Should A Cafe Charge More on Public Holiday?

LMimico on 05/06/2018 - 18:45
Last edited 05/06/2018 - 18:57 by 1 other user

Dear everyone, have something to ask.

I'm working in a cafe and we do surcharge on public holiday but I'm sure we get the correct wages on the day, which is quite a lot. If I'm a cafe owner, I really don't want to pay for this.

I understand why the owner do surcharge also understand why customer didn't want to pay for this. Because I'll be a customer when I'm not working.

Personally, I'm happy to pay for the surcharge because I know it's hard for small business to pay for that amount or decide to close on public holiday. If I don't have money, I'll stay at home.

Apparently, many cafe or restaurant don't surcharge because they are not paying that amount to the staff. Do you think it's OK? I don't think so… And it's unfair to the people who is abiding the law.

Way too many customers complain about the surcharge, some of them yell to the staff witch is very uncomfortable for us. Too many cafe or restaurant don't want to have this argument so they decide to close the door on public holiday, I think it's not good for WA or others. Especially in WA, it's dead.

Some customers said if the owner want to open on public holiday, they should use their own money to pay for the correct salary. But where is the money from?

I really don't understand some greedy customers but I appreciate the customer who's voice for me when the customer was laughing, yelling and insulting at me or my colleague.

Please share your thought and let's discuss.

Food & Grocery

Comments

    • SPCTRE on 05/06/2018 - 18:56
      +11

      How is it OK to underpay your staff?
      Don’t care wether they surcharge or not but underpaying staff is a No No.

      • poohduck on 05/06/2018 - 19:17
        +2

        Yes, it's an old school elitist view.

    • SydStrand on 05/06/2018 - 23:05
      +2

      I'm curious, have you ever actually worked retail or hospo? Ever had to close a store at midnight, or worked a boxing day? Please don't pretend you'd happily work on Christmas day for minimum wage.

  • chumlee on 05/06/2018 - 18:57
    +4

    On public holidays i find the good cafes & restaurant are packed and making a motza even though wages are higher. The ordinary cafes & restaurants are still only 1/4 to 1/2 full

    • tomsco on 05/06/2018 - 22:44

      So true.

      I understand for a smaller business, not charging a surcharge might make it harder to cover expenses, but as you say, public holidays then to lead to more people going out, which could mean more customers per hour than a normal day, therefore more revenue per hour. But I'm not a small business owner, so it's just speculation.

  • poohduck on 05/06/2018 - 19:11
    +17

    They can do what they want, as can you as a customer. I do believe that staff should be paid more for working on holidays (including weekends) or out of normal hours because of the social impact on their lives, which is real. Having coffee at a cafe is a luxury; working part time or at odd hours definitely isn't. Even with penalty rates those people won't be well paid.

  • spackbace on 05/06/2018 - 19:46
    +4

    Best to just be upfront when a place has a surcharge. That's the easiest way rather than having it in small print.

    If it's table service, normally the server will be upfront to avoid issues

  • HighAndDry on 05/06/2018 - 21:25
    +3

    Shops (including cafes) can charge whatever they want to charge, including surcharges, including on Public Holidays, so long as they're displaying it clearly (and so abiding by misleading advertising laws). Customers can decide to go there or not, cafe workers can decide to work there or not.

    Why do so many people want to control what other people do?

  • Georgevic on 05/06/2018 - 21:25

    Nah, I'll go to the one without the surcharge. It's not actually needed to make profit, it's just that business owners are greedy scummers.

    • robbyjones on 05/06/2018 - 21:56
      +3

      I'm guessing you're the guy that wants your free glass of water with ice served to you promptly and only wants to pay $3 for your cappuccino and fills your pockets with sugar sachets for later.

    • SydStrand on 05/06/2018 - 23:06
      +1

      Someone who obviously runs a small business and has extensive payroll experience, I'm sure.

      • Georgevic on 06/06/2018 - 01:40
        -3

        Always the scummers who come out to justify wage theft. If it was so difficult and not worth it to run a small business no one would do it. Being a boss is pathetically easy compared to being a worker.

        • tomsco on 06/06/2018 - 08:58
          +1

          Who are you intending to respond to. In no way is your response in line with Strand0410's. There is not a hint of justifying wage theft in their comment, even trying to read between the lines.

        • HighAndDry on 06/06/2018 - 09:58

          Being a boss is pathetically easy compared to being a worker.

          Parroting the above commenter… "Someone who obviously runs a small business and has extensive payroll experience, I'm sure."

          No - most small businesses fail. As in, by far the large majority of them fail. Most of them don't even have employees, because most small businesses are basically one-person or family run things.

  • garetz on 05/06/2018 - 21:34
    +3

    Business owners should be able to do whatever they want, as long as they pay the wages they should be paying and are following the laws. If they want to charge a surcharge on public holidays, make sure its plainly visible before the customer comes in and makes an order, having it in tiny text on the menu and finding about it after you make an order and are charged is not right. People can then make an informed decision if they want to spend their money at your establishment with its surcharges or not.

  • JimmyF on 05/06/2018 - 22:04
    +1

    That was painful to read…..

  • garffi on 05/06/2018 - 22:30
    +1

    I don't mind the surcharge as long as the staff are getting paid the correct rates and they have a sign notifying customers before we order.
    I only get coffee so an extra few cents won't hurt my bank.

  • sahh on 05/06/2018 - 22:37

    Blue sky thoughts here but businesses shouldn’t be relying on public holiday/Sunday surcharges to be able to turn a profit.

  • [Deactivated] on 05/06/2018 - 22:42
    +1

    If you read the op's story with a Russian accent it takes on a whole new meaning.

    • dasher86 on 06/06/2018 - 08:30

      I automatically re-read this with Colossus's accent…

      • HighAndDry on 06/06/2018 - 09:59

        Why can't it be a hot blonde Russian college girl?

  • ronnknee on 06/06/2018 - 01:08
    +1

    If the surcharge means the employee gets paid more on that day, then yes it is acceptable. However as an OzBargainer, I would prefer to eat at home or fast food restaurants.

    • HighAndDry on 06/06/2018 - 09:59

      I mean, you can tip.

  • Sofie519 on 06/06/2018 - 01:22
    +1

    As long as the surcharge is displayed upfront, people can vote with their wallets whether or not to spend in one place or another.

    I don't see why public holiday surcharge is an issue. The business is entitled to set their prices as they see fit and even attempt to earn more. (A surprising revelation for the frugal bargain hunters here wink)

    At the end of the day, you are the one to decide if the item is worth what they charge you for it. So if dinner is $30 normally and it's $33 on public holidays, your option, as it always has been, is to buy it or not.

  • Strahany on 06/06/2018 - 18:40
    +1

    The concept of charging extra to cover weekend loading is redundant; the 'extra' that the owner gets is from the extra business relative to a weekday. Sure, they're paying more for their staff, but any moderately well run business will easily make more than enough to offset loading.

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