I went to the Royal Botanical Gardens yesterday because the weather was so beautiful.
After a decent amount of walking, I stopped at The Terrace cafe to rehydrate. I had planned to get some water only but when I saw they had juices and smoothies I thought I'd get one.
I first ordered a juice. The menu on the wall lists all of the ingredients like "apple, spinach, kale…" so I assumed it was a freshly made juice, especially since it was $10. I ordered and paid. The cashier hands me this 350ml bottle of juice from behind the counter. I wouldn't say I was shocked, but I wasn't prepared to pay that. I said I would prefer to change my order to the smoothie.
So I paid the extra $4 for the $14 smoothie. Should I have asked about the product in advance? Yes, I guess so. But it was hot, I had people waiting for me, and one way or another I needed some hydration as I hadn't brought water. So I just paid and waited for my order to be called.
About 10 minutes later I get this smoothie passed to me. It's about the smallest smoothie I've ever seen. I didn't measure the quantity, but it must have been around 300-350ml. For $14.
It was freshly blended and tasted good. But for that price!?!
I know some people will probably say I shouldn't have paid it. Normally I wouldn't but I still had to walk back to St Kilda Rd and didn't want to get dehydrated as it can cause headaches. I never will go to a large park without my own water again though.
It just pisses me off though. I worked in hospitality for many years and I know there are plenty of operational costs for a small business. But this cafe has an endless stream of customers all day. They don't need to charge such excessive prices for underwhelming products. They are deliberately overcharging because they can count on people paying those prices when there are no other options within the immediate area.
TL;DR: The Terrace cafe at Royal Botanical Gardens charges $14 for a 300-350ml smoothie that is nothing above the usual standard.
Posted by 80crepes
2 Comments
> They are deliberately overcharging because they can count on people paying those prices when there are no other options within the immediate area.
Congratulations on discovering capitalism. And guess what, because they can get away with charging that much rent is very high so they have to charge that much.
I think you’ll be the only person in Melbourne surprised that the Botanical gardens have a cafe selling something way overpriced.
Ever been to a sporting or music event?