‘Daylight robbery at its finest’: Bizarre surcharge stuns couple dining at Sydney restaurant

A Sydney couple were bewildered after learning they had to pay an unusual surcharge for a service they didn’t even request.

A Sydney vlogger has shared her outrage over an “obscene” restaurant surcharge she was forced to pay in a sign the city’s cost of living crisis is ramping up.

TikTokker Lisa Sun detailed the unusual expense in a video titled “unreasonable surcharge rant (and) daily blog” which she posted to the social media platform.

After sharing the highlights of her day, she recalled that she and her partner recently had a night out at an unidentified restaurant in Darlinghurst.

“David and I went to this restaurant a couple of weeks ago … and they charged us a 10 per cent surcharge,” Ms Sun explained.

Ms Sun and her partner were having a night out when they were charged the fee. Picture: Instagram/@itslisasun

She reiterated the extra charge was a “big group” expense, which baffled the Sydneysider given she was attending the venue with just her partner.

“When I went to pay I was like ‘um, is this because there are two of us? Would you not have charged us this surcharge if I came alone?’” she questioned.

“Like how much smaller can this group realistically get, there’s two of us?”

Ms Sun then claimed the restaurant employee responded by telling them the surcharge was rather for “live music”, leaving her stumped.

“I don’t know how I feel about that,” she told her followers.

“How do you guys feel about being charged a surcharge for live music that you didn’t ask for and that you weren’t aware of prior to going to dinner?”

While Ms Sun admitted she footed the bill, she did explain she had doubts over the payment and whether it was a legitimate expense.

Keep the conversation going – [e-mail]

The pair were charged a live music fee despite not requesting it. Picture: TikTok / @itslisasun

Many of the social media influencer’s followers shared her frustrations by taking to the comments section of her video.

“Daylight robbery at its finest. They do these extra surcharges knowing they can get away with it,” one woman said.

“All the surcharges plus tipping are getting out of hand. Paid cash for dinner and they just kept the change. I didn’t bother asking for it but wtf,” a second person added.

A third commented: “Bro I didn’t order live music, why you charging??? That’s ridiculous.”

Several other comments called for the Sydneysider to lodge a complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as the charge was “misleading”.

Not the first, and probably won’t be the last

Unfortunately for foodies, this bizarre surcharge is nothing new and adds to a spate of extra costs that have become the new normal across the country.

Earlier this year, consumers shared their rage over an unexpected expensive surcharge on top of already costly menu items at popular dining group Pacific Concepts’ restaurants.

Not only was the restaurant’s online ordering systems made to default tip staff, but one sharp-eyed customer noticed an extra expense had made its way onto the receipt – coined the “venue surcharge”.

The patron was forced to pay 6.5 per cent extra in addition to a $0.46 card processing fee, bringing his $32, 700ml Cadillac Mango Margarita to $34.54.

“Prices are already extremely high, then at the end they sting you with a 6.5 per cent venue charge, a credit card charge, and then they ask you for a tip,” the customer told news.com.au.

“This should be all paid by the restaurant as an expense they provide … can’t they claim that on tax anyway as a business expense?”

El Camino Cantina is among the businesses charging a venue surcharge.

Pacific Concepts later confirmed all its restaurants required customers to pay a 6.5 per cent venue surcharge and labelled it as “commonplace” across the industry.

“Card processing fees and service charges are commonplace across the Australian hospitality industry and cover various costs incurred by businesses,” a spokesperson told news.com.au.

“We are fully transparent about charges, which are noted on our menus, websites, and receipts across Pacific Concepts restaurants.”

According to the ACCC, businesses can charge surcharges at their own discretion so long as the terms surrounding them are explicitly stated and don’t come as a surprise to the customer.

There is no limit as to how much extra a business can charge in additional costs.

– With Brooke Rolfe

Originally published as ‘Daylight robbery at its finest’: Bizarre surcharge stuns couple dining at Sydney restaurant