What cheeses me off

[Pushka]

6.6c with Energy Australia and it will be 8c with Red Energy.

Ours with origin is 10c but it's capped low, Likely they increased the daily connection fee.

 

[Freq Flier 2013]

Ours with origin is 10c but it's capped low, Likely they increased the daily connection fee.

Have a look at Amber Electric. I found that we saved a lot of money with them.

 

[Flyfrequently]

WCMO is that Qantas pub at OOL closes between QF flights

Am told this is so Jetstar passengers don't abuse the lounge, but what about actual QF customers?

Something I can look forward to in March @Lynda2475

 

[Ade]

WCMO .... why can't cafes/eateries (not restaurants) at work reuse their curry bases to make food that vegos can like & eat.

Example: Cafe at work, has the following menu over the past week or so

Chicken Korma with rice - meat option
Zucchini balls with rice - vego option
Butter chicken with rice - meat option
veggie enchiladas - vego option
Spicy veggie & beef curry - meat option
margarita pizza with chips - vego option

Why not simply reuse the curry base from the Korma or the Butter gravy and add some veggies or cottage cheese (paneer) and make it vego. I mean, wouldn't it make the life of the chef easier and also give some that the vegos would like to eat - instead of pizza, chips or enchiladas ...

oh, btw, I chat with the chef regularly and the curry base does not have anything that is meat-y - say fish sauce or chicken/bone broth etc. The curry base itself is vego ...

 

[Pushka]

WCMO .... why can't cafes/eateries (not restaurants) at work reuse their curry bases to make food that vegos can like & eat.

Example: Cafe at work, has the following menu over the past week or so

Chicken Korma with rice - meat option
Zucchini balls with rice - vego option
Butter chicken with rice - meat option
veggie enchiladas - vego option
Spicy veggie & beef curry - meat option
margarita pizza with chips - vego option

Why not simply reuse the curry base from the Korma or the Butter gravy and add some veggies or cottage cheese (paneer) and make it vego. I mean, wouldn't it make the life of the chef easier and also give some that the vegos would like to eat - instead of pizza, chips or enchiladas ...

oh, btw, I chat with the chef regularly and the curry base does not have anything that is meat-y - say fish sauce or chicken/bone broth etc. The curry base itself is vego ...

That suggestion makes sense to me. No brainer actually

 

[Ade]

That suggestion makes sense to me. No brainer actually

For instance today, it’s curry chicken with rice as meat option and spinach feta puff pastry and chips as the vego option … I mean the curry sauce is right there mate

Also the vego options always seem unhealthy because there’s always chips as the side …

Not wanting to eat the pastry I went to my favourite Asian place for lunch …

 

[Flashback]

For instance today, it’s curry chicken with rice as meat option and spinach feta puff pastry and chips as the vego option … I mean the curry sauce is right there mate

Also the vego options always seem unhealthy because there’s always chips as the side …

Not wanting to eat the pastry I went to my favourite Asian place for lunch …

Mmmm, chips and curry sauce (at a fish and chip shop). Never saw that until I arrived in the UK - has it made its way to Aus?

 

[Mr_Orange]

Also the vego options always seem unhealthy because there’s always chips as the side …

It's because most restaurants try to create vegetarian version of meat dishes, rather than just creating genuine, plant-based meals.

I'm guessing a bit here too, but I suspect that chef school teaches that protein must come from meat and that humans need a certain amount of protein per day. Both of those assertions are BS, though and are perpetrated by the meat industry.

 

[Flashback]

It's because most restaurants try to create vegetarian version of meat dishes, rather than just creating genuine, plant-based meals.

I'm guessing a bit here too, but I suspect that chef school teaches that protein must come from meat and that humans need a certain amount of protein per day. Both of those assertions are BS, though and are perpetrated by the meat industry.

Most chefs would know that protein comes from non-meat sources as well, heck - I'm as meat eater as they come but I know.

 

[drron]

Mrsdrron is fussy with mangoes and prefers Kensington pride. last week they were on special at $3 each. This week normal price at $2.50.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Mrsdrron is fussy with mangoes and prefers Kensington pride. last week they were on special at $3 each. This week normal price at $2.50.

Wait until she's eaten the ones she's got and the price will go back up.

 

[RealtimeY]

A post by @prozac here reminded me... WCMO is tipping, and the many shapes and forms in which it's creeping into Australia.

Why restaurants are automatically adding tips to your bill

Sydney restaurants are increasingly adding service fees to group bookings, but if they aren’t up front they can be “at risk of breaching consumer law”.

www.smh.com.au

Courmadias said groups often split their bill, sometimes in varying portions: “Our experience has found it generally less confronting for guests to settle a set total amount including a tip than to discuss how much tip each individual is going to leave.”

