Outrageous or justified? This restaurant added a 25% surcharge on a public holiday, and you won't believe why
- Replies 17
I think we can all agree that we appreciate a good meal, spending time with family, and of course, a well-deserved public holiday. A public holiday, like ANZAC Day, for example, usually marks an important date or event, allowing us to reminisce and share stories about our experiences. However, there is one little drawback when it comes to dining out on public holidays, and that is being hit by unexpected holiday surcharges.
Recently, a popular eatery named Andonis Café & Bar, situated in Brisbane's southern suburb of Yeerongpilly, found itself under fire for imposing a 25% surcharge on meals during the Queensland Labour Day public holiday on May 1.
A patron, who visited the restaurant on that day, discovered the whopping surcharge and shared it on Reddit with the caption 'How much is too much for a public holiday surcharge?' A picture of the menu showing the holiday surcharge was provided for all to see.
Imagine being charged $29.50 for the normally priced $23.60 'Naked Greek Yiros', or up to $35.38 for 'The Barramundi', which originally costs $28.30. That is quite the price hike!
The Reddit post quickly gained attention, receiving over 550 comments, with many regular folks like us expressing their shock at the unusually high surcharge. Commenters described it as 'extorting customers’, 'robbery’, and 'absolutely over the top’.
In addition, the restaurant also charged a 7% surcharge for splitting bills between patrons, leading to even more outrage amongst Reddit users. One person expressed their disbelief, saying, '25% is outrageous, as is 7% for splitting bills. It's like they hate customers.'
However, not everyone on the internet took an extreme stance against the restaurant. Some Reddit users defended Andonis Café & Bar by pointing out the challenges that small business owners face, such as high overhead costs and having to pay staff fair wages on public holidays.
One empathetic commenter wrote, 'Granted, 25% is a bit steep, but it may sadly be needed for them to even exist.' Another supported the restaurant, stating, 'I'm usually against this sort of thing, but having been to this specific café twice in the past few weeks, I think it stands up.'
Andonis Café & Bar provided an explanation to Daily Mail Australia, stating that public holidays present 'growing challenges’, and the high surcharge assists in covering the additional costs without having to increase prices throughout the year.
The restaurant revealed, 'As a small business operating in the hospitality sector, staying open on public holidays presents growing challenges, including inflation, rising ingredient costs, and other operational expenses.'
'The 25% public holiday surcharge enables us to only just cover these additional costs and pay our employees fairly. This surcharge applies only to the 14 public holiday days a year. We cannot justify raising prices year-round to cover these costs, as it would negatively impact our customers on the remaining 342 days.'
Furthermore, Andonis Café & Bar clarified that the 7% bill-splitting surcharge was a policy designed to cover expenses associated with multiple transactions, including merchant fees, gateway fees, terminal rental fees, and fraud prevention service fees.
In response to the negative feedback however, the restaurant has now scrapped its 7% bill-splitting surcharge. The café stated, 'In response to recent feedback, we have decided to remove the 7% split bill surcharge to help ease cost pressures for our valued customers.'
We understand that businesses need to keep their doors open, but we also need to be mindful of our budgets. Every dollar saved makes a difference. So next time you decide to dine out on a public holiday, it might be wise to check for any potential holiday surcharges before making your reservation.
According to Queensland Government regulations, restaurants have full autonomy in setting their surcharges on any given day. They are required to display these surcharges prominently and transparently on their menus, but there is no mandate for separate menus for surcharge days.
It's always essential to stay vigilant, especially on public holidays, with how much you spend on eating out. We wrote this article last week about why your meals cost more on public holidays, if you would like to do some more reading. So, what do you think of these surcharges, members? Do you think they are fair? And if you do, what do you think a fair charge would be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Recently, a popular eatery named Andonis Café & Bar, situated in Brisbane's southern suburb of Yeerongpilly, found itself under fire for imposing a 25% surcharge on meals during the Queensland Labour Day public holiday on May 1.
A patron, who visited the restaurant on that day, discovered the whopping surcharge and shared it on Reddit with the caption 'How much is too much for a public holiday surcharge?' A picture of the menu showing the holiday surcharge was provided for all to see.
The Andonis Café & Bar restaurant menu. Image source: Reddit.
Imagine being charged $29.50 for the normally priced $23.60 'Naked Greek Yiros', or up to $35.38 for 'The Barramundi', which originally costs $28.30. That is quite the price hike!
The Reddit post quickly gained attention, receiving over 550 comments, with many regular folks like us expressing their shock at the unusually high surcharge. Commenters described it as 'extorting customers’, 'robbery’, and 'absolutely over the top’.
In addition, the restaurant also charged a 7% surcharge for splitting bills between patrons, leading to even more outrage amongst Reddit users. One person expressed their disbelief, saying, '25% is outrageous, as is 7% for splitting bills. It's like they hate customers.'
However, not everyone on the internet took an extreme stance against the restaurant. Some Reddit users defended Andonis Café & Bar by pointing out the challenges that small business owners face, such as high overhead costs and having to pay staff fair wages on public holidays.
The Andonis Café & Bar restaurant. Image source: Instagram.
One empathetic commenter wrote, 'Granted, 25% is a bit steep, but it may sadly be needed for them to even exist.' Another supported the restaurant, stating, 'I'm usually against this sort of thing, but having been to this specific café twice in the past few weeks, I think it stands up.'
Andonis Café & Bar provided an explanation to Daily Mail Australia, stating that public holidays present 'growing challenges’, and the high surcharge assists in covering the additional costs without having to increase prices throughout the year.
The restaurant revealed, 'As a small business operating in the hospitality sector, staying open on public holidays presents growing challenges, including inflation, rising ingredient costs, and other operational expenses.'
'The 25% public holiday surcharge enables us to only just cover these additional costs and pay our employees fairly. This surcharge applies only to the 14 public holiday days a year. We cannot justify raising prices year-round to cover these costs, as it would negatively impact our customers on the remaining 342 days.'
Furthermore, Andonis Café & Bar clarified that the 7% bill-splitting surcharge was a policy designed to cover expenses associated with multiple transactions, including merchant fees, gateway fees, terminal rental fees, and fraud prevention service fees.
In response to the negative feedback however, the restaurant has now scrapped its 7% bill-splitting surcharge. The café stated, 'In response to recent feedback, we have decided to remove the 7% split bill surcharge to help ease cost pressures for our valued customers.'
We understand that businesses need to keep their doors open, but we also need to be mindful of our budgets. Every dollar saved makes a difference. So next time you decide to dine out on a public holiday, it might be wise to check for any potential holiday surcharges before making your reservation.
According to Queensland Government regulations, restaurants have full autonomy in setting their surcharges on any given day. They are required to display these surcharges prominently and transparently on their menus, but there is no mandate for separate menus for surcharge days.
It's always essential to stay vigilant, especially on public holidays, with how much you spend on eating out. We wrote this article last week about why your meals cost more on public holidays, if you would like to do some more reading. So, what do you think of these surcharges, members? Do you think they are fair? And if you do, what do you think a fair charge would be? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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