# Restaurant charges extra for not finishing your plate. Legal?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-charges-extra-for-not-finishing-your-plate-legal/543200
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 14, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-charges-extra-for-not-finishing-your-plate-legal/543200 "2010-06-14T21:23:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![mutantmoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@mutantmoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mutantmoose)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-charges-extra-for-not-finishing-your-plate-legal/543200/1 "2010-06-14T21:23:27Z")

</div>

I was in a Chinese restaurant the other day and, whilst eating, I noticed they had signs on the walls saying something to the effect of:

“We make very nice food here and we don’t like to see it go to waste so please try to finish everything on your plate”

So far so good but then in small writing underneath that it said:

“We will charge an extra £3 ($5) if there is any food left on the plate”

wtf? This is outrageous on so many levels but I was wondering whether it’s even legal. You’re already paying for the food so whether you eat it or leave it is up to you.

How would this pan out in your jurisdiction? I’m still in such a state of shock that I can’t think clearly about it’s legality and need some help.

---

_[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-charges-extra-for-not-finishing-your-plate-legal/543200)._