The Hindu : International : Burgers with a caveat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 30, 2004

International

International

Burgers with a caveat

LONDON, SEPT. 29. Diners at a five-star hotel here who ordered a rare or medium-rare burger from the menu were asked to sign a legal disclaimer waiving the establishment's responsibilities if they suffered food poisoning. The chef on duty at the Curve restaurant at the Marriott West India Quay, in east London, and the restaurant superviser also had to sign the document before customers could eat the £12 (about Rs. 1,000) burger.

Tim Sanders, a lawyer who was handed the waiver, said: ``I ordered a standard burger, cooked medium-rare, and the waiter muttered something and walked away. He came back with a legal form which then had to be signed in triplicate, and which said `Unless you sign this, you can't have your hamburger'.''

Nick Scade, the chairman of the Restaurant Association, said: ``It strikes me that some corporate person has got their knickers in a twist.''

Marriott International said the hotel stopped using the forms on September 27. ``This was standard practice within Marriott until recently. However, it is no longer a Marriott requirement and the practice has now been dropped,'' said a spokesman. ``We have full confidence in the meat products that we serve. However, customers who choose to have their burger cooked rare or medium rare do so at their own risk.''

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