Billionaire Goenka slams US restaurant charging Rs 1400 for a piece of dosa

Food prices are skyrocketing every day. Business tycoon Harsh Goenka recently poked fun at how, no thanks to exorbitant rates, our favourite comfort food items are increasingly becoming a luxury.

The RPG Enterprises Chairman took to X and wrote, “Who knew vada, idli, and dosa could sound so fancy? With these strange names khaane ka mazaa khatam! Agree?” The tweet was a snide reference to a US-based eatery that specialised in South Indian dishes and had jaw-dropping prices.

The 'All Day Breakfast' menu at the unnamed restaurant features creatively named dishes such as the "naked crepe" for dosa, "dunked doughnut delight" for vada, and "dunked rice cake delight" for idli. While these whimsical names might bring a smile, the prices are more likely to cause shock. The dosa is astonishingly priced at $17.59, which is just over Rs 1,400. The idli costs $15.39, nearly Rs 1,300, and the vada is listed at $16.49, approximately Rs 1,400.

For those acquainted with these South Indian staples, the transformation can be both amusing and perplexing. Dosa, usually a crispy and savory dish made from fermented rice and lentil batter, is a breakfast favorite in many Indian homes. The vada, a deep-fried snack made from black gram, is widely enjoyed, while idli is celebrated for its simplicity and nutritional benefits. The high prices at this American restaurant underscore a broader trend of traditional foods being rebranded and marked up in global markets.

Several followers of Goenka flooded the comment section, to take a dig at the overpriced food.

“Calling it Naked Crepe is an insult to all South Indians,” one user wrote.

Another tweeted: “Shakespeare lovers will say " idli, vada, dosa by any other name would smell as sweet or savoury!!" Maybe Gen Z would eat them only if fancy names were given?!”

“Agreed. The humble Idli-vada and Dose/Dosai with their Western or Westernised counterparts. Hope the humble Upma and similar others have been spared,” a third wrote.