Restaurant owners should not be stingy with customers

Many of Merak Jalanan's community, especially those with families express preference of eating at home rather than dining out.

The reasons for this shift included the rising prices of food and beverages at restaurants and food stalls, coupled with diminishing portion sizes and declining taste quality.

It was undeniable that restaurant owners were forced to increase food prices to cover the escalating costs of raw materials and operational expenses like rent and employee wages.

However, recently, there was a social media post by a restaurant owner stating the necessity of charging separate fees for side dishes such as plain soup and sambal belacan (shrimp paste).

The owner said they could no longer absorb the costs of these side dishes due to the increased prices of raw materials.

“However, his actions have garnered public responses, with some customers commenting that the restaurant's food prices are already high, so it doesn't make sense for the owner to still impose charges for side dishes on customers,” they said.

Does imposing a minimal fee for items like plain soup and sambal belacan make the restaurant owner wealthy?.

It seemed unlikely, as customers may be deterred by the additional charges, given the already high prices.

Perhaps restaurant owners should explore alternative solutions to address rising costs instead of compromising the quality of their dishes, which could ultimately drive customers away.

This was especially important as entrepreneurs must compete with a growing number of restaurants cropping up everywhere and if they were not careful, they might find themselves out of business despite their efforts to turn a profit.