Ben Squires
Money & Banking

Uproar as NSW cafe charges extra for salt

After last week’s vegemite toast controversy, the practices of cafes around the country have been under the microscope. One particular eatery has drawn the ire of social media users around the country for applying a surcharge to salt.

News.com.au reports Beach Bums Café in Forster, has been inundated with complaints on their Facebook page for having a 20c charge for chicken salt on their menu.

The photo has since received hundreds of comments from social media users.

“That’s a bloody outrage it is,” one person wrote.

“That’s just un Australian,” another added.

“They charge extra... For salt. Seriously. They charge for salt.”

But the café hit back, telling News.com.au they actually imposed the salt charge on patrons who wanted salt added to a meal they had purchased elsewhere.

“We do not charge our customers for chicken salt,” the spokesman said.

“The charge that is displayed on our menu board is for customers who bring food into our venue purchased from our competitors and ask for us to put chicken salt on it for them.

“Chicken salt is around $22 (2kg box) for us to purchase compared to regular salt at $1.82 for the same volume.

“So for the average serve of Chicken Salt @ 20g the cost price is 22 cents. Considering that the customer hasn’t purchased from us in the first place I don’t find this an unreasonable charge.”

What are your thoughts?

Tags:
finance, nsw, salt, Money & Banking, cafe