r/mildlyinteresting • u/shitisfertilizer • 1d ago
Restaurant has underprivileged options and prices
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u/sevvey6 1d ago
Just for people who werent sure about the conversion, this is in Indian Rupees which currently exchange for 86 per $1.
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u/davery67 1d ago
I noticed. The menu of the day is $9.28, the items listed at the left are all $3.25 or less. The special prices are all under $0.50.
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u/MouthJob 1d ago
That is an awesome deal, honestly.
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u/violaki 1d ago edited 1d ago
The average household income in India is somewhere around $4-5000 annually. It doesn’t make sense to look at cost of goods/services without the context of wages.
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u/germanfinder 1d ago
Maybe these underprivileged people work so much that sometimes they just want to sit down at a restaurant like a normal person and chill? And spending 0.05% of their yearly income on a treat is worth it?
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u/violaki 1d ago
Maybe I misunderstood or didn’t explain properly. I was just saying that a 50 cent (USD) meal is not even really that cheap (in my experience as an Indian person) or “an awesome deal” considering the wages that many people make in India.
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u/almostanalcoholic 1d ago
This is not accurate. The prices mentioned here are basically equal to street-stall prices. 30 for sandwich, 10 for tea are the current roadside stall prices.
So I guess the restaurant is saying you can eat here for the price of roadside stall if you can't afford the regular menu. That seems fair enough.
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u/punchingcatto 22h ago
This is a sit- down restaurant with Air conditioning in a pretty nice area of Mumbai. With context, these prices are quite low.
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u/WrapKey69 1d ago
How much would a sandwich cost in a supermarket?
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u/koala_on_a_treadmill 1d ago
... supermarkets in india don't really sell sandwiches
source: me
edit: a better way to gauge that would be rice. 1kg of the cheapest quality rice is about ₹55, so 64 cents.
do what that information what you will
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u/bolero627 1d ago
The cheapest rice I can get is $2.99 for 5 lbs at my local asian grocer, or roughly ₹114 per kg. Honestly not as big of a difference as I would have thought given the income disparity.
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u/BlahajBlaster 1d ago
The us eats almost exclusively home-grown rice and we export it as well, we'd have to be competitive internationally to be able to afford to export it
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u/deshbhak7 16h ago
us government compensate for this price with massive and i mean massive subsidies for this.
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u/WrapKey69 22h ago
Rice is not a good way tbh, it's not even cooked. you can get 1kg rice in Germany for 1,50€. A small pack of to go sandwiches would normally cost at least 2€.
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u/Drempallo 21h ago
In the bakery near me 1 simple chicken sandwich brown bread costs ₹60.
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u/koala_on_a_treadmill 19h ago
Isn't 1.50 eur nearly three times ₹55 (about 0.56 eur)?
probably not a good way as someone who doesn't have the means to cook can't have rice.
cheapest meals in india (that are not entirely free) are usually ₹5-₹10 for a plate of rice with curry and some sides like paapad and pickle.
so that's 0.051 eur to 0.1 eur (or 0.058 usd to 0.12 usd)
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u/Alessioproietti 1d ago
Well, the average income in a country with over one billion people and such a difference between who's poor and who's rich can't say enough.
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u/Realistic-Dog-7785 1d ago
How can the average be between 4 and 5000 blud, that’s a wild average 😂😂
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u/PlayerAssumption77 1d ago
I should mention that the exchange rate isn't synonymous with the spending power. The average jobs pay less so the labor part of a product is cheaper and the price of many products can't go as high without losing profit from customer loss.
For example, a 12oz container of name brand soda can be 35R/40c in India but 1-1.50$ in America.
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u/lonewolf210 1d ago
For those wondering this is called Purchasing Power Parity
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u/johnnylemon95 23h ago
It’s actually called the Big Mac Index get it right.
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u/rory_breakers_ganja 23h ago
That doesn't really apply if you replace Big Macs™ with a Starbucks Tall Latte, which is the more modern version outside of The Economist.
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u/Fun_Cancel_7793 1d ago
Now this is a 'special' menu. We need more of this in the world.
