Banana Leaf Apolo’s $1.90 charge for $38 takeaway

Better check your receipts next time you get takeaway. In a Facebook post on the Complaint Singapore page, a user shared an image of her takeaway receipt with a S$1.90 takeaway charge attached to a S$38 order. The brief caption makes it clear she’s airing her grievances against Banana Leaf Apolo’s E!Avenue outlet at Pasir Ris.

According to the Internal Revenue Association of Singapore’s (IRAS) website, “Some F&B establishments provide both dine-in and takeaway/home delivery for the same food items, but service charge is imposed on dine-in only.” The service charge in question is usually 10%.

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In what seems to be a workaround, the receipt from Banana Leaf Apolo clearly adds a packing charge of 5%.

When contacted by AsiaOne, the establishment acknowledged the additional charge but added that it is mentioned during payment.

General consensus appears to be critical of Banana Leaf Apolo, with many admonishing them for the excessive cost of a simple takeaway package.

One user shared their concerns about the encroaching GST hike paving the way for restauranteurs to justify even more surcharges.

One commenter pointed out that the restaurant’s exorbitant prices could be due to the diners primarily being tourists.

With 5 Banana Leaf Apolo outlets across Singapore, it’s surprising this issue has only just been brought up. Perhaps it has only recently been introduced by the chain. On the other hand, the latest Google reviews for their Pasir Ris outlet seem to be largely positive, so perhaps dining in is the way to go.

Maybe it’s time we pull up our socks and start cooking at home.

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