Patron charged Rs 850 for a boiled egg in Mumbai hotel

A patron's revelation of being charged Rs 850 per boiled egg, excluding taxes, at a luxury hotel in the financial capital led to a social media furore on Sunday.

It comes days after actor Rahul Bose had complained about paying Rs 442 for two bananas in a Chandigarh hotel.

After paying Rs 1,700 for two boiled eggs and a goods and services tax at 18 per cent at Central Mumbai's Four Seasons Hotel, author-photographer Karik Dhar tweeted out a picture of his bill, further fuelling chatter on how star hotels charge for common items.

Tagging Bose in his tweet first posted on Saturday, Dhar asked if they should launch a protest on the subject.

Dhar's message on the micro-blogging site was retweeted or shared by 1,200 users and there were hundreds of comments on the same.

The bill copy shared by Dhar showed omelets are also priced at the same Rs 850, while a Diet Coke goes for Rs 260 in the hotel.

Not all the users were amused by the sum charged by the hotel, and a few also advised Dhar to be careful in the future and order only after reading the menu wherein the price will be listed.

A hotel spokesperson could not be reached for comments immediately.

It can be recalled that following the controversy over price of bananas involving Bose, the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) had justified the high price.

"a hotel offers service, quality, plate, cutlery, accompaniment, sanitised fruit, ambiance and luxury and not the commodity alone," FHRAI vice president Gurbaxish Singh Kohli had said.

He had added that while a coffee is available at Rs 10 on a roadside stall, the same could be served at Rs 250 in a luxury hotel.

It can be noted that eggs are a favourite snack in the financial capital, and hawkers dot every neighbourhood and business district, selling the protein source for a small fraction of the price charged by the hotel.