Managers at the Kylin Buffet in South Shields, have put up a notice urging diners to eat up all their food or face the penalty charge.
The policy has outraged one mother who was told to pay the 20 pounds after she, along with her son Sam, 10, and niece Toni, 6, left two onion rings, a piece of prawn toast, and a spring roll on their plates.
Beverley Clark, 40, from Hebburn, has accused the restaurant of poor customer service, but the the manager has stood by the policy, the Daily Mail reported.
"After we had our starters, we went up for our main course. But a member of staff came over and asked if we weren't going to eat the food on our plates, and said we would have to pay an extra 20 pounds to cover food wastage costs," Clark said.
"I was furious and said we were already paying 18 pounds for three meals, but the staff kept checking if we had eaten the food. In the end I wrapped it up in a serviette, and put it into my bag when they weren't looking, so it looked like we had eaten it," she added.
Clark, who works as a corporate solutions consultant, said she complained after the meal, and was given 3 pounds off her bill.
Sam Fung, manager at the Kylin Buffet, said: "I accept that my staff should not have spoken to the family about the food on their plates more than once."
"However, they left a lot of food from the buffet on their plates and we have to charge for wastage of food. We stand by our policies," he added.
