Melbourne cafe introduces surcharge for Dan Andrews supporters
A cafe in Melbourne’s southeast is charging Daniel Andrews supporters an extra dollar for their coffee orders but the owners insist the surcharge is not politically motivated.
Franz Madlener is the co-owner of Arcobar in Moorabbin.
Earlier this week, he put up a sign that says: “Do you support Dan? Add $1 to your order.”
It continues to explain that the cafe introduced the surcharge for those “who think Dan is doing a great job”.
However, he says the sign is not anti-Dan Andrews but rather a warning against lecturing small businesses about the pandemic.
“Customers have been coming in every day and lecturing us about how lucky we are to be able to open,” Franz told 7NEWS.com.au.
“They ask us ‘aren’t you grateful?’ and the answer is no.”
The hospitality industry has been hit the hardest due to Victoria’s second lockdown, with the Premier promising to ease restrictions by November 1.
Franz said the surcharge is comparable to a “swear jar” for those who “think paying $3 for a coffee allows them to lecture us”.
“The first thought in the morning and the last at night is about the lockdown.
“It doesn’t lead to healthy banter, it’s vicious.”
He said the sign would have gone up regardless of which government was in power.
The cafe is not actively enforcing the surcharge, he said, and any money that did go into the “swear jar” was divided among the staff.