A diner spotted a ham and cheese toastie being sold at an Australian cafe for more than $30, sparking an online uproar among Australians.
A photo of the gourmet ham sandwich being sold at a Perth cafe for a whopping $31.20 was uploaded to Reddit on Tuesday.
The image from a delivery service app showed the grilled sandwich cut in half with a garnish on the side consisting of some salad leaves and slices of pickled red onion.
The diner was shocked by the cost.
“Anybody want a ham toastie for $32?” the diner captioned the post.
‘I know delivery apps add a surcharge and make everything more expensive, but my goodness, it’s chaos.
“I think this will be the moment that finally makes me quit these apps for good.”
The post was filled with hundreds of comments from fellow Australians, who were equally outraged.
Australians have been left outraged by the high price of the Gourmet Ham Toastie (pictured) after a diner spotted the food being sold at a cafe in Perth for a whopping $31.20.
“People need to stop paying these ridiculous prices. It’s nonsense,” wrote one.
Another added: “There is no universe in which I would pay $32 for a ham sandwich.”
A third commented: “For that amount you could buy half a kilo of ham, a small slice of camembert and a whole loaf of gourmet crispbread and make about 8 for that price.”
Others accused delivery apps of jacking up the price of takeout meals delivered through their service.
“Scamming customers, restaurants and delivery people is a stupid business model,” wrote one.
Some said it was not the fault of cafes and restaurants for selling food at high prices.
“If you or anyone else bought it, they are the problem, not part of the problem,” one wrote.
Others defended the cafe because of the high cost of the food.
“To be fair, it looks fucking excellent,” wrote one.
Diners said they would never pay $32 for food, while some accused delivery services of driving up the cost of food (file image)
The hospitality business has been hit by a 30 per cent rise in the cost of food, according to Independent Food Distributors Australia chief executive Richard Forbes.
“We’ve all seen how the price of food and drink has increased over the last two or three years,” Forbes said. news.com.au
“This is not going to improve until we start doing something to control companies’ costs.”
The latest complaint about the cost of the popular food comes as cafe owners say the average price of a flat white could soon rise to $7.
Hospitality businesses have considered raising the price of coffee as businesses are pushed to the limit amid the cost of living crisis.
Figures from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission revealed a record 1,667 food services collapsed in the 12 months to June 30, 2024.
CreditorWatch, a leading Australian business analyst firm, has predicted that one in 13 hotel businesses will fail in the next year.