A café owner has hit back after copping customer backlash about public holiday surcharges.

Aussies will spend millions in additional surcharges while dining out at cafes, pubs and restaurants over the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends.

Ruby Rule claimed her cafés in Brisbane ran at a loss over the Easter, even after a 15 per cent fee added to each transaction. 

The decision sparked fury from customers, prompting the cafe owner to speak out. 

‘This Easter long weekend, I’ve worked every day, paid my staff holiday rates and charged customers a 15 per cent surcharge,’ Ms Rule said in a TikTok video.

‘At one of my stores, we still didn’t even break even.’

‘I’m charging extra because it is a public holiday but I am still making less than [I would] on a normal weekday.’

She said one of her cafés was overrun on Good Friday, another just broke even, and the third had made a loss due to operational cost increases over the weekend. 

A café owner defended long weekend surcharges, revealing the costs of operating meant one of her restaurants still made a loss over the period

A café owner defended long weekend surcharges, revealing the costs of operating meant one of her restaurants still made a loss over the period

A customer threatened to throw a coffee at Ms Rule in a comment left in response to a previous video regarding the surcharges. 

‘If you’re pressed about paying 60 to 80 cents more on your coffee, then go ahead and throw it at me and make it a double shot,’ Ms Rule said in her latest video. 

‘Imagine running a team, covering wages, working the floor yourself and then going home with less money than you started with, because that is what I’m dealing with.’

Ms Rule’s comments sparked a divided reaction from viewers.

But many commenters supported the business owner and believe disgruntled consumers wouldn’t be happy with the alternative.

‘People complained of a surcharge, they should stay home and not complain,’ one wrote.

‘You didn’t ask them to come get a coffee … keep doing the surcharge, nothing wrong on public holiday.’

Another added: ‘I went to three different coffee shops over the weekend and was more than happy to pay surcharge!’

‘Grateful they were open and I could share quality time meeting friends & family!’ 

Ruby Rule was inundated with support after firing back at backlash from customers

Ruby Rule was inundated with support after firing back at backlash from customers

Aussie diners slugged with about $24.6million in surcharge fees over the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends

Aussie diners slugged with about $24.6million in surcharge fees over the Easter and Anzac Day long weekends

A third agreed: ‘(Customers would) be upset if you were closed but get upset by having to pay 80c because you chose to open to give them the option to buy a coffee.’ 

Aussies will spend an additional $98.4million at cafés, restaurants and takeaway businesses this month, according to research from money.com.au.

The Easter and Anzac Day long weekends will see diners slugged with about $24.6million in surcharge fees.

The research expected businesses would levy an average surcharge of 15 per cent in order to reclaim the costs of staff over the public holidays. 

AMP chief economist Shane Oliver said surcharges have a negative impact on consumer spending over the public holidays before the long weekend, but still forecast a spike in trading over April. 

‘This may make some people a bit reticent and they might think twice about spending, but still I think most people would still spend,’ he told NCA NewsWire. 

‘There’s the reality that, this year, it’s school holidays, people will be on holidays for longer lengths of period which could complicate things.

‘You can sort of think I would normally go out to the cafe or the restaurant on Easter Saturday, but might think, oh I’m on holiday I’ll eat in this Easter and go out later when it’s a bit cheaper, say Tuesday, so you could have perverse effects like that.’

Consumers are expected to pay a total of about $25million in surcharge fees over April

Consumers are expected to pay a total of about $25million in surcharge fees over April

Money.com.au’s finance expert Sean Callery urged Aussies to factor in surcharges if opting to dine out on public holidays.

Melbourne café owner Dan Dick told Yahoo he wouldn’t be able to open his businesses on public holidays without adding surcharges. 

‘The award dictates that on public holidays, staff are entitled to double time,’ he said.

‘Essentially, the casual award goes from $30s to $60s an hour and any full-timer gets a day in lieu. So it’s not feasible for businesses to absorb that.’

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