Little Jack Horner in Coogee charging $10.90 for side of avocado
A beachside cafe in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has raised eyebrows over the “grossly overpriced” cost of its smashed avocado side dish.
The decision of one cafe in Sydney’s eastern suburbs to raise the price of its avocado side dish to $10.90 – in response to the cost of rent, wages, power and produce – has left eyebrows raised.
It’s a figure high enough to send Bernard Salt to his grave – half the price of the $22 “smashed avocado with crumbled feta on five-grain toasted bread” he infamously maligned in October 2016.
It’s also more than five times the price you’d pay for a single avocado at the supermarket – the fruit, which is currently in season, is being sold for $1.40 a unit at Harris Farm, and $1.80 at both Coles and Woolworths.
A side dish of haloumi at Little Jack Horner will set you back $11.90, while bacon comes in at $9.90. All side dishes at the venue, which is across the road from Coogee Beach, are intended to be shared.
The price increases, which management told The Daily Telegraph are the first the cafe has had in more than three years, came into effect over Christmas.
Owner BJ McHatton said the cost of everything – from the plates his food is served on to the plants decorating the cafe – had increased dramatically.
“The whole industry is in a course correct,” Mr McHatton added.
While he’s “actively searching” for ways to pass on more value to his customer, the venue is a premium product, he said, the “purpose” of which is “to create memorable experiences for our team and our guests”.
“We are a quality product. Everything we offer is premium, from our location to our chefs. People might not see the value in that, but we are more than food on a plate.”
The restaurant and bar has operated in Coogee for close to eight years.
As Mr McHatton mentioned, not everyone can “see the value” – a number of locals have taken to Google reviews to declare “this place grossly overpriced”.
“Went to breakfast over the Easter long weekend. Food was good but we found this place grossly overpriced. For two breakfasts with fruit juices the bill came to nearly $100 (including a holiday surcharge). That is ridiculous,” the reviewer wrote.
“Great location, but not value for money,” another said.
A third wrote: “I’ll start by saying the food was great. However … food prices for breakfast were pushing close to that of what you would expect for dinner.”
While young Australians have long been warned by the likes of Salt and millionaire and property mogul Tim Gurner that our affinity for eating avocado toast meant we’d forfeited our chance of ever owning a home, a University of Sydney study in March poked holes in the theory.
The research, led by a team at the university’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning and undertaken for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, found that forgoing “smashed avocado” brunches and other lifestyle options won’t cut it for young people saving for their first home.
Family support is now key for most to achieve their home ownership dreams.
“Rapidly rising house prices and increases in the cost of living have made the challenge of buying a home much worse, with households – even those on moderate incomes – unable to keep pace with market increases through their usual saving and budgeting strategies,” lead research and Senior Lecturer in Urbanism, Dr Laurence Troy, said of the findings.
“For young people living in Sydney, family support was essential for those who had bought a home.”
At the same time, though, financial adviser and managing director of privately-owned financial planning and accounting company Financial Spectrum, Brenton Tong, recently told news.com.au that many Sydney residents have struggled to cut back on spending because of the lifestyle they’re accustomed to.
“Covid really buggered things up – cheap mortgages, cheaper rent, lots of money, and spending less on commuting, travel,” he explained.
“So a lot of people just started spending. It becomes the norm and [so it] can be hard to cut back. I’ve noticed that people are cutting back on things like restaurants and movies, but those smaller things like takeaway, Saturday breakfasts, weekends away – they’re still going strong.
“They’re not seen as luxuries for some anymore because they’re just a normal part of life.”