Effective January 2024, DC food service businesses including third-party delivery platforms may provide disposable utensils, napkins, and condiment packets only when customers affirmatively request them.
Under DC Code 8-1531.02, restaurants, food trucks, ghost kitchens, and delivery platforms operating in DC must default to no utensils, napkins, or condiment packets in takeout and delivery orders. Customers must opt in via menu prompt, online checkbox, or verbal request. The rule covers forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks, cocktail picks, and napkin packs. Online platforms like Grubhub, DoorDash, and UberEats must add a clear opt-in toggle. The intent is to reduce roughly 90 million unused utensil sets discarded annually in DC.
Auto-including utensils in delivery, omitting opt-in checkboxes online, or pressuring customers to accept utensils can trigger DOEE warnings escalating to $250-$800 fines per violation.
See how Washington's utensils-on-request rules stack up against other locations.
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