A Sydney vlogger has shared her outrage over an “obscene” restaurant surcharge she was forced to pay in a sign the city’s cost of living crisis is ramping up.
TikTokker Lisa Sun detailed the unusual expense in a video titled “unreasonable surcharge rant (and) daily blog” which she posted to the social media platform.
After sharing the highlights of her day, she recalled that she and her partner recently had a night out at an unidentified restaurant in Darlinghurst.
“David and I went to this restaurant a couple of weeks ago … and they charged us a 10 percent surcharge,” Ms. Sun explained.
She reiterated the extra charge was a “big group” expense, which baffled the Sydneysider given she was attending the venue with just her partner.
“When I went to pay I was like ‘um, is this because there are two of us? Would you not have charged us this surcharge if I came alone?’” she questioned.
“Like how much smaller can this group realistically get, there’s two of us?”
Ms. Sun then claimed the restaurant employee responded by telling them the surcharge was rather for “live music”, leaving her stumped.
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” she told her followers.
“How do you guys feel about being charged a surcharge for live music that you didn’t ask for and that you weren’t aware of prior to going to dinner?”
While Ms. Sun admitted she footed the bill, she did explain she had doubts over the payment and whether it was a legitimate expense.
Many of the social media influencer’s followers shared her frustrations by taking to the comments section of her video.
“Daylight robbery at its finest. They do these extra surcharges knowing they can get away with it,” one woman said.
“All the surcharges plus tipping are getting out of hand. Paid cash for dinner and they just kept the change. I didn’t bother asking for it but wtf,” a second person added.
A third commented: “Bro I didn’t order live music, why you charging??? That’s ridiculous.”
Not the first, and probably won’t be the last
Unfortunately for foodies, this bizarre surcharge is nothing new and adds to a spate of extra costs that have become the new normal across the country.
Earlier this year, consumers shared their rage over an unexpectedly expensive surcharge on top of already costly menu items at popular dining group Pacific Concepts’ restaurants.
Not only was the restaurant’s online ordering systems made to default tip staff, but one sharp-eyed customer noticed an extra expense had made its way onto the receipt – coined the “venue surcharge”.
The patron was forced to pay 6.5 percent extra in addition to a $0.31 card processing fee, bringing his $21.29, 700ml Cadillac Mango Margarita to $22.98.
“Prices are already extremely high, then at the end they sting you with a 6.5 percent venue charge, a credit card charge, and then they ask you for a tip,” the customer told news.com.au.
“This should be all paid by the restaurant as an expense they provide … can’t they claim that on tax anyway as a business expense?”
Pacific Concepts later confirmed all its restaurants required customers to pay a 6.5 percent venue surcharge and labeled it as “commonplace” across the industry.
“Card processing fees and service charges are commonplace across the Australian hospitality industry and cover various costs incurred by businesses,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.
“We are fully transparent about charges, which are noted on our menus, websites, and receipts across Pacific Concepts restaurants.”
There is no limit as to how much extra a business can charge in additional costs.