The exorbitant cost of a double brunch at a Western Australian cafe has highlighted the reality of the cost of living crisis.
Holistic healer Tanya Lewis was staying at a hotel in Brussels – in the southwest of Western Australia – on Sunday when she decided to grab breakfast.
But after ordering $19 worth of boiled eggs and bacon, she was flustered when she was delivered an unsatisfying dish.
Ms Lewis took to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a snapshot from the show.
The photo showed two boiled eggs, two slices of basic white bread, two bacon bits, and two sachets of Devondale Natural Butter.
“$19 for breakfast in Busselton. Are you going to pay for this?” she asked.
She later revealed that she also ordered $10 orange juice with her meal, but got warm juice without ice instead.
Australians were quick to talk up the high cost of the disappointing meal, with many saying they could have made better food for less money at home.
One follower replied that Busselton was a “tourist town” that liked to steal visitors.
“To be honest, this seems ridiculous and over-the-top,” they said.
Another joked: “At least it’s real butter,” to which Mrs Lewis said: “Bonus. You get what you paid for.”
But others defended the café, saying their breakfast appeared to be cooked to perfection.
One said: “Production cost, plus labor cost (at least three people) plus rent, plus cleaning costs, plus electricity, plus insurance, plus tourist tax tax – and so on the list goes on.”
“If you don’t like paying for what you ordered, stay home.”
Ms Lewis replied that she never said it wasn’t delicious – just that it was just a shot at “inflation in Australia”.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is due to release the latest inflation figures on Wednesday.
Economists expect headline inflation to fall from 4.9 percent in October to 4.5 percent in November.
The Treasury expects inflation to slow to 3.75 per cent this financial year before reaching 2.75 per cent in 2024/25.