More Australian cafes and restaurants adding seasonal surcharges

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Cafe and restaurant customers have been surprised to find themselves paying more than usual for their morning coffee or meal, over the summer holidays. Some businesses have introduced a seasonal surcharge to cover rising costs.

Transcript

00:00Summer, the perfect time to brunch with friends or grab a coffee before a beach walk.

00:07But some customers have found their bill incurring surcharges, even when it's not a weekend or

00:12public holiday.

00:13Well you get caught out don't you, so you're going to eat out, so you pay it.

00:18I'd rather no surcharges, but I can understand why it happens.

00:24Surcharges have become commonplace at cafes and restaurants in recent years to cover labour

00:28penalty rates on weekends and public holidays.

00:31The extra fees can get as high as 25%.

00:35And while they might be an inconvenience for customers, business owners say they're essential.

00:39Basically, wages get doubled on a public holiday, so we do need to charge a surcharge to make

00:44it profitable, otherwise it's definitely not worth opening.

00:47I think the key is making sure customers are aware of the surcharge before making the purchase.

00:53During the summer months, an extra fee is even more common, due to the increased number

00:57of public holidays and the extra demand put on businesses.

01:01Some even charging a seasonal surcharge to cover the extra costs.

01:04A surcharge is a very small price to pay to ensure these businesses are open for us and

01:08they can survive and thrive.

01:10In Australia, casual hospitality staff earn 150% of an hourly wage for working on Saturdays.

01:16On Sundays it's $175, and public holidays earn two and a half times the cash.

01:22The surcharges these rates prompt might cause anger, but businesses say customers have the

01:26right to choose to stay and pay, or to go away.

01:30The Consumer Watchdog says businesses can impose surcharges at any time, as long as

01:34customers are aware of it.

01:36Ultimately that decision comes down to the business, and consumers can choose to vote

01:40with their feet as to whether they support that business or whether they don't.

01:43While divisive, it seems like businesses say surcharges are here to stay.

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