Crunch time: Papadams are not the only delicacy hit by rising costs at Indian eateries as patrons are also being charged for extra curry servings. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The papadam, once a free complement for Indian meals at eateries, has been hit by rising costs, forcing some restaurant owners to charge for the crispy delight.
While most Indian restaurants continue to provide papadams for free in the first serving, additional requests for the cracker made from the flour of black gram, chickpeas and lentils, are being charged between 30sen and 50sen each.
Original Penang Kayu Nasi Kandar managing director Burhan Mohamed said he had stopped giving out free papadams at his restaurant and decided to charge RM1 for three palm-sized papadams.He said rising costs have also led to further charges on extra plates of curry requested by diners.
“Usually, the additional charges are imposed on those who order takeaways and not those who dine in.
“For example, they order two roti canai, and a curry of their choice in reasonable quantity is included in the takeaway.
“However, some customers request for more and also other curries.
“We do not mind this but we need to charge for the extra curries as there are costs involved. The extra charges are not much, just around RM1.
“The cost of raw items keeps rising, and we only use the best and highest quality curry powders. We never compromise on quality,” Burhan said in an interview.
P. Sangapillai, the owner of Sri Grand City Restaurant in Section 11 here, said he serves papadams free with full meals and only charges if customers order the crackers separately.
He said since the price of papadam had increased over the years, he now charges a nominal price when diners request more.
“We do not mind giving out two or three papadams on request but when they ask for more than that, we charge 30sen for each.
“Our customers find it reasonable and have no issues with the additional charges for extra papadam,” he said.
Former president of the Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association T. Muthusamy said while many restaurants continue giving free papadams in the first serving, some may charge for subsequent orders of the cracker due to operating costs.
“Costs will rise with time and naturally, there will be price changes. A single piece of banana leaf, which cost just a few sen in the past, is now priced between 80sen and RM1.20.
“Every shop has its policies and charges are primarily dictated by its operating costs such as location and the rental of its premises.
“Some restaurants may offer an unlimited amount of curries and rasam (spicy Indian soup) but may charge for extra vegetables.
“As consumers, we should enquire about an eatery’s prices and surcharges before deciding to dine there.
“This way, we can avoid disputes if there are charges that appear unsatisfactory.
“Restaurant operators should also display their menu and prices clearly so that customers are aware and can decide beforehand if they are satisfied with the prices,” he said.
Several restaurant owners said apart from rising costs, some restaurants had decided to charge for additional papadams and curries as there were customers who took advantage of the freebies by “over-consuming” them, knowing there would be no extra charges for it.
“Because it is free, some would ask for up to 10 papadams with their meals and consume it like a dessert after they are done with lunch or dinner.
“There are also those who would just order white rice and eat it with various plain curries and a few pieces of papadam.
“Are we expected to just charge them for the white rice?
“Extra charges for additional requests are often nominal and below RM2,” said a restaurant operator.
