Café’s 30 per cent extra charge leaves customer stunned

Picture this: it is a crisp morning, and you are treating yourself to a classic Australian breakfast—an egg and bacon roll with hot chocolate.

You order from the takeaway menu, expecting to pay the advertised $13 combo price.

But as you go to settle in at a table, the cashier stops you in your tracks.

‘That’ll be $17 if you want to dine in,’ they say.

Wait, what? That is a 30 per cent jump just for the privilege of sitting down!

If you are thinking, ‘Surely the chair comes with a foot massage and a Netflix subscription for that price,’ you are not alone.

The stunned customer, who shared her story with Yahoo News, was so put off by the unexpected surcharge that she ended up eating her breakfast standing outside, feeling ‘awkward’ and ‘eating like a pigeon’ while waiting for the bank to open.

The experience left her questioning the state of Australian café culture. She mentioned there were no visible signs explaining the price difference, although she later noticed the menu was specifically marked as ‘takeaway’.

‘I know life is getting more and more expensive, but that much just to sit down and enjoy the brekky? I do not think it is normal,’ she said. And she is not the only one.

A quick scroll through online reviews reveals this is not an isolated incident—another customer complained about a similar price hike for a dine-in coffee, with staff justifying the extra cost as ‘because we have to clean the mug’.

So, what is really going on here? Is this the new normal for Australian cafés, or just a cheeky cash grab?

Why are some cafés charging more for dine-in?

To get to the bottom of this, we need to look at the economics of running a café in Australia.

Costs are rising across the board—from wages and rent to the price of ingredients and utilities.

Some café owners, like Franco Amitrano of Café & Cuchina in Surry Hills, say that a small surcharge for dine-in coffee (in his case, 20 cents) helps cover the extra labour involved in making the drink look nice and delivering it to your table.

‘It is not really about the washing up,’ Franco explains.

‘It is 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 is the extra in labour.’

But even Franco admits that a $4 surcharge is ‘too much’.

And he is right—most Australians would balk at paying that much extra just to sit down.

The rise of ‘unbundling’—and why it leaves a bad taste

According to Professor Nitika Garg, a marketing expert at the University of New South Wales, this practice is known as ‘unbundling’—where businesses separate out costs that used to be included in the price.

Think budget airlines charging extra for checked bags, seat selection, and even a cup of tea.

While it might make sense on paper, unbundling can leave customers feeling short-changed, and it is usually ‘not advisable’ for businesses that want to keep their customers happy.

Professor Garg suggests a better approach would be to have a single price for both takeaway and dine-in, even if it means the takeaway price is a little higher.

That way, customers know what to expect, and there are no nasty surprises at the counter.

Have you been stung by a sneaky surcharge?

We want to hear from you! Have you noticed cafés charging more for dine-in, or been surprised by other unexpected fees? Do you think it is fair, or is it a step too far? 

Share your stories and opinions in the comments below—let’s get the conversation brewing! And if you have got a tip or a café experience to share, drop us a line.

Also read: Are you missing out on this cafe’s secret discount trick?