A customer of a South Indian fast food chain has filed a case against the hotel management with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum. Complainant T. Narasimha Murthy has alleged that the hotel owners are indulging in unfair trade practices by collecting Rs. 1 extra per dish from customers towards Akshaya Patra scheme of ISKCON. As part of a CSR initiative, though the Vasudev Adiga’s chain of restaurants is charging Rs. 1 extra per dish, there is no mention of it in the menu.
Mr. Murthy told presspersons here after filing his complaint with the forum seeking damages of Rs. 100 from the hotel owners that the issue is not just about Rs. 1.
“It is matter if principle. How can they force their CSR activity on us? If they want all the publicity for doing good work for society, then they should donate a percentage of their earnings to charity. How can it be called public service if they collect more money from their customers and hand it over to some organisation?”
The complaint points out that there are 21 branches of Vasudev Adiga’s hotel in the city.
“Even at the rate of Rs. 1,000 per outlet per day, each of the hotels is collecting Rs. 21,000 per day by charging Rs. 1 extra on each dish. And that totals up to Rs. 6.3 lakh per month,” he said.
The Managing Director of the hotel chain, Jacob Kurien, did not respond to repeated calls on his mobile phone.
