The saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” But what about a lemonade with a story twist? Or, as we may say, with a “gas crisis charge” as a sting in the tail? When a client saw this somewhat odd entry on the receipt while paying for two mint lemonades, a bill from a downtown cafe went viral on social media on Sunday, provoking both humour and outrage.
Two mint lemonades, each costing Rs 179, were listed on the Theo Cafe bill. CGST and SGST were added at 2.5% each after a 5% reduction of Rs 17.9. A separate “gas crisis charge” of 5%, or Rs 17, was added to the total, raising the rounded-off final payable amount to Rs 374, which is what caused the commotion.
Avinash, the proprietor of the cafe, informed TOI that the entry resulted from a system-generated billing update regarding the continuous scarcity of LPG supplies.
He asserted that the additional amount was never assessed to the consumer.
“Lemonade banane mein kaunsa gas lagta hai (what gas is required to prepare lemonade)” joked KTPeriPeri (@kaarnama13), a user on X. “Nimbu garam karke daala hai kya” was another satirical message that questioned whether the lemons were cooked before being squeezed in.
Others had the amusing suggestion that the cafe may have added gas to the lemonade to make it fizzy.
Additionally, some users expressed legal concerns, claiming that these charges would constitute unfair trade practices. According to one comment, charging such additional costs might be against the 2019 Consumer Protection Act.
