50p extra for milk with coffee is ridiculous isn't it?

[MinnieMountain]

A new cafe has opened in our town centre. The menu on the wall behind the till says "Americano £3.40". I was charged £3.90 for one with milk. Not special milk, just the usual tiny jug. The woman who served me agreed to put in a splash of milk for no extra.

I know the cost of everything is going up but 50p for 20ml of semi-skimmed is taking the piss. Plus the fact that their massive wall menu doesn't mention it.

Last time I went to the hairdresser, they’d added £20 for a blow dry.

I’m not sure what exactly the alternative was after a cut and colour, just sending me home with wet hair and hoping I was happy with the result once it had dried?

You're complaining about 50p for milk but paying £3.40 for a cup of coffee doesn't even register?

I ask for a rough dry if that helps. Can’t remember how much but a lot cheaper.

Pretty standard price for coffee where I am.

but agree extra for milk is mad. Milk is a standard part of a cup of coffee for a lot of people. Even if it were to be added extra 50p is a lot!!

Last time I went to the hairdresser, they’d added £20 for a blow dry.

I’m not sure what exactly the alternative was after a cut and colour, just sending me home with wet hair and hoping I was happy with the result once it had dried?

A wet cut is a thing, I used to have one. But I'd expect the pricing to be clear.

Ditto OP's coffee, Id expect the shop's prices to cover the milk or no milk scenario.

An americano doesn’t have milk in as standard though so charging for milk seems fine.

An americano is a black coffee so if you want milk with it then it's fair enough for them to charge for it. I own a cafe and it's a struggle to make any money with sky high rents so I can totally see why people have to charge for extras.

If some hot water and a bit of coffee is £3.40, doesn't sound outrageous that the milk would be 50p.

Tea is the real rip off, at least with coffee they use a machine and put a slight bit of effort in, tea is just a teabag in hot water

Fortnums now charge for their distinctive blue bags which turn their customers into walking advertisements for the company.

They don’t miss a trick do they?

Just go out instead with my Italian friend for an afternoon coffee. She won’t allow milk in coffee after 12 noon. Milky coffee is just for breakfast. You’ll save a fortune over time.

Exactly, just like they charge you for shots of syrup, it’s something extra in your basic coffee.

Do you stay open past 10 a.m. and on the weekends? Because, not you personally, others complain of rents and costs but go out of their way to make sure they are only open when everyone is at work.

I usually get a wet cut because it is a lot cheaper but last time I went the lady had some spare time so she did it for nothing. It does look so much nicer but I can't justify the cost. Extra 50p for milk is taking the piss though.

I know that an Americano is an espresso with hot water added but typically, hence my post, it comes with milk at no extra cost anyway.

£3.40 is possibly a bit steep. It's normal-ish in my not posh town though. It's a new independent cafe that I wanted to try.

What’s madness is starbucks/costa etc having small, medium and large tea, each costing more. It’s the same teabag! Just extra water!!!!

I couldn't believe our local coffee shop is now charging £4.20 for a coffee. I'll just bake some scones and have coffee at home next time 😪

there has always been a charge. It is currently 30 p and the standard carrier bag is 10p . They double bag so 10p more?

the doorman minds your dog- do well worth 10p
to me. Ham is cheaper than Waitrose

I subsequently went to a very good cafe in Ely which charges £2.50 and no extra for milk. The cakes are still pricey but feel worth it for the odd treat (I can make decent coffee, I can't make a blueberry and frangipane tart with a lovely crispy crust).

I'm a play cafe so my customers are not generally at work anyway.

I have the opposite gripe with coffee from the Costa machine in our co-op. It charges the same for an americano as a cappuccino. Surely it costs more to make the cappuccino?

I don't know about the rest, but Costa have the one price for tea.
I always get it in the largest takeaway cup. Costs the same as a smaller tea that comes in pot.

Milk costs less than 50p a pint. They're mad.

There's also the time to put milk in the jug and wash the jug afterwards. Plus breakages/thefts.

Cafes seem expensive for what they serve, but when you add up all their costs - a professional machine costs thousands and will need regular maintenance. Plus everything else, all significantly increased in cost recently.

I don't think cafes are good value for money and don't particularly want what they offer, so rarely go there, but as it costs them more to put milk in a drink, then they're reasonable to charge for it.

If they had different prices, people would be getting the expensive drink and telling the person on the till they had the cheapest one, so it probably has to be that way. Saves them needing to check and holding up the queue and potentially spilling coffee all over the till.