Rs. 3,000 for Paneer Makhani? Businessman’s Food Bill Ignites Debate Online

Indian YouTuber and businessman Ishan Sharma recently appreciated a diner for its no service-charge policy. He also shared an image of a food bill on X, where he commented on the pricing model of this eatery, which excluded an additional service charge for the services. Along with posting the same, he also presented a bill for a five-course meal of vegetarian delights, paneer khurchan, daal bhukhara, paneer makhani, khasta roti, and pudina parantha. The total amount billled out to Rs. 10,030.

“Restaurants, take note!” Sharma wrote, highlighting the absence of service charges on the bill. But his post went viral for all the wrong reasons – it was too pricey.

Many social media users were shocked by the steep prices for what was considered a typical North Indian meal. One user pointed out: “Rs. 2900 for paneer makhani, Rs. 1125 for three paranthas and Rs. 400 for a roti.” Another user commented humorously, “Jitne paise aapne Paneer Makhni ke pay kiye hain utne mein Darbhanga University mein MA ho jaati hai.”

Other users were equally stunned, noting that Rs. 10,000 could cover a weekend trip or an extensive shopping spree. One even suggested that the money could have been spent on high-quality earphones instead.

Many trolled Sharma for complimenting on the non-imposition of service charge when the meal was already overpriced. “Bro, they charged you Rs. 375 for a roti worth Rs. 25, they wouldn’t care to collect a 10% SC,” one user quipped.

Another user commented: “Increase price to a point that they don’t need service charge separately.” One more user speculated that the service charge was probably added to the overpriced dishes: “I think, they have added service charge and all other charges in each dish’s price. Rs. 375 for 1 roti (Khasta or whatever) – You can get a full meal in this on Zomato without any discount.”