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Passions: Paying the green tax
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Should restaurants still charge extra for cruelty-free edibles? A restaurant owner and a vegan debate
“If it is costlier for us, we have to apply a surcharge”
By Nitin Dixit
It is rather simple. Restaurant pricing is a factor of food costs. Let’s take dairy milk as an example. For a procuring restaurant, conventional dairy milk, even at a very high quality, usually costs less than ₹100 litre. Soya milk, commercially sold, is fractionally higher in cost. Coconut milk costs more than soya. And quite obviously, nut milk (almond or cashew) costs significantly more, closer to ₹200.
Now, if a customer has a preference for a particular type of milk, especially if it is costlier for us than conventional dairy milk, we have to apply a surcharge to cover our costs.
It is not our intention at all to artificially create a surcharge for vegan options, but customers should understand this basic cost/price principle. Especially because we also work with small-scale cooperatives or artisanal producers, whose cost structure is higher than mainstream suppliers. We prefer working with such entities due to factors related to sustainability and fair-trade practices. We now have a national network of such suppliers, but they come at a premium cost. We feel, however, that the tradeoff is justified for the larger cause.
So, we are constantly looking to reduce our costs in various ways so that one day we can reach price parity. While we have made significant progress, we aren’t there yet!
Nitin Dixit, 46, is the co-founder of Greenr Café.
“Every kirana has specialty milk. Still, eateries charge extra”
By Malika Budhiraj
I turned vegan in 2015 when the word vegan was hardly known in India. Looking for milk alternatives was like a treasure hunt. Only a few luxury hotels offered vegan coffee.
When cafes started adding soy milk to their menus, I was more than happy to pay the vegan tax because I finally felt included. But today, almost a decade later, when every kirane ki dukan has specialty milks, we’re still charged extra at restaurants for the milk in our coffee. This discourages consumers from even considering a cruelty-free, healthier, and more sustainable alternative.
By the same logic, shouldn’t I get a partial refund every time I order coffee without sugar or milk, or pizza without cheese, or a burger without tomato? Isn’t it ironic that there’s a tax on every choice one makes to save the planet and the animals that live on it? Why should milk made by soaking and grinding oats be more expensive than milk stolen from a mamma cow who is lactating because she recently gave birth to a calf?
Everything we do, buy, eat and say affects a lot more than just us. For years, corporations and businesses have built their foundations on ego and capitalism. It is time to change that.
Malika Budhiraj, 32, is the co-founder of Baarique, and an advocate of veganism and sustainability.
From HT Brunch, May 28, 2022
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