Growing up, many children are told to clean their plates during meals. This is partially because parents
want their children to finish their vegetables and mostly because no one wants to waste food. The most popular reason
to clean your plate? "Because there are children starving in Africa." Whether this sort of statement has an
effect on children is difficult to say, but it did have an effect on a restaurant in London.
The Obalende Suya Express, a West-African barbecue restaurant, is enforcing a £2.50 fine for patrons whose eyes are bigger than their stomachs and leave food on their plates. They host an large, popular buffet every Sunday night and the restaurant owners noticed that people were taking food just because it was available, even if they had no intention of eating it. The owners said that they felt guilty dumping out all the wasted food at the end of the night. Now, large red signs warn the customers about the fine. The money collected from the fines goes to Oxfam, a poverty-relief charity.
The only downside? When customers learn to take only what they are willing to eat, the charity won't be getting as many contributions - not from this restaurant anyway. Other restaurants, including chains like TGI Fridays, donate food and goods to charity already, but perhaps this will encourage more business to do so when they can.
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