'Controversial' avocado hack to save money at cafe goes viral
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- Replies 15
Inflation is a harsh reality that we all have to face. Prices for goods and services are constantly on the rise, and it seems like there's no end in sight. This can be especially difficult when it comes to dining out.
Some people go to great lengths to save money while dining out, in order to offset the impact of inflation. They may choose to eat at less expensive restaurants or order less expensive items when they do eat out. They may also cut back on the frequency of their dining out, in order to save money.
While these methods can help to save money, some methods are quite contentious.
Such has been the case for one Aussie who was criticised on social media after she revealed that she brought her own avocado to a café in order to save $6 on her scrambled eggs on toast.
Sharing a video of herself slicing up a store-bought avocado on TikTok, Sydney influencer Milly Bannister said that this is her simple trick to cut her bill when dining out for breakfast.
Credit: TikTok/@millyrosebannister
She wrote: 'Bring your own avocado, thank me later.'
She also asked her viewers whether other people do the same thing, saying: 'Does anyone else do this? Or am I the a**h***?'
Milly claimed that buying an avocado is less expensive and she can use the leftovers at home.
'I don’t always do it, only here [at this cafe and] when I’m in Coles before,' she remarked.
She also asserted that by bringing her own ingredient, she was only saving a few dollars in comparison to the $180 she had previously spent at the café in a single week.
'Isn’t it better for me to spend $14 there than $0?' she replied to critical comments.
The video has gone viral, amassing more than 795,000 views from bewildered users who questioned why she was unable to just prepare her own breakfast at home.
Milly replied to these questions, writing: 'I hate cooking my own eggs.'
She also emphasised that she enjoys dining out so she's just doing what she can to lower her costs.
Her money-saving scheme, nevertheless, didn't seem to appeal to everyone.
One person wrote: 'I was a waitress for five years and this is so embarrassing.'
'There’s a big difference between being savvy and cheap. Eat at home if you have an issue paying café or restaurant prices,' another said.
A third added: 'If one of my friends did this, I would die and if I did this in front of them, I wouldn’t blame them for changing tables... some people have no shame.'
The diner received backlash after she revealed her trick for cutting down her bill. Credit: TikTok/@millyrosebannister.
Others backed Milly's behaviour, stating that restaurants typically charge high prices for scrambled eggs or avocado and emphasising that her tactic merely protects customers from being taken advantage of.
One user commented: 'I am very shocked at the (reaction)! I feel like this isn’t bad at all? If you don’t want to pay $6 for the avocado, then you don’t have to?'
'You’re still putting money in the café’s hands so I don’t see the problem,' another argued.
A third shared: 'I’m a flight attendant and the number of people that bring their own alcohol on the plane and secretly drink it... who cares if she brings her own avocado.'
The SDC team reached out to Milly for comment about the backlash and we're fortunate to have her response.
She wrote: 'I'm not surprised by the backlash and in fact, I can empathise with and agree with the sentiment. A couple of caveats to my behaviour - this cafe (have not and will not name), is notorious for its poor customer service and I only go there because it's right outside a major supermarket and convenient for me and my dog to sit outside.'
Additionally, the diner acknowledged several criticisms of her on her post regarding her lack of support for local businesses, saying: 'I spend upwards of $250 per week at local cafes (including this one) and consistently inject money back into the local economy.'
'I'm also a small business owner myself and the founder and managing director of a registered charity, ALLKND, which delivers Australia's first digital, peer-to-peer mental health first aid training to young people around the country.'
Milly then owns up to her mistake, saying that she will be more mindful of her posts next time as people may perceive it differently.
'My mistake here is not occasionally and discreetly BYO-ing (BYO is the acronym for 'bring your own') avocado to this cafe (I should be able to save money while enjoying myself), but encouraging others to do the same, as I would not want this to become a trend.'
'And as a person with a platform, I should have been more mindful of this and not promoted this behaviour.'
We understand that some people are simply doing their best to keep their costs down.
We all have to make choices in life. Sometimes those choices are easy, and sometimes they're hard. But sometimes, the choices we make are based on necessity rather than desire.
