Outrage over ‘insane’ price of pot of tea at Sydney cafe   :(
Tea drinkers face a new low as one Sydney cafe charges a steep price for a single cup, exposing the industry’s most “infuriating” pricing practice.


News.com.au
January 7, 2026

How much would you pay for a cuppa at a cafe?

$4.50? $5? $5.50?

What about $6.50?

That’s the price one Sydneysider forked out for a teapot that seemed to contain only a single cup’s worth of tea.

“Shrinkflation in this city is getting ridiculous,” the Aussie man lamented on Reddit.   

“While waiting for the missus, I encountered the worst case of shrinkflation yet.”

He then shared photos of a black teapot at Pattison’s Patisserie pouring what looked like just one serving into a cup and saucer.

Pattison’s is a popular French-inspired chain known for pastries and coffee, with more than 20 NSW locations including Balgowlah, Burwood and Chatswood in Sydney.

The price of tea at a NSW coffee chain has sparked debate.

The post racked up dozens of likes and comments, sparking outrage over Sydney’s rising cafe prices, with one commenter calling it a “scam”.


“Tea drinkers get super ripped off in Australia,” said another.

Others admitted they were sick of paying “almost the same amount as a coffee” for a “20 cent tea bag and hot water”.

Another tea drinker declared cafe-bought tea should be at least half the price of coffee, given the effort that goes into making it compared with its more highly caffeinated counterpart.

Someone else claimed cafes get away with charging more for tea pots as “Australia doesn’t have much of a tea culture, so loose leaf is considered ‘fancy’, so they can charge through the roof”.

A man complained about paying $6.50 for this pot of tea.

However, others pointed out that you get more than just the tea when dining out.

“You’re paying for the table, not the tea,” noted one.

“It’s for the ambience,” another replied. “And the rent, labour and utilities”.

“You can drink tea two ways – at home or expensively,” a third wrote, as another added: “Ordering tea outside the home is really asking for it”.

Meanwhile, others suggested asking for refills of hot water to “get better value”.

News.com.au has reached out to Pattison’s for comment.

Plenty of commenters also thought the price was too steep,

While this is just one anecdote, official data confirms cafe and restaurant prices have indeed gone up in the last year.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Consumer Price Index, hospitality prices have increased by 3.3 per cent, marking the sharpest rise since the pandemic began.

For consumers, this translates into real wallet hits. For example, the average price of a coffee increased from $4.31 to $4.64 between June 2024 and June 2025 – a nearly eight per cent jump within a single year. Some city cafes are even charging between $6 and $7 a cup.

Economic pressures are mostly to blame, says Restaurant & Catering Australia president John Hart.

“The increases in restaurant pricing are simply a reflection of input costs,” Mr Hart told news.com.au.

“80 per cent of restaurant inputs are food and wages, which have both increased this year.”

As of July 2025, the national minimum wage rose by 3.5 per cent to $24.95 per hour.

Add penalty rates for weekends and public holidays, which push costs even higher, and businesses often have little choice but to further raise menu prices to stay afloat.

Overheads like rent and utilities have also risen, with reports across the industry showing these costs remain some of the biggest challenges for businesses trying to survive on tight margins.


Still, some industry experts argue cafes are overcharging for tea, even after factoring in rising business expenses.

When it comes to tea, standard tea bags are often worth no more than 5 to 10 cents.

Plus, many cafes will simply leave the tea bag on the side of the plate and not even brew it for the customer, meaning labour time, and therefore costs, are low.


The outcry has trickled over to ABC radio, where one user called the practice “the worst hospitality crime”.

I'd never buy a cup of tea anywhere.

$6.50 is ridiculous.

Boiled water & a tea bag of ground leaves in a piddling cup?

I only have a cup of tea at home occasionally.

Gnads wrote on Jan 7^th, 2026 at 9:53am:

I'd never buy a cup of tea anywhere. $6.50 is ridiculous. Boiled water & a tea bag of ground leaves in a piddling cup? I only have a cup of tea at home occasionally.

But you are not paying for a cup of tea are you, you are paying someone to serve you and make the tea for you, how much would you expect a business to charge you for supplying a table and all the equipment to make the tea, the premises for you to drink the tea in heated or air-conditioning, a waiter to serve you and to clean up after you and clean the dishes. Oh and he had to provide the waiter with a livable wage, so how much do you think would be a fair price?.

Leroy wrote on Jan 7^th, 2026 at 10:17am:

Gnads wrote on Jan 7th, 2026 at 9:53am: I'd never buy a cup of tea anywhere. $6.50 is ridiculous. Boiled water & a tea bag of ground leaves in a piddling cup? I only have a cup of tea at home occasionally. But you are not paying for a cup of tea are you, you are paying someone to serve you and make the tea for you, how much would you expect a business to charge you for supplying a table and all the equipment to make the tea, the premises for you to drink the tea in heated or air-conditioning, a waiter to serve you and to clean up after you and clean the dishes. Oh and he had to provide the waiter with a livable wage, so how much do you think would be a fair price?.

