Ex-pat shocked by Aussie cafe: 'This has never happened to me!'
- Replies 20
As an ex-pat who recently arrived in Australia from the Netherlands, Max was excited about sharing his new life Down Under on social media.
The Dutch moved to Sydney just a few months ago and started sharing videos of himself exploring different parts of the city and trying new things. He's been documenting his journey on TikTok, where he has amassed a following of over 50 thousand people.
In one of his latest videos, Max details a rather bizarre – but very Aussie – café culture shock that he experienced.
In the clip, he recalls that he went to visit a cafe in Surry Hills called 'Single O' for coffee and something to eat. But when he got there and tried to pay for his order with cash, he was told that they only accept card payments.
Unfortunately for him, his bank cards hadn't arrived in the mail yet, so he couldn't pay with a card either.
An ex-pat was shocked at Australia's cafe culture. Credit: iStock. (Stock photo)
So what exactly did they do? The cafe staff simply told him not to worry about it, just come back tomorrow when he had his cards sorted out.
Yes – you read that right, members; they let him walk away without paying (on the condition that he would return tomorrow) because they completely trusted him.
'Okay, cool…' said Max in the clip. 'This has never happened to me!'
It was no surprise that Max was flabbergasted by what happened. In all his years of living in various countries around the world, he had never once experienced anything like that happen before. Surely, he must have thought this type of thing only happens in movies…
But apparently not, because as it turns out – this is (mostly) standard cafe protocol here in Australia! After asking around, he found that many people had experienced similar situations before, especially those who live in major cities like Sydney or Melbourne, where there's such a big cafe culture.
In the comments section of his video, many of his followers said they weren't surprised by the overly generous offer by the Aussie cafe. 'Because Aussies are generally very laid back and trusting. Make it your regular coffee shop,' said one user.
Another added: 'Because a caffeinated and fed society is a happy and healthy society. Welcome to Australia!'
A fellow ex-pat saw his video and shared that they, too, just had a similar experience. 'That happened to me two weeks ago in Brisbane! I live in the USA, and I was like: "Huh?"'
Max replied by saying: 'I've lived in the US for about two years myself, and yeah; I can't imagine that happening over there. The culture shock is real.'
Don't worry, folks – Max later made clear in the comments section that he did go back to the cafe and paid his bill. He even added a generous tip!
So what do you think, members? Do you agree? And can you imagine something like this happening anywhere else in the world?
Probably not… which is why this little incident perfectly sums up everything we love about Australian culture: laid back vibes, relaxed attitude, and of course, great coffee!
The Dutch moved to Sydney just a few months ago and started sharing videos of himself exploring different parts of the city and trying new things. He's been documenting his journey on TikTok, where he has amassed a following of over 50 thousand people.
In one of his latest videos, Max details a rather bizarre – but very Aussie – café culture shock that he experienced.
In the clip, he recalls that he went to visit a cafe in Surry Hills called 'Single O' for coffee and something to eat. But when he got there and tried to pay for his order with cash, he was told that they only accept card payments.
Unfortunately for him, his bank cards hadn't arrived in the mail yet, so he couldn't pay with a card either.
An ex-pat was shocked at Australia's cafe culture. Credit: iStock. (Stock photo)
So what exactly did they do? The cafe staff simply told him not to worry about it, just come back tomorrow when he had his cards sorted out.
Yes – you read that right, members; they let him walk away without paying (on the condition that he would return tomorrow) because they completely trusted him.
'Okay, cool…' said Max in the clip. 'This has never happened to me!'
It was no surprise that Max was flabbergasted by what happened. In all his years of living in various countries around the world, he had never once experienced anything like that happen before. Surely, he must have thought this type of thing only happens in movies…
But apparently not, because as it turns out – this is (mostly) standard cafe protocol here in Australia! After asking around, he found that many people had experienced similar situations before, especially those who live in major cities like Sydney or Melbourne, where there's such a big cafe culture.
In the comments section of his video, many of his followers said they weren't surprised by the overly generous offer by the Aussie cafe. 'Because Aussies are generally very laid back and trusting. Make it your regular coffee shop,' said one user.
Another added: 'Because a caffeinated and fed society is a happy and healthy society. Welcome to Australia!'
A fellow ex-pat saw his video and shared that they, too, just had a similar experience. 'That happened to me two weeks ago in Brisbane! I live in the USA, and I was like: "Huh?"'
Max replied by saying: 'I've lived in the US for about two years myself, and yeah; I can't imagine that happening over there. The culture shock is real.'
Don't worry, folks – Max later made clear in the comments section that he did go back to the cafe and paid his bill. He even added a generous tip!
So what do you think, members? Do you agree? And can you imagine something like this happening anywhere else in the world?
Probably not… which is why this little incident perfectly sums up everything we love about Australian culture: laid back vibes, relaxed attitude, and of course, great coffee!
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