$10 restaurant cakeage charge has one influencer irate
One Sydney restaurant has raised the ire of an influencer over a $10 per head charge to bring a birthday cake.
Former Big Brother contestant Jules Rangiheuea flew from Perth to Sydney for the birthday, but got a rude shock at the cost.
“Bloody hell Sydney, since when did we start charging absolutely criminal prices to have cake at a restaurant?” she said in a TikTok video.
Cakeage is similar to corkage and covers the cost of storing, cutting and serving the cake. It also compensates the venue for the lost revenue of not ordering a dessert.
Rangiheuea said the charges were at “absolutely criminal prices”.
“I feel like this is a new thing too because it only just happened to me at the start of September,” said of a $5 per head fee she had experienced previously.
“This is the third restaurant that I’m going to tonight that has said it will be a $10 charge per person to eat the cake that we have bought,” she said.
“I know people are going to say, ‘Oh, the fridge sizing’ and everything, but have fridges changed since six months ago?
“I’m so confused, especially (with) the cost of living, like people are only going out now to celebrate and a lot of celebrations include cake.”
Rangiheuea threatened to change her dining habits by celebrating special occasions with a “Domino’s value range pizza with a cake at home”.
Some social media users identified, with one saying a Penrith pub wanted to charge a $30 fee for patrons to bring in their own cake.
However, others sided with the restaurant.
“I have a cafe, costs are going up like crazy, I am starting to charge for things I wouldn’t have in the past so I don’t have to put my menu up as much,” one social media user said.
Comments included: “Cakeage is actually pretty standard, it’s not only serving, storage etc but it’s loss of revenue for you bringing in your own – same as corkage”.
“It’s the fridge sizing – it’s the cutting – the serving – the washing of plates and cutlery”.
“$10 is excessive but I do understand a charge.”
One Aussie urged diners to support the industry, which was also doing it tough straight out of a pandemic and into a cost-of-living crisis.
“Consider the hospo community, one of the most heavily impacted industries,” one person said.
“Alternative option – buy desserts at the restaurants you go to.”
Jonathan Jackson, 25th October 2023