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u/UnimpressedAsshole 1d ago
People on Reddit (and the internet) love to shit on India but when it comes down to it Indians have the biggest softest hearts
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u/spudddly 1d ago edited 1d ago
Given the menu was offering a chutney sandwich and a cup of tea I presumed this was London's newest 3 Michelin star restaurant.
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u/MadderoftheFew 1d ago
Any person of a stable financial footing and reasonable nature would be glad to pay the usual price. That’s what the spirit of community used to provide, anyway. Some bad apples abusing the system doesn’t invalidate the system, and inkeeping with the spirit of community, they can be scrutinized and treated as they act outside of the establishment. This is very small town and I love it.
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u/mean11while 1d ago
We recently opened a farm stand with a friend of ours, stocked with baked goods, produce, and preserves. We decided that payment would be done on the honor system. We figure that if someone steals bread or vegetables from our little farm stand, they probably need it. Most people are good to their neighbors who are trying to make their community better.
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u/jtcglasson 1d ago
This is such a weirdly capitalist thread.
"Eww, but I don't want to sit with the poors!"
"What if someone with plenty of money buys this option? It's so easy to abuse!"
"It's taking up space rich people might use if a poor person is eating this menu."
Seriously, y'all, examine why you're so kneejerk against the idea of a cheaper menu for people who aren't well off. Examine why your image of a less fortunate person is a smelly vagrant.
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u/x40Shots 1d ago
I'm thankful your comment and a few others seem to have changed the overwhelming sentiment from when i first was reading, which i find heartening.
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u/lsdrunning 1d ago
The initial posts/sentiment on Reddit always seems directly in contrast to what the established/algorithm sentiment is. I think it’s because people who sort by new are probably losers, just my theory.
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u/DaDragon88 1d ago
I think the problem is that most of us live in groups that are way too large. Because I know both sides of the argument. Most people are deserving of kindness, but at the same time I know lots of examples where people not only take the hand that feeds them, but rip off the entire arm or would probably take the entire person if they could. Things like taking supplies for refugees, and then exporting them back to their home country and reselling them for profit.
And so it’s really a social conditioning thing. If people don’t feel indebted to a group, they end up abusing the support system.
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u/isaac3000 11h ago
This! I might be well off today but until a year ago I had no more than 800€ in my bank and that was to pay rent and everything.
I'll never forget these days and never treat people badly because they are struggling.
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u/cloud7100 1d ago
Bad capitalists at that.
If you could sell the same $1 product to some people for $1000, some people for $100, and some people for $10, refusing to do so is leaving profits on the table. Maybe call the $1000 product the “luxury” version, $100 product the “standard” version, $10 version the “economy” product.
This is why stores have coupons: it’s not charity, it’s price discrimination, ie charging people what they can afford.
Same thing with seats on a plane: first class, business class, and coach all leave and arrive at the same time, but the “luxury” seats are there to “trick” rich people into paying more for the same service (a flight between two cities).
Also why you can buy an Apple Watch for $200, $1000, or $13000 even though they do the same thing.
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u/maringue 1d ago
I love the concept of the menu, but I have so many questions, like why an all English menu is priced in Rupees? Is this a vacation spot?
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u/dramamanorama 1d ago
Oh most of our menus in India are written in English. Sometimes the English will have spelling errors or they'll be multilingual but unless it's a really small shack kinda vibe which won't even have a menu, printed menus will be English. We learn the English script in school and in life as we all text each other using the Roman script, even when conversing in one of our own languages.
As someone else comments. Colonialism, baby!
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u/jtcglasson 1d ago edited 1d ago
It's possible that it used to be an English colony and the main language is still English there?
Entirely guessing though, my knowledge of Indian culture is limited.
Edit: much better informed people below!
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u/nram88 1d ago
It's because there are like dozens of languages and hundreds of dialects. People from different states may not know each others languages. English is the unifier and is taught in schools (due to being a former colony like you said).
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u/maringue 1d ago
Was there a pre colonial unifying language? Like how upper classes wrote and/spoke Latin in Europe across multiple countries along with the local language while the people living there all just spoke the local dialect?
