Irish pub puts its greens to the side

At Ballarat Pub Irish Murphy’s, children’s tantrums when it comes to eating their greens are no more.

The cost of vegetables has skyrocketed, which has led to a surge in the cost of pub meals.

Irish Murphy’s has fixed the issue: when you order a steak, that is all you will get unless you order your veggies or salad as a side.

The pub is no longer serving greens as part of the main meal as it looks to reduce waste and costs.

The pub’s new menu update reads: “Please take the time to read this before you order.

“To keep our prices and wastage down, salad and vegetables are no longer presented with your meal.

“They are still available to purchase as a side.

“Appreciate your understanding.”

Reactions to the change have been as mixed as a tossed salad.

“At this point, why even bother going out for a meal?” asked one Redditt user.

Another wrote: “So what, they just plate up a steak or a schnitzel with nothing else on the plate if you don’t order sides?

“I mean, they’re telling you upfront how it’s going to be, so I guess people can make their own decisions, but I would find it off-putting unless there was a noticeably lower price for the main than previously.”

One angry reader questioned whether BYO plates and cutlery was next, while another questioned whether the move was a profit grab not a cost reduction.

The lack of greens with the meal did have its sympathisers.

“I actually don’t hate this idea, as someone who worked in hospo the number of times plates came back with veggies or the side salad not even touched,” said one Reddit user.

“Makes a lot of sense to me to reduce waste AND keep their costs down by not wasting time prepping and sending out food that won’t get eaten. Don’t love that they charge for it if you want it though.”

Other positive comments included:

“Worked in a pub years back. About half of the plates came back to the kitchen with the salad untouched.”

“Fresh produce is still pretty high, especially in rural areas where economy of scale isn’t a factor.”

 “The people bagging out the concept, are more than likely the same people who were lamenting that iceberg lettuce was 10 bucks a few weeks ago.”

“I work as a waitress and most of the time people leave the salad bowl untouched, we cannot reuse it because it was already served so it will go in the bin. Same with chips.”

One person said the move had its advantages as the chips now wouldn’t get lost underneath the parma.

Another advantage is your kids won’t have a tantrum about having to eat soggy lettuce.

Irit Jackson, 30^th August 2022