Restaurant under fire for charging 25% MORE on some days and extra fees to pay bill… but the owners think it’s justified
A RESTAURANT has been slammed for charging customers 25 per cent more on a public holiday.
Andonis Café & Bar in Brisbane also charges customers a 7 per cent surcharge for splitting the bill.
A picture of the café’s menu posted on Reddit shows the extra charges were imposed on the Queensland Labour Day public holiday on May 1.
The surcharge means diners who ordered the $23.60 ‘Naked Greek Yiros’ or ‘The Barramundi’ for $28.30 on the public holiday would be charged $29.50 and $35.38 respectively.
The post, titled “How much is too much for a public holiday surcharge?”, received more than 550 comments, with one person calling the extra charges ‘”robbery”.
Another person said the 25 per cent was “extorting customers”.
“25% = I eat elsewhere”, a third person added.
Another person commented: “25% is outrageous, as is 7% for splitting bills. It’s like they hate customers”.
However, some defended the decision to impose extra charges, arguing the restaurant would have to compensate staff wages on a public holiday.
“Granted 25% is a bit steep but it may sadly be needed for them to even exist,” one person said.
The owners of Andonis Café & Bar told Yahoo News they think the extra charges are justified because staying open on public holidays presents “growing challenges”.
A company spokesperson said: “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 under the Restaurant Industry Award 2020, which includes penalty rates.
“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.”
The restaurant has since scrapped the 7 per cent bill splitting surcharge due to negative feedback.
“In response to recent feedback, we have decided to remove the 7% split bill surcharge to help ease cost pressures for our valued customers,” the café told MailOnline.
Restaurants and cafés in Queensland are allowed to set their own surcharges at any time, according to the government.
One customer in Adelaide, Australia was left shell shocked after visiting a café and finding a $2 expense had been added on for guests who want their eggs scrambled.
Another couple in Sydney, Australia were left confused after a 10 per cent surcharge was added to their tab at an eatery.
The couple were aware that this policy usually applies to large groups, so were left baffled that the two of them were being stung for it.
Lisa Sun claimed she was told the “unreasonable” fee was added on “because there was live music.”