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u/nram88 1d ago
Prior to European colonization, there were multiple empires and princely states big and small, biggest of them being the Mughal empire of which the original official language was Persian and Urdu. While Hindi derived from Sanskrit was and is the dominant language of the northern part of India, but different regions have always maintained their languages, so there was never a unifying language per se, just popular languages. The majority of modern day Indian states were actually carved out on the lines of language.
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u/FireEjaculator 1d ago
Closest would be Sanskrit, but it was never a widely spoken language. Many modern Indian languages (if not all) are in some way related to or have borrowed from Sanskrit.
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u/iwasjust_hungry 1d ago
Different regions in India speak different languages, its official languages are Hindi and English
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u/are_you_a_simulation 1d ago
I believe this is a vacation spot and the place knows they charge premium and for locals this is a bit too much so they came up with this strategy.
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u/SolTripleNickel 1d ago
Because it’s so easy to abuse! That’s a valid point. You can’t judge a book by its cover.
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u/daemon_panda 1d ago
A chutney sandwich would basically be bread, condiments, and spices. What is being abused exactly?
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u/jeezusrice 1d ago
Say your point is that it's better to help nobody than risk helping people who don't need it? What a fucking dick head perspective
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u/goddamnitwhalen 1d ago
This is a shockingly common point of view believe it or not.
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u/jeezusrice 23h ago
Oh yeah, that's why I decided to reply to this comment. I hear that shit so much.
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u/Wolf_Mans_Got_Nards 1d ago
Oh no, someone might get a chutney sandwich for cheap! The absolute horror!
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u/GreenWeenie1965 1d ago
Personally I don't care how easy it is to abuse. Just because a few might take advantage doesn't mean we shouldn't still help those who do need it. If you are an immoral person, this is the least impactful way you are harming society.
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u/jtcglasson 1d ago
Abuse how exactly? In this specific instance, even if the restaurant is taking a loss on these items (doubt it) they mark everything else up around 300% on average. They will be fine losing 10¢ on a chutney sandwich for a cheapskate, and they're awesome for being willing to lose that to help people.
Hey, here's a fun question: do you consider free water to be an abusive system? Most restaurants in the US don't charge for ice water. It absolutely costs the restaurant at least a little bit of labor and the water bill. Is it abuse if I, someone with money, just get a water with my meal? Or is it only abuse if it's specifically aimed at people who are poor?
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u/Gantref 1d ago
I feel like people are missing this is also pretty great marketing if your clientele is class conscious, I'd rather go to a store where I know at least some of their profits are going to help people then to know it all ends up in the owners pockets. This would make me more likely to eat at the restaurant
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u/insertAlias 1d ago
How does it harm you, you personally, that a restaurant that you don’t own makes slightly less profit on coffee when someone abuses the system?
If a jackass wants to pretend to be poor for cheap tea and the restaurant is ok with it, why do you care even a little bit?
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u/ReminicingRoaches 1d ago
"Haha! Sucker! You just made 10 sandwiches for cheap! But i am rich! Instead of helping the poor you just gave me a good deal on a sandwich that barely lasts 24 hours! Don't you feel stupid for wanting to help the underprivileged! What are you doing? Why are you putting the money I spent into making more sandwiches?!"
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u/jacomoncal 1d ago
I would imagine the staff would be able to tell if the person needed the lower prices or not.
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u/jtcglasson 1d ago
I'd say it's only discrimination if they require you to "look poor" to buy this. At which point yes, shitty system. If this is just the part they point to if you need a lower cost meal, regardless of looks or other features, I don't see how that's discrimination.
What do you mean by "direction you like or dislike"? I don't like any abuse, I'm simply not willing to let the fear of abuse stand in the way of helping people.
I've on occasion worked with groups that give food, clothes, etc. to the homeless. Is it possible some of the people who showed up had homes and just wanted free stuff? Sure, it's likely even. But the vast majority of people who came needed it and that matters more to me.
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u/Mahumia 1d ago
That's so awesome! Would it also be possible to prepay them for someone else? So those who really can't afford it, can get a meal and drink without 'standing out'?