At large shopping centers - rent and wages takes 90% of the profit.

Abundance everywhere and numpties deciding to live in scarcity  :'( :'( :'( :'(

aquascoot wrote on Jan 7^th, 2026 at 3:40pm:

Abundance everywhere and numpties deciding to live in scarcity  :'( :'( :'( :'(

Er - you mean the people "deciding" to live in tents in major cities the world over?

Apart from an entire generation of average-wage earners being permanently  locked out of home-ownership.


(Joe Hockey's nonsense comes to mind....)

thegreatdivide wrote on Jan 7^th, 2026 at 5:14pm:

aquascoot wrote on Jan 7th, 2026 at 3:40pm: Abundance everywhere and numpties deciding to live in scarcity  :'( :'( :'( :'( Er - you mean the people "deciding" to live in tents in major cities the world over? Apart from an entire generation of average-wage earners being permanently  locked out of home-ownership. (Joe Hockey's nonsense comes to mind....)

Socialism is the answer.  It's the answer to EVERY question for you, parrot.

Creepy, slanderous gweggy skunk pig has wank fantasies on the mind, you have Chinese socialism.

Same same.

Frank wrote on Jan 7^th, 2026 at 5:46pm:

thegreatdivide wrote on Jan 7th, 2026 at 5:14pm: aquascoot wrote on Jan 7th, 2026 at 3:40pm: Abundance everywhere and numpties deciding to live in scarcity  :'( :'( :'( :'( Er - you mean the people "deciding" to live in tents in major cities the world over? Apart from an entire generation of average-wage earners being permanently  locked out of home-ownership. (Joe Hockey's nonsense comes to mind....) Socialism is the answer.  It's the answer to EVERY question for you, parrot.

Indeed, thanks for posting your original OP under the heading 'Socialism';
economic functionality IS at the base of all social relationships.

However, you need to distinguish between various meanings of the word "socialism" (post Marx);  eg,  take into account new possibilities of production and government  financing, in the post gold-standard, floating exchange rate, fiat currency era. 


Quote:

Creepy, slanderous gweggy skunk pig has wank fantasies on the mind, you have Chinese socialism. Same same.

Your error, there is a difference; though the Western-trained economists in charge of the PBofC, with their silly concerns re government debt, are massively hindering China's potential growth rate, which is why the Chinese economy is suffering DE-flation.

Bobby. wrote on Jan 7^th, 2026 at 10:20am:

Leroy wrote on Jan 7th, 2026 at 10:17am: Gnads wrote on Jan 7th, 2026 at 9:53am: I'd never buy a cup of tea anywhere. $6.50 is ridiculous. Boiled water & a tea bag of ground leaves in a piddling cup? I only have a cup of tea at home occasionally. But you are not paying for a cup of tea are you, you are paying someone to serve you and make the tea for you, how much would you expect a business to charge you for supplying a table and all the equipment to make the tea, the premises for you to drink the tea in heated or air-conditioning, a waiter to serve you and to clean up after you and clean the dishes. Oh and he had to provide the waiter with a livable wage, so how much do you think would be a fair price?. At large shopping centers - rent and wages takes 90% of the profit.

And Pattison's being a franchise, a bit of money gets kicked up to the franchisor.
It would take about 10 mins total to prepare, serve, clear and clean up a pot of tea.
A worker on $25/hr they're covering costs. If it's a public holiday they're losing money.

Is tea cheap in China?


Quote:

The price of tea in China varies dramatically, from under $5 USD for basic black tea per pound to thousands of dollars for rare, aged Puer or high-grade greens like Qingming Longjing, with factors like grade, age, region, and labor (hand-picking) driving costs, ranging from basic everyday tea to collector's items.

A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles?

And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it?

  The average monthly home loan repayment in Australia for new owner-occupier loans is approximately $3,935.
130/day, $5.50 hr.
A 10 minute cuppa costs you 90 cents and 45c drinking time.

Leroy wrote on Jan 7^th, 2026 at 10:17am:

Gnads wrote on Jan 7th, 2026 at 9:53am: I'd never buy a cup of tea anywhere. $6.50 is ridiculous. Boiled water & a tea bag of ground leaves in a piddling cup? I only have a cup of tea at home occasionally. But you are not paying for a cup of tea are you, you are paying someone to serve you and make the tea for you, how much would you expect a business to charge you for supplying a table and all the equipment to make the tea, the premises for you to drink the tea in heated or air-conditioning, a waiter to serve you and to clean up after you and clean the dishes. Oh and he had to provide the waiter with a livable wage, so how much do you think would be a fair price?.

