Chris Kern wrote:

> I was recently denied a doggie bag in a restaurant, apparently because
> they feared I would let the food spoil and then they would be liable
> for the food poisoning.
>
> How common is this?  Tonight at Coco's they let me take home pizza, so
> it's not universal.

In my experience it is fairly common and has been for many years, but
obviously it will vary from place to place. Restaurants at the top of the
Sogo next to Omiya station all have signs up saying that they are not
allowed by law to let customers take home leftovers. Presumably they had a
lot of problems with obasan coming prepared with Tupperware containers.
The "Judge" programme on TV also covered this a while back. It said that
regardless of local hygiene laws, restaurants are entirely within their
rights to choose not to allow customers to take home leftovers. Basically,
when you order food at a restaurant, this is intended to be consumed on the
premises in the state in which it was served, so just because you have paid
for it doesn't mean you have the right to take it home.

-- 
Dave Fossett
Saitama, Japan