Australian Politics Forum - Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays

whiteknight

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Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Dec 27^th, 2024 at 6:40am

‘Hate them’: Cafe owner shares consumer frustrations at public holiday costs
A cafe owner has been forced to defend a reviled price increase amid backlash from Aussies over the holiday period.

Dec 26 2024
News.com.au

An Australian cafe owner has been forced to defend public holiday surcharges which many businesses say do not cover the wage bills on those days.

Many consumers out enjoying some hospitality around Christmas time will be aware of the 10 to 15 per cent surcharge tacked onto their bills as a result of the public holidays.

Although the extra cost can cause a grimace at the register, restaurant or cafe owners are paying staff 1.5, 2 or even 2.5 times their base wage for working on public holidays.

Melbourne cafe operator Dan Dick does all he can to explain the cost pressures on small businesses.

Melbourne cafe owner Dan Dick says businesses simply cannot absorb the public holiday rates and regular award increases.

“This places a huge amount of pressure on operators like myself,” he says on his social media page, where he shares business insights and asks consumers their thoughts.

Furious punters have flooded the comment sections to vent their frustration at public holiday surcharges.

Yet Mr Dick has highlighted the cost for Australian businesses of industrial laws that protect people in casual and seasonal jobs with public holiday rates.

Mr Dick owns three cafes in Melbourne and uses social media to discuss the reality of running his businesses.

“I love football. Love it. Massive part of my life,” he said in one video.

“But having a public holiday for the grand final, on top of another public holiday in about a month for a f***ing horse race is dumb, and I hate them.”

Staff at Mr Dick’s cafes are entitled to double-time pay and a day in lieu for public holidays.

During a live interview earlier this year about business pressures and surcharges, Karl Stefanovic called Mr Dick a “whinger”.

Mr Dick said businesses are unable to bear the costs without passing on price increases, including for the 3.75 per cent award increase for hospitality staff this year.

“My intention is, honestly, to pass that cost back onto the consumer as of July 1,” he said ahead of the wage increase.

He questioned what cafes could do – or what consumers could forego – to cut costs in future.

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whiteknight Gold Member Online Australian Politics Posts: 8187 melbourne Gender:	Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays Reply #1 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 6:43am The good people of Australia love their public holidays. People that work them should get the penalty rates.
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Daves2017

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #2 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:31pm

whiteknight wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 6:43am:

The good people of Australia love their public holidays. People that work them should get the penalty rates.

I’d like to expand on this thought.

Sunday penalty rates came too be as a result of people having to work on the day of Christian god call to rest.
So if you aren’t at church every Sunday you should be at work without penalty rates?

Not a Christian? Don’t believe in Jesus? Off to work you go every 25th December without any penalty rates.

Good bye Easter break oh non believer. You work and earn standard hourly rate.

Australian day!
Not a citizen? Work no penalty rates.
You object to the invasion of Australia by the British, don’t be a hypocrite. Work standard pay rate.

So your in favour of a republic and happy to celebrate the king’s birthday at work on normal pay!

Labor Day? Not in a union get in line and too your job, no penalty rates.

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Thomas A. Edison said as early as in 1931, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

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Leroy

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #3 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:37pm

Daves2017 wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:31pm:

whiteknight wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 6:43am:

The good people of Australia love their public holidays. People that work them should get the penalty rates.

I’d like to expand on this thought.

Sunday penalty rates came too be as a result of people having to work on the day of Christian god call to rest.
So if you aren’t at church every Sunday you should be at work without penalty rates?

Not a Christian? Don’t believe in Jesus? Off to work you go every 25th December without any penalty rates.

Good bye Easter break oh non believer. You work and earn standard hourly rate.

Australian day!
Not a citizen? Work no penalty rates.
You object to the invasion of Australia by the British, don’t be a hypocrite. Work standard pay rate.

So your in favour of a republic and happy to celebrate the king’s birthday at work on normal pay!

Labor Day? Not in a union get in line and too your job, no penalty rates.

Expand a bit further each worker is entitled to 10 public holidays a year, just because they fall on some celebrated religious days it is not compulsory to follow those religious celebrations. You can take your entitled day off and go fishing instead if you want.

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Leroy Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 682 Gender:	Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays Reply #4 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:48pm I just don't get these type of stories, if you won't make any money on these days then don't open. What do they teach them in school now days.
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Grappler Truth Teller Feller Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 84709 Proud pre-1850's NO Voter Gender:	Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays Reply #5 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 9:03pm Wages are a minor cost of cafes. "In a cafe, wages can make up 25–35% of total sales. "
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greggerypeccary Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 137758 Gender:	Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays Reply #6 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 9:19pm Daves2017 wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:31pm: Not a citizen? Work no penalty rates. What's the reasoning behind that one?
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Daves2017

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #7 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 9:47pm

greggerypeccary wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 9:19pm:

Daves2017 wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:31pm:

Not a citizen? Work no penalty rates.

What's the reasoning behind that one?