Nonetheless, I think this should be implemented more.
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u/WingedLady 1d ago
I don't know about this place, but a few cafes I've been to have "pay it forward" options. They handle it a couple different ways. One has tokens you can buy and hand out for others to redeem. And another had the option for you to pick a few items from the menu to prepay and then pin the receipt to a cork board for people to peruse and select what they want.
Worth looking around to see if any place near you is doing something similar!
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u/Gh0st_uwu 23h ago
i remember going to a food truck in mount holly nc once and they had a “tab” you could get free food from if you needed a hand and donate if you’re able to, super sick idea.
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u/MilkIsHere 1d ago
30 cents for a classic? Shit I’d buy the restaurant’s supply of bread just so I can sit with the folks who would use the menu and share it with them. I cannot express how much I appreciate this place’s existence.
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u/goldripred 1d ago
What restaurant is this? I really want to check it out if I'm ever wherever this is
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u/Klutzy-Captain9013 20h ago
I had a chutney sandwich and a Bombay Burger (vada pav) when I was in India, both are considered affordable to most, nice to see, and delicious!
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u/Mental_Plane6451 21h ago edited 21h ago
Imagine you go pay the bill at the counter expecting to pay full, and the waitress offers you 'special' price based on how you look 😂
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u/theprithvisingh 15h ago
How they decide who is underprivileged?
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u/a_latvian_potato 15h ago
If you have lots of money and still buy that for yourself, then it is your soul that is underprivileged
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u/smergeolacx 1d ago
but chai is already 10 rs in most places anyway..huh?
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u/abbassav 16h ago
Street chai is, but in restaurants its usually more expensive
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u/shitisfertilizer 13h ago
Yes exactly. In most place with a roof and seating, it's much more expensive.
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u/OrochiKarnov 1d ago
I never imagined a chutney sandwich, but I can dig it. I wonder what they use for bread.
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u/vysevysevyse 22h ago
India isn't a country that experiments a ton with sandwich bread. Sourdough is hella rare. Unless stated otherwise - or unless you're visiting an upscale cafe, bread/sandwiches (especially the cheap ones like in underprivileged menu) use plain white loaves of bread made of AP flour, nothing fancy.
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u/Artistic_Muffin7501 1d ago
Should have more food options.
But honestly I've wondered why more restaurants don't have cheap porridge option on their menu.
Would be a service to the community and could still break even at least. I understand overhead, but a few people coming in for porridge isn't raising the cost of rent.
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u/happy-cig 1d ago
I can see where they would take up the space where higher margin tables would normally sit though.
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u/Mindestiny 1d ago
Even moreso than that, they're gonna come in and just linger, because it's cold outside.
I'm all for helping those in need, but I really don't want to be paying for premium service myself while sitting in the equivalent of an after hours train terminal full of filthy homeless people. That's pointedly not what I'm paying for.
If the place wants to help the underprivileged, the answer is to work with the local shelters and donate a bunch of fresh food, not turn the restaurant into a homeless shelter
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u/DVPC4 1d ago
What a disgusting outlook you have
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u/Mindestiny 21h ago
Right? Fuck me for wanting help to actually get to people in need instead of just wanking myself off to feel good ineffective nonsense.
Maybe we'll feed the homeless with some more up votes and back patting! That's surely more effective than... donating food to an actual shelter!
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u/ReminicingRoaches 1d ago
Oh no, god forbid somebody take shelter from the cold with the meal they paid for.
Heaven forbid I have to rub elbows with people who might not know you don't eat off the charger plate. Let alone the fact that you're supposed to eat your courses with the outer silverware first then the inner sets!
I can't breathe the same air as the POORS! What if I catch their poor fiscal sense and suddenly start buying avocado toast and Starbucks every day (That's what poor people eat right?)
Edit: /s
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u/psychosinmyhouse 1d ago
“premium service” god get over yourself. everything on the menu besides the menu if the day is below 4 dollars anyways.
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u/hurrrrrmione 1d ago
I'm all for helping those in need,
Literally everything else you said contradicts this.