The Malaya spokesman said larger groups sometimes forgot to add a tip when splitting bills, while corporate diners were usually not able to leave tips on their company credit cards.

 

[dajop]

A post by @prozac here reminded me... WCMO is tipping, and the many shapes and forms in which it's creeping into Australia.

Why restaurants are automatically adding tips to your bill

Sydney restaurants are increasingly adding service fees to group bookings, but if they aren’t up front they can be “at risk of breaching consumer law”.

www.smh.com.au

Interesting the automatic service charge for large groups as it is claimed they need more service than smaller groups, but aren’t they typically also ordering more? Never worked in hospitality so I don’t know, but curious does serving a table of 8 take a lot more effort than serving two tables of 4?

 

[MARTINE]

It is interesting the topic of tipping.
I remember travelling in US in 80’s not used to the concept quickly realising if I wanted anything a tip was involved (cabs/drinks/food/luggage porterage). My US friends & family were affronted that we did not do it in Australia (as we paid a living wage) - but - hey when in Rome - is the travellers mantra. As a traveller I did not want to see people starve but maybe the pressure point should be aimed at the employment landscape there that led to this situation in the first place.

Now here in Australia - adding a service charge I do not get. If its clearly advertised ok ie public holiday surcharges etc. Personally, I dont like getting slugged post- service. Surely if you amortise the costs into the meals and they increase the price -fine by me. I make decisions based on more than price when I go out.

 

[Mr_Orange]

public holiday surcharges etc.

This and, more recently, weekend surcharges really, really cheese me off. It's not as if business owners don't know about public holidays and weekends when they build their business model, after all, they are the same every year. They also know that they need to pay staff extra for these days so just build that in at the start and charge an extra 5c per meal.

Any kind of surcharging cheeses me off, TBH, including the electricity Demand Tarif - this is just another surcharge or tax.

 

[drron]

It is interesting the topic of tipping.
I remember travelling in US in 80’s not used to the concept quickly realising if I wanted anything a tip was involved (cabs/drinks/food/luggage porterage). My US friends & family were affronted that we did not do it in Australia (as we paid a living wage) - but - hey when in Rome - is the travellers mantra. As a traveller I did not want to see people starve but maybe the pressure point should be aimed at the employment landscape there that led to this situation in the first place.

Now here in Australia - adding a service charge I do not get. If its clearly advertised ok ie public holiday surcharges etc. Personally, I dont like getting slugged post- service. Surely if you amortise the costs into the meals and they increase the price -fine by me. I make decisions based on more than price when I go out.

But in several States now even tipped workers get the same minimum wage as all other workers and in 7 States that is $15 or above per hour. But that includes NY and California where the pressure to tip is usually greatest and suggested amount highest. tipping is never going to die in the USA.

 

[Pushka]

So many places in Europe add a service charge automatically. Around 12%. Yet there's still a tip option on the card transaction. I always make a point of looking at the bill and saying something like. ' oh, there's already a tip' and move to the next screen.

 

[Pushka]

This and, more recently, weekend surcharges really, really cheese me off. It's not as if business owners don't know about public holidays and weekends when they build their business model, after all, they are the same every year. They also know that they need to pay staff extra for these days so just build that in at the start and charge an extra 5c per meal.

Any kind of surcharging cheeses me off, TBH, including the electricity Demand Tarif - this is just another surcharge or tax.

I don't think that's fair to say business owners know in advance. Not that long ago the SA Govt introduced what I consider to be ridiculously high additional penalty rates (250% on top of the normal rate for that period on public holidays) so much so that many businesses could no longer open on those days. Lose lose. The casuals lost their pay for the day so were worse off.

 

[Mr_Orange]

I don't think that's fair to say business owners know in advance. Not that long ago the SA Govt introduced what I consider to be ridiculously high additional penalty rates (250% on top of the normal rate for that period on public holidays, so much so that many businesses could no longer open on those days. Lose lose. The casuals lost their pay for the day so were worse off.

Yes, but a buiness model can be adjusted. What worked at the start won't necessarily work in the future but surcharging is a sure fire way to annoy the heck out of your customers.

I have walked out of restaurants when I have found out that there is a surcharge.

Let's not even start on card surcharging which the RBA should just ban, outright!

 

[dajop]

Let's not even start on card surcharging which the RBA should just ban, outright!

Came across an interesting one last month at a restaurant. Standard 1.5% on top of menu for paying with debit or credit card. But 5% discount for cash! So effectively a 6.5% surcharge. No doubt the cost of taking credit cards is significant as there is an indisputable record of the transaction.