Why Sunday brunch is the worst meal of the week

Frank Chung
AUGUST 22, 2016
news.com.au
THE consumer watchdog’s crackdown on excessive credit card surcharges won’t even touch the sides of that great Aussie tradition: paying way too much for Sunday brunch.
Many cafes and restaurants around the country continue to charge customers up to 10 per cent extra on Sundays, ostensibly to cover the increased costs of labour.
A decision by the industrial umpire on whether to cut Sunday penalty rates for workers covered by the hairdresser, pharmacy, fast-food, retail, restaurant, hospitality and registered club awards is due later in the year.
Labor and the unions are pushing hard against any reduction in penalty rates, while Liberals broadly support bringing them into line with Saturday loadings.
But even if the Fair Work Commission slashes Sunday rates, there is no guarantee the savings will be passed onto customers in the form of reduced Sunday surcharges.
And unfortunately for brunchers, the consumer watchdog will be powerless to intervene anyway. Strict new surcharging rules coming into effect this year and next only relate to how much retailers can charge customers to use credit or debit cards.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will be monitoring retailers to ensure they only pass onto customers the cost of processing the transaction.
“Businesses can charge a surcharge on certain days such as public holidays, or for certain payment methods,” a spokesman for the ACCC said.
“Businesses must ensure that customers are aware — before they enter into the transaction or contract — that a fee will apply and the amount of the fee. However, the fee charged is at the discretion of the merchant.
“Restaurants and cafes that charge a surcharge on certain days do not need to provide a separate menu or price list or have a separate price column with the surcharge factored in.
“However, the menu must disclose this charge and these words must be displayed at least as prominently as the most prominent price on the menu.
“If the menu does not have prices listed, these words must be displayed in a way that is conspicuous and visible to a reader. These measures apply to pricing for both food and beverages.”
Consumer advocate Christopher Zinn, who is spearheading the Surcharge Free campaign, said a 10 per cent Sunday slug “underlines one of the basic paradoxes of surcharges”. “You will never go back there,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if they have the best coffee in the world, they’ve lost your custom for a one-off payment. It’s self-defeating — yes, you are entitled to surcharge reasonably, but many businesses realise that in fact they are cutting off their nose to spite their face.”