Charging extra for Mocha

Merapi on 04/08/2013 - 14:35

I'm just curious on what everyone's opinion is. I bought small take away Soy Mocha for $4.50 this morning from a coffee shop in the neighbourhood and I was charged $1 extra compared to a normal coffee (small coffee is $3.50). So I asked how much it is to have the soy milk.

I'm quite aware that some places charges extra for Soy Milk, which is fine with me. They said $0.50 to have soy milk and $0.50 to have the chocolate (to make the Mocha).

In my experience, I've never had to pay extra to have Mocha. Is it meant to be a normal standard practice? I can understand if this is a specialized chocolate place (eg, Max Brenner or Coco Black), but it's a normal coffee shop…

Obviously, I'm not going back there again, but I'm more curious if anyone else have had to pay extra for chocolate powder?

General Discussion

Comments

  • airzone on 04/08/2013 - 14:50
    +8

    It's not uncommon for a higher price for mocha… But imo, if the coffee requires chocolate powder to make it drinkable, then it's probably not a very good coffee shop anyway..

    • robbyjones on 04/08/2013 - 18:34
      +3

      $35-$40 per hour….really? I have never seen these rates anywhere in hospitality or retail for that matter. A loss at $4.50? What do you base your knowledge on?

      • ilostnemo on 04/08/2013 - 18:57

        A casual retail assistant is usually on $20+ Adult, so sunday would be $40+

        I would assume that if it took the person/s 5 minutes to make and serve a few minutes to prep the glasses, a few minutes to collect the dirty dishes, a few minutes to clean them, then you take out the cost of ingredients etc etc, I won't include the other overheads, but I can see where this person is going.

        A coffee shop wouldn't make much money if everyone just bought coffees.

        • kirasuran on 05/08/2013 - 10:30
          +1

          From memory and experience, Sundays are 1.5x normal pay only. Public holidays though are double.

        • bs0 on 05/08/2013 - 12:23

          yeah, i get approx. $30 on a sunday for hospitality work. ($21 on week days).

        • ilostnemo on 05/08/2013 - 14:47

          I just looked at the awards, and I was surprised. In WA retail staff receive double time for sunday and time and a half extra for public holidays (plus the normal day rate) so double time and a 1/2

          Restaurant, tea room, is not as generous.

          I will definitely tip, next time I receive a coffee on Sunday.

        • [Deactivated] on 06/08/2013 - 10:30

          The highest single profit margin in any coffee shop is the coffee btw.

        • Shitstorm on 06/08/2013 - 19:00
          +1

          I assume you mean tip the company not the staff. Ha what a twisted country, the loser making the coffee gets a massive portion of the money while the company outlaying all the initial money and bearing all the risks gets the shaft.

        • accessdenied on 07/08/2013 - 11:46

          mate.. not everyone pays sunday penalty rates.. Most of the coffee shop employees gets the same rates as weekdays.. its just the owners who are earning more. none else.

        • dealman on 07/08/2013 - 18:03

          mate.. not everyone pays sunday penalty rates..

          That would be illegal.

    • Merapi on 04/08/2013 - 15:16
      +6

      Thanks :)

  • Merapi on 04/08/2013 - 15:17
    +1

    OK, fair enough, maybe I'm just so used to buying coffee in the city where it's more competitive in price.

  • retiredfeline on 04/08/2013 - 16:23
    +2

    Mocha is usually more expensive than coffee on menus. That's the way it's been.

  • tokziktigah on 04/08/2013 - 18:07
    +5

    95% of places charge slightly more on their menu for mochas.

  • nubzy on 04/08/2013 - 18:40
    +3

    On the rare occasion I have mocha, it is usually the same price. What annoys me is when black coffee is on the menu at the same price as milk based ones. I avoid those cafes.

    • KBZ on 04/08/2013 - 20:31

      ^ + this so much.

      And most of them don't make black coffees right.
      Using one shot of espresso and running through the machine twice and not two.

  • mitcheo on 04/08/2013 - 19:34
    +1

    Of course you should pay more for a mocha.. Its a hot chocolate with coffee in it. If you didnt get charged extra for soy + chocolate there would be barely any profit on a cup.

  • mitcheo on 04/08/2013 - 20:43
    +8

    You can neg me but its true, i have owned a coffee shop. Premium chocolate powder is $20+ a kilo and good soy milk is upwards of $5 a litre.. Combine this with good beans @ $40 a kilo. Rent, electricity and an repayments on a $11,000 coffee machine.. Its not like where charging you for sugar sachets!

