How much?!

[Stormyinside]

Popped into local cafe this morning to grab a sandwich and coffee as in a mad rush and I am having building work done at home, so it’s chaotic and a lot of the house is inaccessible. Ordered a cappuccino and a bacon sandwich and was shocked at the price- £9.70! This cafe is always busy so obviously people are happy to pay what I would consider massively over inflated prices, of course I understand the cafe has increased bills to cover but I was genuinely surprised at how much they charged me, I checked the menu too and it wasn’t a mistake. Do cafes in your area charge this much- AIBU to be surprised? Im in a semi rural area in the south east.

Should go to the Eastenders caff or Stacey's Baps ( bbc soap ) their prices are crazy / ridiculously cheap !

I've just had a look at a local independent cafe near me (Beds/Herts border, average market town). A medium coffee is £2.55 and a bacon baguette is £3.99. Both extremely reasonable I think. They have put a quite significant mark up on most eat in prices though (roughly 20-25% on most things) so I guess that's where they're making the most money.

But they also have to pay to rent the building, pay the staff wages, cover utility costs as well as just the costs of the product. Seems reasonable to me.

I can see why you view it as expensive but it’s the same here - no surprises as I’m also rural SE.

£10.50 in my area (London).

I'm always surprised that those who can afford to buy a coffee instead of making one seem to be the ones who complain about the price...

Yes it is epensive but food inflation is huge and only getting worse. I work in a food-ish industry and we have suppliers looking at bankruptcy due to the massive price increases. Margins in food are generally small anyway so inflation is just making it worse

www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/shoppers-to-face-fresh-price-hikes-as-stores-suppliers-pass-on-costs/ar-AA17elDQ?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=f8dd4e1a64d64dbe93a09f46bae30eda

£9.50 for 2 takeway coffees and a bacon sandwich here (Ribble Valley East Lancs) however as I am typing this I am thinking probably not comparable as from a food truck, albeit a posh one. I'm also thinking do cafes that have takeaway and sit in use different price structure - I don't think they do.

YANBU, that's insane, I wouldn't pay it. Did you not check the prices before ordering?

Sorry but that's insane, for a bacon roll and coffee. I'd fill up a flask with filtered coffee (quick and easy to make) and grab a pack of croissants/muffins from a corner shop instead.

You would get change out of £5 for that at most places where I am. That's shocking price!

I'm sure at Greggs it's £2.60 for hot drink and bacon roll, bargain!

That’s a lot. It’s £11.50 for a full English and a tea at our local garden centre and that’s our ‘treat place’ as it’s quite a lot. Still works out cheaper than yours though. No, I don’t think you’re being tight.

1. Costs go up
2. Prices go up.
3. Footfall goes down.
4. revenue goes down below what is needed to cover (1)
5. Goto (2)

I now live abroad and it's the same here.
I won't pay prices like that. So they don't get my business. I understand they have increased costs and so on, but it's too much for me.
10 years ago I'd buy a drink and a sandwich regularly in a cafe. That doesn't happen any more. If I need food when I'm out I buy something in a supermarket and then sit on a bench in the car. Friends come round here to meet up or I go to theirs.
It comes to a point where the amount of money you need to fork out to sit in the nice cafe atmosphere isn't worth it any more.

£3.60 for a bacon toastie and a coffee in the cafe I stop in between my breakfast and lunch calls. Obviously nothing fancy, but nothing wrong with it either 🤷🏼‍♀️

We run two cafes, and that meal would be around 7.40. However we're in Manchester. Labour, utilities, and food have skyrocketed and the margins aren't great in the first place. Cafes also have to pay 20% VAT on all hot food takeaway sales including coffee.

I'm absolutely shocked when we order our wholesale food items or pay electricity (we had a £5k bill for this in one month for our small cafe, up from £500 a month in 2019.)
I doubt they're raking in the profit though it maybe slightly priced up due to the area.
I completely understand people not being willing to pay the prices, which is why I think our sales are down nearly 40% this year. I've cut back on almost everything. But sales drops mean cafes are even less able to keep prices low as we're barely breaking even.
That's my perspective anyway.

6. they shut.

Because I can't afford to give them my business. It's horrible but the govt has let things get out of control with rising energy and CoL, so something's gotta give.

Germany has introduced unlimited travel for £1.40 a day, you can't tell me it's not the fault of the Tories that people are struggling.

That seems extortionately expensive - assuming this is a standard white bread and bacon sandwich with a bit of sauce?

I'd expect to pay £6.50 max.

In our trendy local cafe a bacon and egg roll is £9, avocado on toast £10! We don’t go often!

Local cafe here. Very much not a posh one tho but good food!

Went into a Costa recently and was shocked to see a latte at over £4 - not a big or fancy one either. So I got a tea instead - and even that was nearly £3. For not very hot water and a bag of less than stellar tea. I won't be going back.

On the other hand I went to a local sandwich shop and asked for a chicken, avocado and tomato wrap. It was £5 but I think it had half a chicken in it - monstrous!!! I will be going back there!!

Germany has introduced unlimited travel for £1.40 a day, you can't tell me it's not the fault of the Tories that people are struggling.

The best and quickest way to ensure something doesn't happen in the UK, is to cite a good example of it working for foreigners - especially European foreigners. It's a phenomenon known as "not invented here" and can be observed in plenty of dim organisations.

Just checked the sit in prices at my local bistro.

Bacon roll £4.20
Cappuccino £2.80

£7 all in.

That would be £5.70 to eat in at our local lovely Cheshire cafe!

I have no idea what cafes round here charge for a bacon roll as I'm coeliac so generally not catered for - I'd happily pay a tenner for a gluten free bacon roll I haven't had to cook myself and a coffee.

I'm in the SE

My local café

Cappuccino £2.90
Bacon sandwich £3.80

You're being ripped off......