Cafe owner lashes out at woman who posted about coffee prices
A Melbourne coffee shop owner has slammed a customer for sharing her dismay at rising prices, telling her to “find a new local”.
Real Life
Don't miss out on the headlines from Real Life. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A cafe owner has faced backlash over his snarky response to a customer questioning the coffee prices.
Host of finance podcast She’s On The Money, Victoria Devine, said her favourite coffee shop in Glen Iris, Melbourne, called Pantry Glen Iris just reopened.
But, she was shocked at the new price tag that came with it — two “small” coffees set her back $12.
She took to Instagram to share her shock but didn’t reveal what cafe it was until the owner contacted her about the post.
Want a streaming service dedicated to news? Flash lets you stream 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >
Julien Moussi, who is the director of Only Hospitality Group which has $30m-plus in annual revenue and 22 venues, messaged Ms Devine.
“Predictable,” he began his message.
“Our pricing is a reflection of our talent, not your budget. Best find yourself another local!
“There is a 7/11 nearby that does $1 coffees? Otherwise get a real job that pays properly so you can afford the good things in life.”
Ms Devine shared the interaction to her story on Instagram, to which Mr Moussi doubled down on his commentary.
“The funniest thing is that you genuinely think that people care for your opinion,” he said.
Ms Devine closed the interaction by restating she hadn’t tagged the cafe in her original post, or even said where she was, and she only posted it because it’s relatable to “not love that your coffee goes from being $4 for 8 ounces to $6 for 6 ounces of coffee”.
However Julien said the whole conversation has been misconstrued and he’s recieved harsh comments.
He told news.com.au that Victoria was upset when the old owners sold the cafe.
Julien said he reached out to try and explain the background information to the cafe and offered to meet.
“Once I saw her come in on day one I was eager to see what she thought but sensed it was going to be a negative review,” he said.
“The comment at the job thing was misconstrued. I was suggesting she stop making a task and job of constantly posting negatively about the venue which she’d done in polls and also the unfollow comment which sparked negative comments.”
He added that the 7/11 comment was meant to be a laugh but he’s gotten some harsh comments about his family as a result.
Julien also contributed the price to the high quality beans and the business’s own roastery, with coffees ranging in price between $5 and $5.70. Alternative milks and decaf coffee are an additional cost.
“Thankfully it’s been a very busy start and everyone in the area has been really supportive,” he said.
“I’ve got a lot of ties to the area so I know a lot of people/families and we are really excited to make it a great meeting spot all day/night.”
Several social media users have taken issue with the cafe following the interaction with Ms Devine.
On a post announcing the coffee shop’s first day back in business, several said they couldn’t wait to enjoy their 7/11 coffee instead.
“It costs nothing to be kind but this is definitely going to cost you business. How embarrassing,” one person said.
Another added: “Disappointed by the owner of this business. Shaming customers! Won’t be going here ever, that’s for sure!”
A third added: “I guess I don’t have a real job, I won’t be able to afford your coffee.”
Cost of living is putting a lot of pressure on Australians, with the gap between the cost of living and Australians’ take home pay set to widen even further.
That is the warning from Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who spoke on Monday about the “confronting” economic statement he plans to make to the parliament next week.
Mr Chalmers said there was no credible economic forecaster in Australia who thought wages growth was going to keep up with inflation, and he would be revising up expectations for inflation — making the real wages situation even worse.
“We’ve had stagnant wages in this country for the best part of a decade, we’ve now got real wages going backwards substantially which is the worst combination of that wage stagnation and spiking inflation,” he said.
It comes after The Australia Institute released damning research that found rising prices in Australia are actually driving corporations’ profits to record highs.
Originally published as Cafe owner lashes out at woman who posted about coffee prices
Classic Aussie phrase now offends people
A retail worker has been left baffled after a customer claimed a classic Aussie phrase was “unprofessional” to use at work.
Eerie vision of missing family emerges
A fugitive father and the three children he ran off with almost three years ago have been spotted alive and well trekking through remote bushland.