An image of a menu from a hotel in Himachal Pradesh's Narkanda, located a few kilomtres from Shimla, has left the internet shocked, wondering if the food would be served with gold flakes. Social media users are also criticising the exorbitant food prices, pointing out that it is one of the reasons why people are heading abroad for holidays and that "affordable travel is a myth in India". The image showed the price of a food item as simple as the humble 'dal tadka' set at as high as Rs 650.
The post, shared by a social media user on X (formerly Twitter), showed the exorbitant food prices at the hotel located in the hill station.
"When the menu doesn't match up to the prices on it! This is the menu of a hotel in Narkanda (2 hours from Shimla). Hotel & restaurant prices in India are going crazy, without matching international standards. No wonder tourists prefer travelling overseas," Bhandari wrote in the post's caption.
The menu listed several dishes with jaw-dropping prices. The hotel serves Dal Makhani for Rs 750, Dal Tadka for Rs 650, Pulao for Rs 699, and a single piece of a Gulab Jamun or Rasgulla for Rs 299.
Here's the entire menu:
How The Internet Reacted
The post, which has garnered almost 144k views, sparked reactions on the internet, with several users voicing their frustration on the high costs despite low standards.
One user commented: "₹299 for one gulab jamun? Even a five-star hotel wouldn’t charge this much!"
"Its shocking how greedy the tourism hospitality industry in India has become. Exasperating to see this all over India when all the facilities and properties are so bad. Is boycotting them the solution to curtailing this greed?" another user wrote.
A third user sarcastically remarked, "At these prices, I hope the dal comes with gold flakes."
Some of the users pointed out at the difference between the pricing set and the quality being delivered by the hotel and restaurant owners. "This is why tourists are heading abroad. These prices don't justify the food or experience," the user opined.
Others highlighted the plight of a common traveller in India, saying, "Affordable travel is becoming a myth in India."
"If this is the cost of dining out, staying home seems like the better deal," another wrote. "Better to eat jeera aloo in Thailand and come back! It will still be cheaper," a user commented.
"I think hotel owner thought location is NORWAY and NOT NARKANDA," another user quipped.
However, there were also a few of them who defended the pricing, suggesting the high rates can be justified due to the operational costs in hill stations. But these netizens faced widespread condemnation.