Firstly please-

“What is hyperbole? Hyperbole is a purposeful exaggeration not meant to be taken literally. It is used to emphasize or draw attention to a certain element in a story.8 Feb 2023“

Secondly - well if your not an Australian citizen why should you have Australian day off or be paid penalties?

This could be a interesting.

I’m particularly interested in why anyone working in Australia is “ entitled to ten paid days off a year “?

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Thomas A. Edison said as early as in 1931, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

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Daves2017

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #8 - Dec 27^th, 2024 at 10:09pm

Leroy wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:48pm:

I just don't get these type of stories, if you won't make any money on these days then don't open. What do they teach them in school now days.

Very valid point.

I believe it’s so difficult in small business at the moment.
Particularly in hospitality at the moment that some businesses owners are simply rolling the dice.
If no other venues open on the public holiday they are going make good money.

If they have to compete then everyone will struggle to break even.

It’s hunger games literally.

Those with the deepest pockets should win but if they blink….

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Thomas A. Edison said as early as in 1931, “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

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Setanta Gold Member Offline \/ Peace man! Posts: 16610 Northern NSW Gender:	Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays Reply #9 - Dec 28^th, 2024 at 1:27am Although not opening if sales to wages is not viable, there is another option. Spread those ten or so public holiday costs over the the other three fifty five days. It's called planning. What did business do before the cry to cut penalties?
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John Smith Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 74619 Gender:	Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays Reply #10 - Dec 28^th, 2024 at 8:05am Daves2017 wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 9:47pm: Secondly - well if your not an Australian citizen why should you have Australian day off or be paid penalties? Cause it's not about any one person
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John Smith

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #11 - Dec 28^th, 2024 at 8:15am

Since when was it written into law that cafe's must make a profit on each and every day? I worked in a pizza restaurant for years. Back then, on Mondays and Tuesdays you usually barely made enough to cover the costs. They opened because customers expected it, and it bought them good will for the other five days of the week. Boss didn't want the customers to try another restaurant because he was closed, and then the customer make the other their regular because they were open when he wasn't.

At the end of the week once all the wages and expenses were paid, it proved to be very profitable for them so their was some method to his madness.

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Our esteemed leader:
I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus.

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Gnads

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #12 - Dec 28^th, 2024 at 10:08am

Daves2017 wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 8:31pm:

whiteknight wrote on Dec 27^th, 2024 at 6:43am:

The good people of Australia love their public holidays. People that work them should get the penalty rates.

I’d like to expand on this thought.

Sunday penalty rates came too be as a result of people having to work on the day of Christian god call to rest.
So if you aren’t at church every Sunday you should be at work without penalty rates?

Not a Christian? Don’t believe in Jesus? Off to work you go every 25th December without any penalty rates.

Good bye Easter break oh non believer. You work and earn standard hourly rate.

Australian day!
Not a citizen? Work no penalty rates.
You object to the invasion of Australia by the British, don’t be a hypocrite. Work standard pay rate.

So your in favour of a republic and happy to celebrate the king’s birthday at work on normal pay!

Labor Day? Not in a union get in line and too your job, no penalty rates.

All you're pushing is an American system where they pay shyte wages, have very few public holidays and they don't pay penalty rates.

Religion/Religious based or not everyone deserves some quality time off with friends & family .... it's called "work, life, balance".

Those who work on public holidays deserve their penalty rates ... most of which have seen reductions in those rates anyway.

They work so everyone can go out on weekends & public holidays to sip their lattes and take their wooly wooftah handbag dogs for their Cafe Dog Shows.

Small Businesses are always whinging about paying them ... yet they put all sorts of surcharges on ... like eftpos surcharges for using your card 7 days a week.

And the mark up on food & beverages in popular holiday spots is always higher.

If they don't want to pay penalty rates then do the work yourself.

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freediver

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #13 - Dec 28^th, 2024 at 10:21am

Setanta wrote on Dec 28^th, 2024 at 1:27am:

Although not opening if sales to wages is not viable, there is another option. Spread those ten or so public holiday costs over the the other three fifty five days. It's called planning. What did business do before the cry to cut penalties?

It's not that long ago that business were required by law to shut.

"Spreading the costs" does not make sense. They are not a charity. They are not there out of some sense of duty to serve you on a public holiday. I am sure the owners would rather keep whatever profits they make on other days. This is not less silly than asking the employees to donate part of their salary to cover the losses incurred.

Businesses and employees should be given the flexibility to decide whatever arrangements they want. If both the business and the employ want to work on any given day, the government should not be imposing restrictions that force them not to.

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John Smith

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Re: Cafe Owner Frustration At Public Holidays
Reply #14 - Dec 28^th, 2024 at 10:38am

freediver wrote on Dec 28^th, 2024 at 10:21am:

"Spreading the costs" does not make sense. They are not a charity. They are not there out of some sense of duty to serve you on a public holiday. I am sure the owners would rather keep whatever profits they make on other days. This is not less silly than asking the employees to donate part of their salary to cover the losses incurred.

so don't open. It's not that difficult.

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Our esteemed leader:
I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus.

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