Unbelievable surcharge at a popular restaurant leaves Aussie couple outraged
- Replies 28
Whether it’s a romantic dinner for two or a catch-up with friends and family, it’s always nice to treat yourself to a nice meal out.
But for one Australian couple, their dinner ended in outrage after seeing a ‘ridiculous’ hidden surcharge on their bill.
A Sydney couple was bewildered after learning they had to pay an unusual surcharge for a service they didn’t even request.
TikTok user and vlogger Lisa Sun and her boyfriend Dave were out dining in Darlinghurst, Sydney, when they were informed that their bill had an extra fee for ‘large groups’. This left the pair confused, given that there were only two of them.
‘David and I went to this restaurant a couple of weeks ago…and they charged us a 10 per cent surcharge,’ she said in a video she posted on TikTok.
Lisa reiterated that the extra charge was a ‘big group’ expense and said it was only the two of them dining out at the time.
‘When I went to pay, I was like, “Is it because there are two of us? Like, would you not have charged us this surcharge if I came alone? Like, how much smaller can this group realistically get? There’s two of us,” she shared.
But upon questioning staff over the ‘unreasonable’ fee, the couple was told it was a ‘live music’ charge.
‘I was charged a 10 per cent surcharge at a restaurant for an absolutely ridiculous, obscene reason,’ Lisa explained in the video.
‘They were like, “Oh, it’s because there was live music”,’ she said. Lisa also revealed that the staff insisted the surcharge was not a mistake.
‘I asked about it, and they said they meant to charge it because of the live music. Now I don’t know how I feel about that,’ Lisa stated.
While Lisa admitted she paid the bill, she did explain that she had doubts over the payment and whether it was a legitimate expense.
‘How do you guys feel about being charged a surcharge for live music that you didn’t ask for and that you weren’t aware of prior to going to dinner?’ She questioned.
She continued: ‘I just paid for it, but in my head, I was a bit…I don’t know if you’re allowed to do that. Let me know if it’s just me because I don’t know.’
You can watch her video below:
The video attracted thousands of views, with many expressing their outrage over the ‘obscene’ surcharge.
‘Daylight robbery at its finest. They just do these extra surcharges knowing they can get away with it,’ one commented.
Another agreed and wrote: ‘They’re surcharging everything now.’
One said that the restaurant should have mentioned the surcharge before the couple ordered their meal. ‘Technically, it’s not incorporated into the contract if you didn’t know or had no way of knowing,’ they added.
A fourth replied: ‘Should be on the menu, I would have disputed it if it wasn’t.’
While one said they wouldn’t have paid the fee at all. ‘No way I would have paid – especially since it wasn’t disclosed earlier. Never heard anywhere else trying to charge for that,’ they claimed.
Others suggested that the couple report the incident to Fair Trading under ‘misleading conduct’.
According to the ACCC, some restaurants are allowed to impose surcharges on certain days, such as weekends and public holidays – as long as the fees are displayed accordingly so the customer can see them.
‘The menu must include the words “a surcharge of [percentage] applies on [the specified day or days]”, and these words must be displayed at least as prominently as the most prominent price on the menu,’ the ACCC said in their website.
They continued: ‘If the menu does not have prices listed, these words must be displayed in a way that is conspicuous and visible to a reader. These measures apply to pricing for both food and beverages.’
Additionally, there is no limit to the percentage a cafe or restaurant can impose, but the ACCC assures consumers that they can report those they believe are breaking the rules.
A similar incident happened a couple of weeks back when local Perth resident Claire O’Donnell was shocked at the unexpected service fee she was charged while dining out with friends. This left her outraged by the ‘sneaky addition’ of the hidden surcharge, and she took to social media to warn others about her experience.
In response to the backlash, the restaurant clarified that the service fee had been introduced during COVID and was noted on the menu and website. You can read the rest of the story here.
Have you ever been hit with an unexpected fee on a restaurant bill? How did you respond? Tell us in the comments below.
