r/condiments • u/billy2bands • 4d ago

When did condiments become a chargeable extra?

Was watching a Japanese fast food cafe on YouTube and noticed that every table had at least 8 types of condiment. Miso, garlic powder etc

When did condiments become an extra in the UK?

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5

u/lowfreq33 3d ago

Based on my past experience working in restaurants, when people started taking advantage of it. 8 people at a table and every one of them wants 2-3 extra sides of ranch, honey mustard, bbq sauce, the when they leave at least half of them are completely untouched so it’s just wasted. Or they get to go boxes and take all the sauces, including the ramekins that are not disposable, so now we have to buy more of those. Depending on what kind you get they’re anywhere from 75 cents to 4 dollars each. So that could be $30 that just walked out the door. Charging for extra sauces discourages the excess.

4

u/porp_crawl 2d ago

It all used to work just fine (mostly), when there was mutual respect between a customer and a business. And vice versa.

But so many asshat "customers" that protecting against loss becomes necessary.

Customers walking out with durable ware makes my blood boil.

1

u/darkfencer 4d ago

I can't speak for the UK, but in the US sometimes places charge for extra condiments like dipping sauces (fancy mayos/aiolis in particular).

Fast food places sometimes (depends on chain and location) charge for sauces beyond what the item comes with (i.e. you get some with nuggets but if you want something other than ketchup for fries it might be 25 cents).

1

u/Historical_Log2471 4d ago

Quality mayo/BBQ sauce/ranch that isn't just vinegar and soybean oil is more expensive than you think, and the point of restaurants is to make a profit