That also applies to a cup of coffee, so there is no justification for the high cost of the low price tea.

By the way, anyone travelling through Armidale, NSW, is advised to visit the Railway Hotel, not only do they serve good food but hot meals are served on heated plates, which factor alone distinguishes them from most eateries in Australia.

freediver wrote on Jan 8^th, 2026 at 12:42pm:

A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it?

You have a point.

Don't buy food or drinks that you can easily make at home for 40 times cheaper!

tallowood wrote on Jan 8^th, 2026 at 10:40am:

Is tea cheap in China? Quote: The price of tea in China varies dramatically, from under $5 USD for basic black tea per pound to thousands of dollars for rare, aged Puer or high-grade greens like Qingming Longjing, with factors like grade, age, region, and labor (hand-picking) driving costs, ranging from basic everyday tea to collector's items.

All part of free enterprise market economies, in which rich people with more money than brains can pay a fortune for everyday consumer items to show how rich they are.

freediver wrote on Jan 8^th, 2026 at 12:42pm:

A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it?

Your error: the current cost of living crisis caused by dysfunctional Neoclassical economics is badly affecting ALL consumer necessities of life.

Sir Eoin O Fada wrote on Jan 10^th, 2026 at 10:01am:

travelling through Armidale, NSW, .

You will be pleasantly surprised by the excellent fish and chips to be obtained from Invergowrie Store, Armidale. Always of high quality, the chips are cooked to perfection in fresh oil at the hands of Barney, your genial host at Invergowrie in the scenic New England. Buy at Invergowrie Store, your one stop for fine food and fuel.

Bobby. wrote on Jan 10^th, 2026 at 10:10am:

freediver wrote on Jan 8th, 2026 at 12:42pm: A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it? You have a point. Don't buy food or drinks that you can easily make at home for 40 times cheaper!

Not what I am saying. If you want to sit down at a nice cafe and drink a cup of tea, go ahead. It only costs a few dollars.

What I am saying is WTF is news.com.au and WK trying to turn it into an outrage?


thegreatdivide wrote on Jan 10^th, 2026 at 10:22am:

freediver wrote on Jan 8th, 2026 at 12:42pm: A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it? Your error: the current cost of living crisis caused by dysfunctional Neoclassical economics is badly affecting ALL consumer necessities of life.

Anyone who is struggling to get by, but goes to a cafe for a pot of tea, is a moron who probably also struggles to tie their shoelaces.

FD,

Quote:

Not what I am saying. If you want to sit down at a nice cafe and drink a cup of tea, go ahead. It only costs a few dollars. What I am saying is WTF is news.com.au and WK trying to turn it into an outrage?

He just copied and pasted an interesting article from news.com.
Maybe sir Crook thought that since news.com considered it interesting
for their millions of readers, that Ozpol readers would also be interested?

I know sir Crook  - he's a bloke with his heart in the right place.    :-[

Well said Bobby, and as usual you are right again.   :)

freediver wrote on Jan 10^th, 2026 at 11:28am:

Bobby. wrote on Jan 10th, 2026 at 10:10am: freediver wrote on Jan 8th, 2026 at 12:42pm: A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it? You have a point. Don't buy food or drinks that you can easily make at home for 40 times cheaper! Not what I am saying. If you want to sit down at a nice cafe and drink a cup of tea, go ahead. It only costs a few dollars. What I am saying is WTF is news.com.au and WK trying to turn it into an outrage? thegreatdivide wrote on Jan 10th, 2026 at 10:22am: freediver wrote on Jan 8th, 2026 at 12:42pm: A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it? Your error: the current cost of living crisis caused by dysfunctional Neoclassical economics is badly affecting ALL consumer necessities of life. Anyone who is struggling to get by, but goes to a cafe for a pot of tea, is a moron who probably also struggles to tie their shoelaces.

It all depends on frequency. I can afford to take the family out to an expensive restaurant, but if I did it every meal my finances would take a hit.

Even a homeless person can afford the occasional bit of luxury like sitting down and getting a pot of tea. For reference, I rarely buy a coffee from a cafe,  I have a cute little 200ml stainless flask that is perfect for 2 shots that I make at home and take as a traveler.

whiteknight wrote on Jan 10^th, 2026 at 4:24pm:

Well said Bobby, and as usual you are right again.   :)

Thanks sir Crook,

keep up the good work.   :)

Bobby. wrote on Jan 10^th, 2026 at 12:26pm:

FD, [quote]Not what I am saying. If you want to sit down at a nice cafe and drink a cup of tea, go ahead. It only costs a few dollars. What I am saying is WTF is news.com.au and WK trying to turn it into an outrage?

He just copied and pasted an interesting article from news.com.
Maybe sir Crook thought that since news.com considered it interesting
for their millions of readers, that Ozpol readers would also be interested?