    • altomic on 04/08/2013 - 20:54
      +5

      good soy milk is upwards of $5 a litre

      it sh!ts me to tears when some coffee shop slugs me 50 cents or $1 for soy and they use crappy So-Good which is usually $2 tops from teh supermarket.

      how many people have soy these days? these places aren't opening 1 carton for only 1 person per day.

      it's blantant price gouging.

      tempted to start a website called soyfriend.com.au which lists cafes that don't charge for soy. we shall not take it lying down (nor with milk)

      • dsp26 on 06/08/2013 - 08:55

        well if its a good coffee shop then its worth the price… it takes a good barista to perfect steam/froth normal soy milk without burning it. Otherwise you'd end up with those artificial frothable ones which cost more

        • altomic on 06/08/2013 - 11:08
          -1

          well if its a good coffee shop then its worth the price

          regardless of the coffee shop it's not worth the price.

          it takes a good barista to perfect steam/froth normal soy milk without burning it.

          no it doesn't.

          it's not rocket science. "keep end of steamer just below surface of milk"

          I use woolworths homebrand soy with my espresso machine and it froths with no issues.

          it's not an art.

        • Forfiet on 06/08/2013 - 11:33

          "it's not an art." and yet people consider a barista a artist, mostly because their coffee didn't taste like cr*p compared with the last place they went to….. I'm not the best at making coffee and i can admit it(And I have access to a commercial machine like at a cafe)….. So I say yes, you can stuff soy coffee(remember the person who is making your soy coffee, most likely does not drink soy. A chef usually taste tests his food.)
          P.S Sorry for the rant guys. :)

        • altomic on 06/08/2013 - 11:38
          +1

          the whole "barista" thing has gotten way out of hand. e.g. mcdonalds

        • Forfiet on 06/08/2013 - 11:53

          mmm i can agree on that.

        • nubzy on 06/08/2013 - 14:47
          +1

          Not hard to do latte art, plenty of youtube tutorials

      • Shitstorm on 06/08/2013 - 19:09
        -1

        Soy milk is horrible for you! It has high concentrations of the known neurotoxin fluoride in addition to containing phytoestrogens.

        I hope you enjoy your brain damage and cancers if you keep drinking that crap.

    • r3volt on 05/08/2013 - 15:36
      +1

      I dont have sugar with my coffee so i should get a discount.

    • dsp26 on 06/08/2013 - 08:53

      Likewise… and vouch for these prices.

      Plus we all know that the cheapest way o get a doubleshot is to ask for a "Long black with half water" lol

      although if i was going to pay $40 a kilo for coffee, the coffee company should provide a lease machine free for that price… heck as much as i hate campos and tobys estate, lets use them as the benchmark since they seem to be the only name most people know… they dont even charge $40/kg of coffee assuming your cafe can do over 50Kg a week unless the prices have gone up

      • mitcheo on 06/08/2013 - 14:47

        Campos do charge $40/kilo plus delivery. if you are properly trained and use the equipment they ask, you can get it cheaper.

  • mitcheo on 04/08/2013 - 21:02

    I used to use vitasoy original, I would of like to use bonsoy but i would of have to charge more to make it viable.

  • chrisburnett on 05/08/2013 - 07:34

    I have a cafe and we use ganache to make our hot chocolates and mochas. The ganache is dark chocolate that we mix with hot cream. 50 cents extra is what we charge for a mocha, and I'd say that's reasonable on top of what a regular coffee costs. We use roughly half the ganache we would use for a hot chocolate per cup.

    I don't know if anyone has noticed, but prices really haven't gone up much in the last 20 years. I remember paying much more if not the same price for food and electrical items back then. Wages have gone up three fold. I don't know how anyone is making money anymore.

    • voteoften on 06/08/2013 - 00:27

      So,were baristas and wait staff being paid 6.50per hour back then? That is about when I moved to oz and I thought they were making about 13 or so.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/08/2013 - 14:58

    A Mocha is usually served in a larger cup / mug and is mostly the reason why it is more expensive.

    Adding chocolate to a coffee is usually not the reason why you pay more - look at a Cappuccino. All they have to do is shake the choc shaker a little more at the beginning to make the Mocha.

    Unless they use special chocolate mix - it shouldn't be charged - but it should be pointed out that the Mocha is served in a larger size if it is charged.

    I always think of a Mocha as a Hot Chocolate with a shot of coffee in it. This would usually mean paying the same price as a Hot Chocolate - which usually costs more.

    I've been working in the industry for 15 years + and I deal with restaurants all the time and most of them don't charge extra for Mocha IF IT IS THE SAME SIZE as a regular coffee and just uses a few extra shakes of the choc powder - otherwise it can be made / served entirely differently (such as tall glass / large cup) and would then be more expensive.

