'Nimbu garam karke daala hai kya': Bengaluru's Theo Cafe ‘gas crisis charge’ on lemonade bill triggers buzz

BENGALURU: ‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,’ there goes the adage. But how about a lemonade with a twist in the tale? Or, shall we say, with a sting in the tail in the form of ‘gas crisis charge’? A bill from a city cafe went viral on social media Sunday after a customer spotted this rather unusual entry on the receipt while paying for two mint lemonades, sparking online outrage and humour.The Theo Cafe bill showed two mint lemonades priced at Rs 179 each. After a 5% discount of Rs 17.9, CGST and SGST at 2.5% each were added. However, what created a buzz was a separate ‘gas crisis charge’ of 5%, or Rs 17, added to the total, bringing the rounded-off final payable amount to Rs 374. Cafe owner Avinash told TOI the entry appeared due to a system-generated billing update over the ongoing LPG supply shortage. He claimed the customer was never charged the extra a mountThe clarification notwithstanding, an image of the bill made its way to microblogging platform X, where it triggered a flood of reactions from amused and annoyed users alike, with many questioning how cooking gas could have been involved in the making of lemonade in the first place? One user on X, KTPeriPeri (@kaarnama13), joked: “Lemonade banane mein kaunsa gas lagta hai (what gas is required to prepare lemonade).” Another sarcastically posted: “Nimbu garam karke daala hai kya,” wondering whether the lemons were heated before being squeezed in.Others suggested, in a humorous vein, the cafe might have added gas inside the lemonade to make it fizzy.Some users also raised legal concerns, arguing that such charges could amount to an unfair trade practice. One comment claimed adding such extra fees could violate provisions under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.