This is from a Coimbatore-based restaurant called RHR. I visit Coimbatore often; stupendously good drive from Bengaluru. Will definitely visit this restaurant the next time. The message they have displayed, for their customers, is a classic nudge that would make Richard Thaler proud (Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein’s book Nudge).
The board in Tamil says, “Do not waste food even casually. For people who eat their meals fully without leaving anything in the leaf, a Rs.5 coin will be offered as a commendation from our side. Please ask only for the amount of food that you can consume”.
There are other ways to achieve the same goal:
- just a simple message requesting people to kindly not leave food in the leaf uneaten, and be cognizant of food wastage – may or may not work, since there is no incentive for people to adhere to that request
- curtail the amount of food served. But customers may not appreciate that stand (particularly for ‘unlimited’ meals that’s popular in Tamil Nadu).
- alert customers that they would need to pay more (say, Rs.10 extra) if they leave food uneaten in the leaf – another negative reinforcement. May seem condescending.
- display a message that those who waste food (left uneaten) have to take their own leaf and clean up, and the hotel attendants will do that task only for those who finish their food fully. This too may seem condescending and almost parent-like, and may not go down well.
- worst-case scenario: display a message that the hotel’s attendants would stand around and clap for (a) those who complete their food fully, as a gesture of appreciation, or (b) those who leave food left in their leaf, as a gesture of mild, sarcastic admonition. There’s not enough time for all these shenanigans, at a restaurant 🙂
What they did does cost them monetarily, but is a wonderfully positive nudge that puts the onus on the customers to do the right thing. When they see others with a clean leaf at the end of the meal, and when they get the coin, it creates an impetus in others. The amount is small, but that’s not the point. That it is being offered at all is.
However, it says a lot about our species that this even needs to be spelled out so explicitly. And even this may not be enough to force a behavior change to something this obvious.
