The rising cost of living has reached new heights at a Sydney pork roll store, after a customer spotted an unusual surcharge on the sandwich bar’s menu.
A photo posted to Reddit shows Vietnamese restaurant Sydney Pork Rolls’ extensive list of surcharges for extra fillings and a bag.
A roll from the store ranges from $5.50 and $8.50 in price with additional meat, ham or an egg to set the customer back an extra $1.50 while a second bag costs 10 cents.
But at the bottom of the list is an odd surcharge for a standard request, with the Haymarket shop charging customers an extra 20 cents if they request to have their roll “half cut”.
It’s a menu item that has baffled pork roll fans as some question why there’s an extra cost for a “two-second” service.
“Which way to cut in half?” one Reddit user commented. “Longways? Sideways? Across ways? So many questions here.”
“50 cents to ask why it costs 20 cents to cut,” posted another.
Meanwhile others thought of ways to get around the additional expense.
“Ask for it to be cut into thirds, must be free as it’s not on the price list,” one comment read.
Another said they might consider halving it themselves with their own butter knife.
The uncanny surcharge also had commenters crunching the numbers to see how much extra money the business could make in an hour.
“With a two-second cut … that equals $360p/hr. I’m getting into the sandwich biz,” one comment read.
“They should ask ‘would you like to cut it in half?’ like a fast food worker upselling (by) asking if ‘you want fries with that’,” said another.
Others have justified the additional cost explaining it could be due to the restaurant using more packaging to divide the roll.
“Getting it cut in half means the two halves are wrapped and packaged separately. It’s completely reasonable to charge extra,” a Reddit user posted, defending the expense.
Sydney Pork Rolls in Haymarket has been contacted for comment.
The roll half-cut surcharge joins a list of several other odd additional costs Sydneysiders have spotted around the state recently.
A Sydney airport cafe was reportedly charging $1.50 extra if a customer wanted more tomato in a toastie while others have noticed the price of babychino’s increase from $1 to $2.50 in other cafes across the state.
Some hospitality services and small businesses are also charging their customers extra by a small percentage if they pay for their items by tapping their debit or credit card opposed to inserting or swiping.
“Local cafe great before lockdown (sic) in Western Sydney, now surcharges if you pay with debit card,” one Sydneysider tweeted.
Venues can also charge a public holiday surcharge or weekend fee where prices are increased by a percentage on those days.
According to Australia’s consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), businesses can charge surcharges at their own discretion so long as the terms surrounding the surcharge are explicitly stated and don’t come as a surprise to the customer.
“The menu (or price list) must include the words ‘a surcharge of [percentage] applies on [the specified day or days]’ and these words must be displayed at least as prominently as the most prominent price on the menu (or price list),” the ACCC said.
There is no limit as to how much extra a business can charge in additional costs.
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