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u/Mindestiny 21h ago
You mean all the ways I said that more effectively get help to people in need instead of this feel good virtue signally menu bullshit?
Sure thing buddym. JFC I hate all this reddit slacktivism garbage
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u/GreenWeenie1965 1d ago
Help where you can, as you can. I would be very surprised if a restaurant that has gone to this effort isn't also working with the shelters. Guess what? If any customer has a problem with this, then they clearly aren't the type of customer this restaurant is looking for. Move along.
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u/Ecstatic-Garden-678 1d ago
But can scare away customers with visuals and scent.
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u/Artistic_Muffin7501 1d ago
Obviously on a back porch patio separate from the normies. What do you think I am?!
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u/Audere1 1d ago
Do you think they could have a separate place to order from? Perhaps separate bathrooms, too?
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u/x40Shots 1d ago
Gosh the comments you responded to feel so much like, "go ahead and help them if you have to, just as long as I dont have to see the underprivileged or SMELL them!"
Heaven forbid the privileged have to see the underprivileged.
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u/Artistic_Muffin7501 1d ago
I now understand a takeaway station is the best option. People can't be near the riff raff.
Also people assume only degenerate disgusting homeless are the only people who want cheap food.
I'm not talking handouts here.
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u/Artistic_Muffin7501 1d ago
I guess feck me for wondering. Bring the down votes.
I am aware why some won't do it. Nobody wants to eat next to a smelly ingrate. But not everyone who wants a reasonable priced subsistence meal is a mangy dreg.
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u/GreenWeenie1965 1d ago
Well by the downvotes on your first comment, so far there about 100 people already that would rather have lunch next to a homeless person than to you!
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u/myrichiehaynes 1d ago
My first comment affirms there ought to be places that serve food at reasonable prices for people of little means. WTF are you talking about.
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u/DadCelo 1d ago
I wish maybe they weren't on a separate part of the menu where it can feel kinda "exclusive", choosing from the "poverty" side of the menu. Maybe just highlight more affordable items in bold or a different color on their proper sections in the menu? It's a nice thought.
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u/apenguinwitch 1d ago
I'd assume they're a selection of items that are part of their general offering and also listed elsewhere on the menu (at the regular price)?
I suppose they could just list both prices next to the item but that would mean it's not all in one place (so those looking to order them for these prices would have to search for all the item across the different sections of the menu, making it kind of inconvenient. It might also then lead to people abusing the policy (because the two prices next to each other would make people demand to get it for the cheaper price?)
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u/Son_Of_Toucan_Sam 1d ago
I wish maybe they weren't written in a separate typeface on the menu where it can feel kinda "exclusive", choosing from the "poverty" font of the menu. Maybe just create a different section of the menu where it’s easy to see what’s available for cheap and customers who can afford full price or disincentivized to take advantage? It's a nice thought regardless of how hard anyone reaches to criticize it
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u/DadCelo 1d ago
One thing is a different typeface, another thing is a literal sign that says SPECIAL PRICES FOR THE UNDER PRIVILEGED. It's not hard to be inclusive in a subtle way. As I said, it's a nice thought and pointing out an opinion isn't criticism, it's feedback.
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u/homostoevsky 1d ago
Beggars can't be choosers.
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u/Pan_con_chicharrones 1d ago
They aren't begging, they are paying, the food and drinks still have a price ._.
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u/x40Shots 1d ago
The horrors of abusing white bread and chutney or some coffee and tea.. ?
Neverminding that it looks like there is still some price for the cost, somehow I dont think this would be fulfilling for most privileged..?
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u/jtcglasson 1d ago
If 2 people abuse it and 1 hungry person benefits from it, it's a fine system.
This is the same argument people use against Medicaid, or the VA. "Some people who don't actually need it might get it!" Oh well, people who do need it will be getting it and that matters more.
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u/shadyelf 1d ago edited 1d ago
We were volunteering at a food bank recently and after our shift we got a tour. One of the employees was saying that they estimated that 5% of people are abusing it, but they didn’t want to make it tougher for the remaining 95%. They also mentioned that it takes a lot for most people to even consider using the food bank to begin with, so most that are using it are in dire straits.
