Shocking price hike on fish and chips at Sydney shop sparks outcry
- Replies 20
When it comes to meals, fish and chips are a longtime Aussie favourite.
Unfortunately, those days of affordable and delicious family meals may be in jeopardy because of the looming price hike.
Sydney fish and chip shop Great North Seafood has been the talk of the town after a customer shared photos online of its changing menu board over five years.
The photos showed a traditional menu containing the classics, such as seafood, calamari, chips, and burgers. But as it turned out, the prices of everything have been steadily increasing, with some items escalating by upwards of 60 per cent in the past five years.
The price increases were met with shock and sadness online.
Burger prices rose by 43 per cent from five years ago, and the ‘Family Pack’ is now priced at $90 from $68.
One person said, ‘Never thought I’d be happy to have been alive when it was possible to get $1 worth of chips.’
‘What a fond memory of ancient times,’ another replied.
‘Remember when you could get enough chips to feed the family for (three) bucks?’
But others defended the price increase, taking into consideration the time between pictures and the economic situation.
‘Have you considered that this place is now paying more rent, more electricity, more gas, more for every food product and more for everything in between,’ one wrote.
‘Should they just keep their prices the same just so you can eat some junk food for as cheaply as you THINK it costs them to make it?!’, another added.
Leang Eng, the owner of Great North Seafood since last year, explained why the prices had to be raised.
'It’s our first year (as owners), and it’s just a bit tricky for us, especially with the prices of everything,' Ms Eng said.
‘It’s just so hard for us, especially when we just started—you can’t put the price up right away. Not if you have to put 50 cents or 60 cents on top (or prices).’
The increased prices of food, electricity, rent, and workers’ wages were the reasons why she had to make these changes.
‘Some of the fish, the fillets, all the stuff is going up. We’ve had to put prices up at least 10 or 20 per cent more, on top (of previous increases),’ Ms Eng continued.
However, it’s not only seafood that was affected by the price increase. Ms Eng said the cost of potatoes was also ‘hitting hard’ on their business.
‘We used to get a box of chips for $30, now it’s $60 or $50 a box,’ she said.
Industry data showed that since 2018, the cost of seafood has been going up after a short decline after the COVID-19 pandemic.
IBISWorld data indicated domestic prices of fish and seafood increased by at least 4.4 per cent this year, and it will continue to rise by another 2.7 per cent by 2024.
The Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’s report predicts growth for seafood, driven by the increased production of salmon, oysters, and prawns.
They also reported that salmon prices rose to 37 per cent in the 2021-2022 period, reaching a high of t around $16.35 per kilogram.
But in 2017, World Bank data showed that if the average global benchmark of seafood prices costs $100, a basket of Australian seafood would be priced at around $163, and a US basket would cost $147.
The inflation crisis also affected groceries. In a previous story, a supermarket sold two bags of Kettle chips at a ‘special’ price of $11, which shoppers considered as ‘a joke.’ Read more about it here.
In New Zealand, the cost of the humble spud had gone up by 48 per cent in July, with some chip shops reporting a 10 per cent increase in supplier costs around this time.
Despite the rising costs, Ms Eng said that their shop still has several customers who aren’t impressed with each price hike.
‘Customers come in and say: ‘It’s up again?! How many times do you need to put prices up?’ she said.
‘They never know how hard we try not to put the price up, but we have to.’
What do you think of the story? When was the last time you had fish and chips? Share them in the comments below!
Unfortunately, those days of affordable and delicious family meals may be in jeopardy because of the looming price hike.
Sydney fish and chip shop Great North Seafood has been the talk of the town after a customer shared photos online of its changing menu board over five years.
The photos showed a traditional menu containing the classics, such as seafood, calamari, chips, and burgers. But as it turned out, the prices of everything have been steadily increasing, with some items escalating by upwards of 60 per cent in the past five years.
The price increases were met with shock and sadness online.
Great North Seafood’s menu price five years ago. Credit: Reddit
Burger prices rose by 43 per cent from five years ago, and the ‘Family Pack’ is now priced at $90 from $68.
One person said, ‘Never thought I’d be happy to have been alive when it was possible to get $1 worth of chips.’
‘What a fond memory of ancient times,’ another replied.
‘Remember when you could get enough chips to feed the family for (three) bucks?’
But others defended the price increase, taking into consideration the time between pictures and the economic situation.
‘Have you considered that this place is now paying more rent, more electricity, more gas, more for every food product and more for everything in between,’ one wrote.
‘Should they just keep their prices the same just so you can eat some junk food for as cheaply as you THINK it costs them to make it?!’, another added.
Leang Eng, the owner of Great North Seafood since last year, explained why the prices had to be raised.
'It’s our first year (as owners), and it’s just a bit tricky for us, especially with the prices of everything,' Ms Eng said.
‘It’s just so hard for us, especially when we just started—you can’t put the price up right away. Not if you have to put 50 cents or 60 cents on top (or prices).’
The increased prices of food, electricity, rent, and workers’ wages were the reasons why she had to make these changes.
‘Some of the fish, the fillets, all the stuff is going up. We’ve had to put prices up at least 10 or 20 per cent more, on top (of previous increases),’ Ms Eng continued.
However, it’s not only seafood that was affected by the price increase. Ms Eng said the cost of potatoes was also ‘hitting hard’ on their business.
‘We used to get a box of chips for $30, now it’s $60 or $50 a box,’ she said.
Industry data showed that since 2018, the cost of seafood has been going up after a short decline after the COVID-19 pandemic.
IBISWorld data indicated domestic prices of fish and seafood increased by at least 4.4 per cent this year, and it will continue to rise by another 2.7 per cent by 2024.
The Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’s report predicts growth for seafood, driven by the increased production of salmon, oysters, and prawns.
They also reported that salmon prices rose to 37 per cent in the 2021-2022 period, reaching a high of t around $16.35 per kilogram.
But in 2017, World Bank data showed that if the average global benchmark of seafood prices costs $100, a basket of Australian seafood would be priced at around $163, and a US basket would cost $147.
Great North Seafood’s menu price two months ago. Credit: Reddit
The inflation crisis also affected groceries. In a previous story, a supermarket sold two bags of Kettle chips at a ‘special’ price of $11, which shoppers considered as ‘a joke.’ Read more about it here.
In New Zealand, the cost of the humble spud had gone up by 48 per cent in July, with some chip shops reporting a 10 per cent increase in supplier costs around this time.
Despite the rising costs, Ms Eng said that their shop still has several customers who aren’t impressed with each price hike.
‘Customers come in and say: ‘It’s up again?! How many times do you need to put prices up?’ she said.
‘They never know how hard we try not to put the price up, but we have to.’
What do you think of the story? When was the last time you had fish and chips? Share them in the comments below!
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