‘Absolutely not’: Anger as Aus cafe charges extra to salt hot chips
A customer was outraged after being slapped with an extra fee on a popular takeaway item – with Aussies arguing it should be free.
Diners have blasted an “unAustralian” restaurant charge for an item many believe should be free.
Customers have been fired up after noticing that the cafe at the Oakvale Wildlife Park – a family-owned and run business in Port Stephens – is charging 50c to add chicken salt to its chips.
But the unexpected addition has not just left Aussies disgruntled, it has also sparked concerns that the cost of living crisis has gone too far.
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“Ex-f*cking-cuse me?” wrote a furious customer of the cafe on Reddit.
“Got a hot chips at Oakvale Farm near Nelson Bay and when I asked for chicken salt, they said that’ll be 50c. I said ‘absolutely not’ and walked away.
“I feel like this is more heinous than paying for sauce.”
While it might feel like a cruel prank, a menu shared in the post’s comments, where chicken salt is listed under ‘sauces’, with a price tag of 50 cents, appears to suggest it is very real.
Many were left gobsmacked to say the least, calling it “unAustralian”.
“That doesn’t pass the pub test,” said one person.
“Yeah that’s unAustralian,” said another.
“I’m shaken to my core just hearing about this second hand,” a third shared.
Others compared it to other small additions seen at takeaway venues.
“That’s absolutely bonkers. I would walk away from the whole order. I still hate paying for sauce, but Jesus salt? No. Just no. Let’s not normalise this,” said one commenter.
“This has been coming ever since they’ve been charging for sauce. Vinegar is next,” another said.
And, it seems they’re right, with vinegar and sauce also setting customers back 50 cents at this venue, according to this menu. If you want gravy, that will set you back $1.50.
Thankfully, at least, the rest of the prices look extremely reasonable. So, maybe an extra 50 cents isn’t all that bad.
Another version of the menu, on Oakvale Wildlife Park’s website, does not list chicken salt or vinegar as menu items – however the prices of sauces and gravy remain the same.
Oakdale Wildlife Park did not respond when contacted by news.com.au.
Overall, though, it’s become very clear that the price of takeaway food is soaring.
The cost of eating out has increased 3.3 per cent in just the last 12 months, according to recent ABS statistics, and 34 per cent since 2019.
Last month, a serving of hot chips from Zeus Street Greek went viral for all the wrong reasons.
For $3.90, one Sydney local scored a container not much bigger than a pair of airpods, sparking outrage from fellow Redditors.
“Zeus St Greek this is bloody pathetic. $5 small chips now come in a tiny sauce cup and contain maybe 12 chips, most of which were snapped in half to fit,” the author wrote.
Zeus Street Greek ultimately admitted to news.com.au that this particular serving wasn’t up to par.
“In this case, the portion served clearly wasn’t right, and it doesn’t reflect our standards. We’re following up with the team to ensure every serve lives up to what people expect and love about Yia Yia’s chips,” they said.
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Originally published as ‘Absolutely not’: Anger as Aus cafe charges extra to salt hot chips
