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.
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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.