I know sir Crook  - he's a bloke with his heart in the right place.    :-[/quote]

But where is his head Bobby? He seems to be on autopilot most of the time. The only thing interesting about the article, and the hundreds of other almost-identical ones he posts, is how stupid and pointless they are, despite making it onto our largest news service.

Gordon wrote on Jan 10^th, 2026 at 4:31pm:

freediver wrote on Jan 10th, 2026 at 11:28am: Bobby. wrote on Jan 10th, 2026 at 10:10am: freediver wrote on Jan 8th, 2026 at 12:42pm: A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it? You have a point. Don't buy food or drinks that you can easily make at home for 40 times cheaper! Not what I am saying. If you want to sit down at a nice cafe and drink a cup of tea, go ahead. It only costs a few dollars. What I am saying is WTF is news.com.au and WK trying to turn it into an outrage? thegreatdivide wrote on Jan 10th, 2026 at 10:22am: freediver wrote on Jan 8th, 2026 at 12:42pm: A few days ago it was tim tams. Seems like it is a new on every week. Why does news.com.au keep churning out these petty "outrage over the price of something trivial in downtown Sydney" articles? And why do you keep reposting them WK? Just because it fits in with some communist narrative? Do you think the price of a pot of tea in a cafe is actually important? Do you actually feel angry about it? Your error: the current cost of living crisis caused by dysfunctional Neoclassical economics is badly affecting ALL consumer necessities of life. Anyone who is struggling to get by, but goes to a cafe for a pot of tea, is a moron who probably also struggles to tie their shoelaces. It all depends on frequency. I can afford to take the family out to an expensive restaurant, but if I did it every meal my finances would take a hit. Even a homeless person can afford the occasional bit of luxury like sitting down and getting a pot of tea. For reference, I rarely buy a coffee from a cafe,  I have a cute little 200ml stainless flask that is perfect for 2 shots that I make at home and take as a traveler.

You aren't struggling to get by. The customers at these cafes are not struggling to get by. Some of the employees may well be, and it is the price of the pot of tea that puts clothes on their back and food on their table.

freediver wrote on Jan 11^th, 2026 at 2:47pm:

You aren't struggling to get by. The customers at these cafes are not struggling to get by. Some of the employees may well be, and it is the price of the pot of tea that puts clothes on their back and food on their table.

Indeed; somewhat contradicting your earlier statement:


Quote:

Anyone who is struggling to get by, but goes to a cafe for a pot of tea, is a moron who probably also struggles to tie their shoelaces.

A contradiction resulting from your dysfunctional Neoclassical freemarket ideology.

See the remedy in the the latest post in the MMT thread: basically government deficits enabling government to manage cost of living pressures for low income groups. 

https://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1645944963/1380#1392

YouTube popped a video into my feed of Niall Ferguson (the author of The Ascent of Money: a financial history of the world) being interviewed on the TRIGGERnometry show. He was asked the inevitable question about governments “living beyond their means”, and gave the standard answer that governments which spent more than they collected in taxation are on the road to ruin.

(snip)

In fact, deficits are a feature of the system. Firstly, the government has to spend more than it takes back in taxation in order to create “fiat money”: money backed by the government’s authority, rather than by debt, as is the case for (private sector) credit money. Secondly, if the government spends more than it takes back in taxation, it increases the financial equity of the non-government sectors. The banks are already in positive financial equity, as they have to be. But the non-bank private sector starts in negative financial equity—as shown by the initial conditions—and the only way it can get into positive financial equity is if government spending exceeds taxation. This necessarily involves the government going into negative financial equity.

Come on fd, time to educate yourself.





     

Quote:

Indeed; somewhat contradicting your earlier statement:

You are a confused communist who supports mass murder and calls it peace.

freediver wrote on Jan 11^th, 2026 at 4:56pm:

Quote: Indeed; somewhat contradicting your earlier statement: You are a confused communist who supports mass murder and calls it peace.

Ah - you disappoint me fd, I expected better from you.

You even out-did Frank, in failing to address the post to which you imagined you were replying.

Deplorable. 

thegreatdivide wrote on Jan 11^th, 2026 at 5:04pm:

freediver wrote on Jan 11th, 2026 at 4:56pm: Quote: Indeed; somewhat contradicting your earlier statement: You are a confused communist who supports mass murder and calls it peace. Ah - you disappoint me fd, I expected better from you. You even out-did Frank, in failing to address the post to which you imagined you were replying. Deplorable.

I addressed it by pointing out that you are confused. I have no idea how you got that confused. It's not like you explained your thought process. You just blurted out something idiotic.

But yes, as well as being confused, you are communist who supports mass murder and calls it peace. Not unusual for a communist. But we so rarely come across real ones these days that it is worth remarking on. It's like you are a caricature from 1984. 100 million dead Chinese people is not enough for you.

TGD,
are you now or have you ever been
a member of the communist party?