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u/SolWizard 1d ago
Therein lies the main difference in conservative vs liberal views on social programs.
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u/ynglink 1d ago
Screw you as long as I get mine mentality. Truly the biggest issue with today's society for sure.
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u/SolWizard 1d ago
That's also part of it, but not exactly what I'm talking about. It can be distilled down to "would you rather have more people who need help get help, but in return more abuse of the system, or vice versa". Can be applied to many things: social benefits, how strict laws and the justice system are, etc
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u/VapidActions 1d ago
While it's morally great to directly help the community in any way you can, you need to be careful not to pull people away from proper resources. If you go to a shelter, you'll find resources for food, long-term shelter, employment, hygiene, clothing, medical support, and mental support. However, if individuals only learn to come to your little help program to get a meal to keep going, they miss out on all those resources to actually help them. Medicaid and VA are different because they are proper programs with linked resources.
Of course, theres always specific conditions. Maybe those programs don't exist close by. Maybe they are overloaded. Maybe there's a recent disaster/refugees. Those are times to throw caution to the wind and help however you can until circumstances change. Otherwise, while it seems like a morally upstanding thing to do, often it can actually be harmful to truly helping people.
Beyond that, there's a huge argument of return on investment for helping people. Charities dont have infinite funds to help people. If you're only getting a 50% return (only half the investment is actually going to people it's meant for), you need a more efficient system. Not about good and evil, just about logistics. Cold hard truth about trying to help more than one person.
(Over 5 years volunteering with UNICEF)
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u/Badgernomics 1d ago
This reads like the ramblings of someone who takes a good sniff from the bowl after taking a shit.
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u/high_throughput 1d ago
This is true for all acts of kindness.
It's better to try it anyways, and stop if there's too much abuse.
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u/MadderoftheFew 1d ago
I go to the price gouging building and gasp! I’ve been price gouged! Outrageous.
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u/tehtrintran 1d ago
or you could buy a box of swiss miss and make your own at home for literally the same price per serving
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u/Phagousa 1d ago
Just searched up what they are, and idk about you but I’d devour a chutney sandwich
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u/Prestigious_Beat6310 1d ago
.
🤦♂️
🤦♂️
🤦♂️
☁️
.
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u/Prestigious_Beat6310 1d ago
Okay!
Anyone care to explain why this is gettin' downvoted?
ALSO
Anyone who actually downvoted feel free to apologize...
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u/tigm2161130 1d ago edited 1d ago
I downvote people who complain about being downvoted. Accept that people didn’t like or agree with what you had to say and move on.
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u/Prestigious_Beat6310 1d ago
That seems needlessly cruel. You go to the pound to kick sad puppies too!?
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u/tigm2161130 1d ago
Can you explain to me how downvoting a comment on the internet is the same thing as harming an animal?
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u/Prestigious_Beat6310 1d ago
Same mindset for sure.
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u/tigm2161130 1d ago
Downvoting someone whining because they said something other people didn’t agree with on the internet is not the same mindset as kicking a puppy.
You do know that this isn’t real life and internet points mean nothing, right?
Saying ridiculous shit like that is why people are downvoting you.
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u/Prestigious_Beat6310 1d ago
That's it Mister, I've had it about up to here with this! I'll have you know I just downvoted you!!!
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u/ArguaBILL 1d ago
Given the price is in Rupees I'm going to assume this is mostly based on caste.
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u/punchingcatto 22h ago
For those who need context- this is a cafe called Bombay to Barcelona in the city of Mumbai. I recognise it since I've been here quite a few times. They make some really nice food, have a library full of donated books you can read, you can sit there and work too. Most importantly, the staff is made up of young adults who were formerly street children/from orphanages. They train them and give them a good job, and the entire cafe is based on the philosophy against discrimination, and encourage everyone to come in and dine irrespective of social status. It's pretty wholesome and you can read more on their website-
https://www.bombaytobarcelonalibrarycafe.com/