Ben Fordham sets up coffee tab after anti-vaxxer’s rant at Sydney cafe

Ben Fordham has offered a heartwarming gesture to a Sydney cafe where an anti-vaxxer’s bid to shame the business went very wrong.

A radio host is encouraging listeners to show their support for a Sydney cafe that became the target of an anti-vaxxer’s bizarre rant by opening up his own tab.

Cafe Dzajko in Tempe was targeted by an unknown man after he took ire with a sign saying staff required proof of vaccination to enter.

But his attempts to shame the inner west business appears to have fallen flat, with the cafe flooded with positive reviews and orders for coffee.

2GB host Ben Fordham called on his listeners to drop in and show their support. He even started a tab for loyal listeners.

A stunned customer and the bartisa had to endure the anti-vaxxer’s rant.

The man posted his rant

Speaking to Fordham on Wednesday, the cafe’s owner Sally Dzajko said the support since the incident had been overwhelming.

“It’s a family business. My husband and children are all part-owners and all we wanted to do was do the right thing and look after the community,” she said.

“We had one fellow who said he walked 4km to get to us, just to support us, to get a coffee.”

Fordham said he has transferred $100 into the cafe’s account, which he explained was a tab for 2GB listeners.

Customers need to mention 2GB or Fordham’s name to get a coffee paid for by the host.

The act of generosity came after a video was posted to Twitter on Monday that showed the moment an anti-vaxxer began shouting at cafe staff and accusing them of “segregating” people.

Ben Fordham has opened a tab at the cafe.

“What makes you think I’m going to hand over my medical private information of whether I’m vaccinated or not vaccinated to buy a cup of coffee?” the man asks.

“Do you see how insanely hypocritical that sounds? That you’re actually going to walk implicitly into segregation?”

The man claims he is a business owner and questions whether it is “apartheid day” and not “freedom day”.

A customer watches on awkwardly as the barista does not respond to the man’s taunts, telling him the business owner is next door.

As the man leaves, he says he is “very powerful” and urges people not to visit the cafe.

When I saw this rude & obnoxious vid from some anti-vaxx twerp abusing the staff at Cafe Dzajko I headed down to buy my lunch & leave a tip. Great ppl who deserve our respect and support. They actually started the business during the pandemic. Get down there as soon as you can. https://t.co/oyRD508laypic.twitter.com/NyXGR4t3ax

— Darcy Byrne (@MayorDarcy) October 12, 2021

In a subsequent tweet, a person shared the cafe’s Facebook page with the message: “Make them famous.”

However, social media users were quick to support the cafe with a flood of positive messages.

Some users ridiculed the anti-vaxxer’s video while offering to buy coffees from the business.

In a message to their Facebook page, Cafe Dzajko’s staff thanked the people who “shouted coffees” and supported their business.

“We are so thankful for your generosity,” the post reads.

– additional reporting by Blake Antrobus

Originally published as Ben Fordham sets up coffee tab after anti-vaxxer’s rant at Sydney cafe