A storm in a coffee cup has erupted over Prime Minister Anthony Albanese suggesting cafes shouldn’t be charging extra for their menu items on public holidays.
According to Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association chief executive Wes Lambert that’s rubbish, as venues are operating on profit margins of 3.3% at the best of times.
Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia CEO Luke Achterstraat agreed, saying the PM had “well and truly jumped the shark” with comments that were “a bit insulting”.
Among the reasons why the surcharges are applied are the extra costs of penalty rates, which mean cafes can be paying a barista up to $70 an hour.
For a millisecond after reading that I thought blimey, how come baristas earn that much?
But I quickly reminded myself that they work bloody hard – during peak times they are being absolutely hammered by constant orders as patrons tap their feet waiting for them.
I am really grateful to my regular baristas for their great coffee and good humour in the face of that barrage.
When things aren’t insanely crazy we will have a chitter chat about what’s happening in our lives – I even dropped off a sheet of suggestions for my city barista ahead of her recent trip to Japan.
Actually, I love all the staff at my regular, inner-city coffee shop – Cafe Portico in York Street. They call out “Hello Alana!” when I walk through the door and whenever they think I need a pick-me-up, they pop an extra little cookie on top of my strong flat white.
They are so kind and friendly – it’s such a nice way to start my days in the office.
When I’m working from home and on weekends, I head to a cafe around the corner from my place. Last week the owner asked me if I had a coffee card. I told him I didn’t. He asked if I would like one and I said no, I preferred to pay full price.
He grinned and said “I like people like you!”
It wouldn’t feel right to me to get free coffees when hospitality is such a hard slog. Although, I did appreciate the barista’s kindness in making me a replacement that time I dropped my first one all over the footpath on my way home.
I am no hero – I sporadically order food and I’m not a big tipper – so paying full price for my coffee is the least I can do.
Song of the day: REM “I don’t sleep I dream”
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