How about you? What are your thoughts on this? Do you think she's in the right or wrong?
Some people go to great lengths to save money while dining out, in order to offset the impact of inflation. They may choose to eat at less expensive restaurants or order less expensive items when they do eat out. They may also cut back on the frequency of their dining out, in order to save money.
While these methods can help to save money, some methods are quite contentious.
Such has been the case for one Aussie who was criticised on social media after she revealed that she brought her own avocado to a café in order to save $6 on her scrambled eggs on toast.
Sharing a video of herself slicing up a store-bought avocado on TikTok, Sydney influencer Milly Bannister said that this is her simple trick to cut her bill when dining out for breakfast.
Credit: TikTok/@millyrosebannister
She wrote: 'Bring your own avocado, thank me later.'
She also asked her viewers whether other people do the same thing, saying: 'Does anyone else do this? Or am I the a**h***?'
Milly claimed that buying an avocado is less expensive and she can use the leftovers at home.
'I don’t always do it, only here [at this cafe and] when I’m in Coles before,' she remarked.
She also asserted that by bringing her own ingredient, she was only saving a few dollars in comparison to the $180 she had previously spent at the café in a single week.
'Isn’t it better for me to spend $14 there than $0?' she replied to critical comments.
The video has gone viral, amassing more than 795,000 views from bewildered users who questioned why she was unable to just prepare her own breakfast at home.
Milly replied to these questions, writing: 'I hate cooking my own eggs.'
She also emphasised that she enjoys dining out so she's just doing what she can to lower her costs.
Her money-saving scheme, nevertheless, didn't seem to appeal to everyone.
One person wrote: 'I was a waitress for five years and this is so embarrassing.'
'There’s a big difference between being savvy and cheap. Eat at home if you have an issue paying café or restaurant prices,' another said.
A third added: 'If one of my friends did this, I would die and if I did this in front of them, I wouldn’t blame them for changing tables... some people have no shame.'
The diner received backlash after she revealed her trick for cutting down her bill. Credit: TikTok/@millyrosebannister.
Others backed Milly's behaviour, stating that restaurants typically charge high prices for scrambled eggs or avocado and emphasising that her tactic merely protects customers from being taken advantage of.
One user commented: 'I am very shocked at the (reaction)! I feel like this isn’t bad at all? If you don’t want to pay $6 for the avocado, then you don’t have to?'
'You’re still putting money in the café’s hands so I don’t see the problem,' another argued.
A third shared: 'I’m a flight attendant and the number of people that bring their own alcohol on the plane and secretly drink it... who cares if she brings her own avocado.'
The SDC team reached out to Milly for comment about the backlash and we're fortunate to have her response.
She wrote: 'I'm not surprised by the backlash and in fact, I can empathise with and agree with the sentiment. A couple of caveats to my behaviour - this cafe (have not and will not name), is notorious for its poor customer service and I only go there because it's right outside a major supermarket and convenient for me and my dog to sit outside.'
Additionally, the diner acknowledged several criticisms of her on her post regarding her lack of support for local businesses, saying: 'I spend upwards of $250 per week at local cafes (including this one) and consistently inject money back into the local economy.'
'I'm also a small business owner myself and the founder and managing director of a registered charity, ALLKND, which delivers Australia's first digital, peer-to-peer mental health first aid training to young people around the country.'
Milly then owns up to her mistake, saying that she will be more mindful of her posts next time as people may perceive it differently.
'My mistake here is not occasionally and discreetly BYO-ing (BYO is the acronym for 'bring your own') avocado to this cafe (I should be able to save money while enjoying myself), but encouraging others to do the same, as I would not want this to become a trend.'
'And as a person with a platform, I should have been more mindful of this and not promoted this behaviour.'
We understand that some people are simply doing their best to keep their costs down.
We all have to make choices in life. Sometimes those choices are easy, and sometimes they're hard. But sometimes, the choices we make are based on necessity rather than desire.
How about you? What are your thoughts on this? Do you think she's in the right or wrong?