Customer shocked by Aussie cafe's extra 30 per cent charge: 'Not normal'

Yahoo

21-06-2025

A Sydney woman's breakfast treat got off to a sour start after she was faced with an additional cost she wasn't expecting.
After ordering the $13 breakfast combo from the takeaway menu, she went to find a table but was stopped by the cashier who told her she'd have to pay more to sit down to have her egg and bacon roll and hot chocolate.
When asked how much, the cashier at the Broadway cafe told her it would be $17 if she wanted to dine-in — an increase of 30 per cent.
'So now sitting comes with a $4 upgrade? Maybe the chair reclines, plays Netflix, and offers emotional support?' the stunned diner said.
She declined to pay extra for a table, and instead stood 'awkwardly' in front of a bank, 'holding my greasy brown paper bag and eating like a pigeon' while she waited for the bank to open.
The customer, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Yahoo News the charge came as a shock and has changed the way she buys coffee.
"I mean, I know life is getting more and more expensive, but that much just to sit down and enjoy the brekky, then I don't think it's normal," she said.
The woman said she couldn't see any signs advising of the price difference, but later noted the menu had 'takeaway' written on it.
Another customer's review of the cafe from three years ago complained of the same issue. She was told a takeaway coffee would cost $3.70, whereas sitting in would be $4.50. When she asked why, staff told her it's "because we have to clean the mug".
Yahoo News has approached the cafe to confirm its pricing policy but they have not responded. On the cafe's standard menu, viewed online, an egg and bacon roll was $13 and a regular hot chocolate $5.30. The takeaway combo of the two items sells for a discounted $13.
Aussies reject tipping as restaurants and bars warned over cashless trend: 'Not part of our culture'
Cafe defends 'ludicrous' $1 surcharge for no ice
Cafe owner hits back at customer's wild public holiday surcharge threat: 'Scum of the earth'
Franco Amitrano, who owns Cafe & Cuchina in Surry Hills, explained to Yahoo why dining in comes with a higher cost.
His cafe, which has been operating for 11 years, charges customers an additional 20 cents if they choose to drink their coffee at the venue. Food is the same price, whether it's takeaway or dine-in.
"Mainly it's because the barista takes a bit longer to make it look nice, to make latte art," he said.
"For me, it's not the washing up that is part of (the cost), because you have to pay for cups anyway when you take it away. So it's kind of the same.
"It's more because the barista has to take a bit longer to do the service and you have to get someone to deliver it to the table. So that's the extra in labour."
Franco added that his customers have never had an issue with the additional cost, but he does think charging $4 extra for dining in is too much. "I don't think many people charge that kind of increase if you dine in," he said.
While the different pricing structures for takeaway and dining in are becoming more common, they may not be in the best interest of the venue, Professor of Marketing at UNSW Nitika Garg told Yahoo News.
'It's becoming more common with prices going up and costs going up. People are reasonable and people are understanding of these structures, but I think there is a way to do it," she said.
Garg explained that adding on extra costs to the customer is known in the marketing world as "unbundling".
"Instead of bundling, you're unbundling the cost," she said, giving budget airlines as an example where the fare, the seat, the food and the luggage are all available but for additional costs. Unbundling typically leads to a poor customer experience and is usually "not advisable", she added.
What would be more satisfactory from a diner's perspective is to have the same price across the board, "even if the takeaway price is slightly high",Garg said.
Do you have a story tip? Email: [e-mail].
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.