    • dsp26 on 06/08/2013 - 09:01
      -1

      in this scenario i would agree there should be no extra charge for mocha and explains why they all taste sh*t now and overpriced…

      Since when did a proper mocha or hot choc only take "a few extra shakes of choc powder"?

  • tko6070 on 05/08/2013 - 20:35

    should have got the coffee club card… and a friend :P

    • Forfiet on 07/08/2013 - 03:30
      +1

      I got the card - Tick.
      A friend - no deal :(

  • Givemethemoney on 05/08/2013 - 23:58

    Fairly standard isn't it

  • onlyletters on 06/08/2013 - 10:21

    Bargain with the barista. Its in your BLOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!

  • [Deactivated] on 06/08/2013 - 10:33
    +1

    As a true ozbargainer, I have become accustom to espresso. In most coffee shops it's the cheapest, and also provides the same (if not more) caffeine content as other drinks. If you are lucky, some good coffee shops still do the $3 espresso!

    To go one step further, I now use my ing paywave and get the $3 shot for $2.85! I can't tell now if it is the savings or the caffeine that gives me the boost

    • retiredfeline on 06/08/2013 - 10:35

      But if espresso and flat white are the same price, you're getting free milk. Which is good for the calcium.

      • [Deactivated] on 06/08/2013 - 11:16

        yes true, I don't think I have been to a place recently where the prices are the same. it just doesn't make sense, the barista spends longer steaming the milk cleaning wand pouring milk washing jug etc.

        maybe it is just a melbourne cafe thing where it's cheaper (i'm not talking gloria jeans or similar)

        • retiredfeline on 06/08/2013 - 11:23

          Maybe you could find a place where they give you a double shot for the same price as a single. Then you'd be bouncing. :)

  • Merapi on 06/08/2013 - 12:42
    +1

    Maybe I should grab some of these free hot chocolate sachet http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/112565 and order normal coffee next time :P

  • mikah on 06/08/2013 - 12:57
    +1

    Just take it in a flask from home ($6 from kmart). hmm, i can sympathise with the poster. I dont like coffee and drink soy chai which can vary between $3.80 and $5.80. My regular coffee shop put prices up and now charge $4.80 but with the coffee card they work out at $4.00 each. When you do the armchair math it seems pretty insulting… I make mine with 500 mls of soy milk which is 50 cents and two spoons of chai mix which is about 40 cents, so for under $1 I can make my own hot drinks for the day. Sure it is not as good but to be honest I just want to drink something warm.
    As for the coffee shop owners who make their beverages with high quality ingredients then perhaps you can justify your price but the truth is it seems all coffee shops charge similar prices for their product whether it is made from high quality ingredients or run-of-the-mill stuff (which is most common in my observations). Long and boring story short: just take a flask

  • prawol on 06/08/2013 - 13:47
    +4

    The chocolate powder they add has dairy in it - it seems odd to get this on soy.
    However, you want something extra in your coffee, it only makes sense to pay for it.

  • p1 ama on 06/08/2013 - 16:32

    Well if there's another place that doesn't charge for soy/mocha then go there, you should vote with your wallet really.

    The shop is completely entitled to charging however much they want and at the end of the day, they are just trying to turn a profit.

  • Jabba the Hutt on 07/08/2013 - 08:10

    One shop I made the occasional visit to used to charge 40 cents extra for skim milk, though they were still relatively cheap even with the surcharge.

  • ankor on 07/08/2013 - 13:11
    -1

    I don't accept paying extra for mochas, although I understand the logic behind the charge.

  • casey2 on 07/08/2013 - 15:19
    +1

    The place I go stick in about 20 choc melt buds for their mocha. It's sensational and they do charge an extra 50 cents.

  • mattshankar on 08/08/2013 - 10:44

    My tastebuds maybe dead cos I can't tell the differences between the coffees at the cafes nor the ones made from the machines. I just stick to 7-11 cheap coffee or make my own at home (thanks to the kmart flasks :) )

  • Davros on 08/08/2013 - 10:50

    Oh Dear, poor posters and their First World Problems
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN2WzQzxuoA

    If its that much of a problem for you make your own bloody coffee and take it to work in a thermos.

    • mitcheo on 08/08/2013 - 17:23

      Yuck stale coffee in a thermo, sitting at an unsafe temp. Should have known bloody tightarse ozbargainers haha

      • Davros on 08/08/2013 - 23:04

        Dont like it and want something better?
        Then stop whining about the cost of the coffee mocha you insist on drinking.

        Personally I am a Trung Nguyen guy so have no option but to drink mine at home.

        And tell us more about this "unsafe temp thing"

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