $11 each, while other consumers ripped off broccoli stalks in a bid to reduce their grocery bill, after the vegetable’s price increased by 130 per cent.
Those consumers and businesses purchasing from wholesalers were also seeing record price tags for the cost of spinach, with a 1.5kg box doubling from $16.50 to $38.50.
Mushrooms, Lebanese cucumbers and cabbage also made the list for Australia’s top 10 most expensive supermarket products.
“(The cost of) fresh produce is still pretty high, especially in rural areas where economy of scale isn’t a factor,” one supporter of the pub’s menu change said.
“Seems completely reasonable. Family goes out, salad comes with the meal by default, maybe one person out of three eats any of it, no-one eats all of it. Total waste,” said another.
It’s unclear whether the restaurant has amended the prices of their mains to reflect the change to their menu.
News.com.au has contacted Irish Murphy’s Ballarat for comment.