But for one Australian couple, their dinner ended in outrage after seeing a ‘ridiculous’ hidden surcharge on their bill.
A Sydney couple was bewildered after learning they had to pay an unusual surcharge for a service they didn’t even request.
TikTok user and vlogger Lisa Sun and her boyfriend Dave were out dining in Darlinghurst, Sydney, when they were informed that their bill had an extra fee for ‘large groups’. This left the pair confused, given that there were only two of them.
‘David and I went to this restaurant a couple of weeks ago…and they charged us a 10 per cent surcharge,’ she said in a video she posted on TikTok.
Lisa and Dave were charged with a 10 per cent surcharge while dining out. Credit: Fauxels/Pexels
Lisa reiterated that the extra charge was a ‘big group’ expense and said it was only the two of them dining out at the time.
‘When I went to pay, I was like, “Is it because there are two of us? Like, would you not have charged us this surcharge if I came alone? Like, how much smaller can this group realistically get? There’s two of us,” she shared.
But upon questioning staff over the ‘unreasonable’ fee, the couple was told it was a ‘live music’ charge.
‘I was charged a 10 per cent surcharge at a restaurant for an absolutely ridiculous, obscene reason,’ Lisa explained in the video.
‘They were like, “Oh, it’s because there was live music”,’ she said. Lisa also revealed that the staff insisted the surcharge was not a mistake.
‘I asked about it, and they said they meant to charge it because of the live music. Now I don’t know how I feel about that,’ Lisa stated.
While Lisa admitted she paid the bill, she did explain that she had doubts over the payment and whether it was a legitimate expense.
‘How do you guys feel about being charged a surcharge for live music that you didn’t ask for and that you weren’t aware of prior to going to dinner?’ She questioned.
She continued: ‘I just paid for it, but in my head, I was a bit…I don’t know if you’re allowed to do that. Let me know if it’s just me because I don’t know.’
You can watch her video below:
The video attracted thousands of views, with many expressing their outrage over the ‘obscene’ surcharge.
‘Daylight robbery at its finest. They just do these extra surcharges knowing they can get away with it,’ one commented.
Another agreed and wrote: ‘They’re surcharging everything now.’
One said that the restaurant should have mentioned the surcharge before the couple ordered their meal. ‘Technically, it’s not incorporated into the contract if you didn’t know or had no way of knowing,’ they added.
A fourth replied: ‘Should be on the menu, I would have disputed it if it wasn’t.’
While one said they wouldn’t have paid the fee at all. ‘No way I would have paid – especially since it wasn’t disclosed earlier. Never heard anywhere else trying to charge for that,’ they claimed.
Others suggested that the couple report the incident to Fair Trading under ‘misleading conduct’.
According to the ACCC, some restaurants are allowed to impose surcharges on certain days, such as weekends and public holidays – as long as the fees are displayed accordingly so the customer can see them.
‘The menu must include the words “a surcharge of [percentage] applies on [the specified day or days]”, and these words must be displayed at least as prominently as the most prominent price on the menu,’ the ACCC said in their website.
They continued: ‘If the menu does not have prices listed, these words must be displayed in a way that is conspicuous and visible to a reader. These measures apply to pricing for both food and beverages.’
Additionally, there is no limit to the percentage a cafe or restaurant can impose, but the ACCC assures consumers that they can report those they believe are breaking the rules.
Here's what the ACCC says about price displays. Image credit: The Seniors Discount Club
A similar incident happened a couple of weeks back when local Perth resident Claire O’Donnell was shocked at the unexpected service fee she was charged while dining out with friends. This left her outraged by the ‘sneaky addition’ of the hidden surcharge, and she took to social media to warn others about her experience.
In response to the backlash, the restaurant clarified that the service fee had been introduced during COVID and was noted on the menu and website. You can read the rest of the story here.
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live music 
what a load of crap 
