Fees to slice and serve birthday cakes: Are restaurant slugs fair or now ‘taking the p*ss’?

A Geelong man has sparked furious debate online about the rising cost of eating out and the beleaguered restaurant industry, after being charged for a cake to be cut and served.

A Geelong man has sparked furious debate online about the rising cost of eating out and the state’s struggling hospitality sector, after revealing he was slugged $12 for a supplied birthday cake to be cut into slices and served.

Luke Price on Thursday posted on the Geelong Name and Shame Facebook site that he had been charged $1 a slice for the cake to be cut at White Eagle House.

With 12 people at the birthday dinner, that meant 12 slices of cake, at an extra cost of $12, Mr Price said.

“They brought it (the cake) out to sing happy birthday and then took it back to cut it up for us because apparently we weren’t allowed to ourselves, but here’s the kicker, they charged us a dollar a piece to cut,” he said.

“Was wondering if this is a normal thing these days? Couldn’t believe it cost more than the cake to cut it.”

Are restaurants, crying poor, now outpricing themselves by adding too many fees?

Mr Price’s post sparked hundreds of comments on Facebook, with many people saying the cake cutting cost was now “very normal” — and should be expected given the restaurant had lost money on dessert sales, provided a service and had to wash the cake plates, forks and napkins afterwards.

“Some venues will charge upwards of $5 a slice for weddings,” one woman said.

“I think it’s fair. Small businesses are suffering and they need the community to support them,” said another.

Yet another said: “I was at a venue last weekend — brought our own cake. Had the option of them cutting it at $3.50 per head or I cut it at $2.50 per head. (With) 28 people — $70 they made, for us to cut the cake and we served it out. Business is business.”

That comment sparked further debate, with people responding it was “ludicrous” and “you should have taken your cake and left. They are taking the p*ss and don’t deserve customers”, and “sounds like a money grab”.

Others said while the cake cutting cost might be a sign of the times, it was a step too far and restaurants were only hurting themselves by adding extra fees and surcharges — which made them too expensive for average Aussies to dine at, in a cost of living crisis.

It follows news a Victorian restaurant was secretly charging a muffin-warming fee, and of more venues charging hefty weekend and public holiday — as well as credit card processing — surcharges.

One of the rooms at White Eagle House in Geelong. Picture: Supplied

“It’s a cake, not an entree or main meal. It’s celebratory cake for a birthday,” one woman said of the White House cakeage fee.

“The restaurant didn’t buy it. They didn’t make it. They ran a knife through it and walked out.”

The White Eagle House is a not-for-profit Polish community club in Geelong’s Breakwater, that offers a steak or parma and chips special on Monday and Tuesday nights for $19.50, as well as a range of Polish and other dishes.

Its desserts are priced about $7.50, and the venue features a bistro, sports bar, TAB, function rooms and pool tables.

Many venues now charge a fee to slice a birthday cake, brought from home.

‘Jac Bis’ — who said she was “familiar with White Eagle House” in commenting on Mr Price’s Facebook post — said she wanted to clear a few things up and “add to this healthy debate”.

There were strict rules around supplying your own cake at White Eagle for health and safety reasons, she said.

These rules included where it was bought, how it was stored and the use of knives for cutting and serving it.

Noting the bistro’s affordable meals, she added: “I guess the point is, for those venues mentioned that don’t charge a cake fee, check the price of their meals and drinks — you might find White Eagle doesn’t hide costs in other items.”

White Eagle House general manager Jacqueline Bisby said in a statement the club sponsored and supported many Geelong organisations and regularly provided prizes, vouchers or room hire for charity nights.

“Our menu has a variety of meals all priced on the lower end of most restaurants, and our available specials are likely the cheapest around Geelong,” Ms Bisby said.

“Our drink prices are below the average in Geelong area with full members receiving a further (approximately) 10 per cent off.”

She said the venue did indeed have a cake surcharge of $1 per person (or per slice if less).

White Eagle has a cake cutting fee of $1 per slice.

“Looking at an average 12 person booking on a Tuesday night ordering, in majority, the steak special, the total spend including cake charge would be $250 total — that works out at just over $20 per person for a main and dessert — pretty great bargain if you ask us,” Ms Bisby said.

“The cost involved in a hospitality business is hard to see from an outside view, one main plate for example isn’t just the cost of the food served, it also has cost for staff, food, napkins, electricity, cleaning, equipment, and the list goes on.

“We also lose the opportunity to sell our desserts, an area of our menu we are currently expanding. A not-for-profit club like White Eagle often runs its bistro to break even or with a small profit put back into the venue.”

Mr Price told the Herald Sun he had not actually wanted to shame the club, “just wanted to know if it was common practice” for restaurants to charge fees for cutting birthday cakes.

Originally published as Fees to slice and serve birthday cakes: Are restaurant slugs fair or now ‘taking the p*ss’?