A customer has vented their fury on social media after paying almost $15 for a popular breakfast item that promised smashed avocado on sourdough — only to be served an avocado spread in a small bowl with a few pieces of regular toast.
The alleged smashed avocado swindle happened at the Hervey Bay Boat Club, which have since changed their menu from sourdough to toast.
“Wow … avocado on toast for $14.90,” the customer said.
“I have never seen such a basic version at any other cafe.”
The customer shared their disappointment on Facebook, with other people commenting it was “pretty poor”.
“Just gouging there,” one person said.
Another person posted: “Honestly, though? Facts … this sure doesn’t look like sourdough bread to me. They should be ashamed to charge those prices, let alone serve something so pathetic.”
Another person who had dined at the club added they had paid $38 for a bit of meat on mashed potato.
Hospitality industry consultant Anto Sweetapple said it was pretty standard fare to include the truth on menu items.
He said while commercially bought products had a place in the market this was probably not it.
“A few key elements for a good customer experience often stemmed from the right staff training programs and using qualified staff,” he said.
Mr Sweetapple said the industry had faced many challenges in recent times, which was still suffering a shortage of qualified staff in the kitchen and front of house since the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have seen that ease over the last eight months, but we’re still not overstocked with qualified people,” he said.
“The other key area is material costs, like food. There has been a significant increase in the price of goods over the last 12 months, which has led hospitality venues to think more creatively about the products they use and how they prepare them.”
Mr Sweetapple said just like the rest of us, hospitality venues had to undertake a make or buy exercise to save on labour, but sometimes it was cheaper to purchase the raw product and produce items themselves.
“Businesses just need to step back and look at their business,” he said.
“Often in these venues it is about increasing sales. We see fast food chains do it with bundling products and meal deals where customers might get a coffee or drink included for a small increase in price.
“That can lead to increased revenue and sales. At the end of the day, you want more money in the till you had the previous day.”
The Hervey Bay Boat Club was contacted for comment.