© Takeaway
© Takeaway
'The Doggy Bag' Arrives In France
This very American & British habit comes to the culinary capital of the World
As someone from the UK, I wouldn't think too long and hard about asking for a doggy bag in a restaurant. If I have left overs that I wanted to keep I would certainly ask the question.
The same however cannot be said about wine...although to be honest I would probably just stay at the table until the bottle was finished! But what if you could ask for a take away doggy box, and for that matter a take away bag for your wine without fear of embarrassment?
This is exactly what Lyon based French company, Take Away, are offering. They have designed a 'Doggy Box' and a 'Doggy Bag' that they want to supply to restaurants to encourage people to take away their left overs. And it seems to be a win win situation for both restaurateur and customer. Not only does the customer get to enjoy the rest of their meal or wine, guilt free, but the restaurant is also able to reduce food waste. It is estimated that current food waste in restaurants averages about 230 grams of food per plate, and that each person throws away about 20KG each year!
The idea has already taken off in Lyon and the hope is that this will spread throughout the country. Restaurants will have the choice of the generic bags and boxes, or to customise them with their own logo and details. But will this be enough to change the French opinion that it is 'not the done thing' to ask for a doggy bag? In a culture that prides itself on its culinary excellence they may have a long way to go before this becomes the norm.
