I don't like to flame any establishment. Be it a cafe or a workshop, or a sales emporium, but I feel like I had my pocket picked this morning. I went to a fairly local (to me) well known cafe that is the haunt of many a biker, I'm not going to name the place. I ordered a mug of tea and a slice of ginger cake and whilst the young lady behind the counter was sorting out my order I pulled a fiver out of my wallet. When she came back with the drink and the cake she pressed the details into the cash register and then pronounced the total bill was £5:20 Thats for one mug of tea and one slice of cake, no cream or anything just a slice of cake! Now maybe I'm just being a tight old miser, but come on, that seems very expensive to me. Rather than just moan on about it, I wondered if I was indeed being unfair, what do you guys/gals pay for similar at your local biker cafe? I do know I can get a full breakfast including a mug of tea for just 75p more at another similar establishment much closer to where I live. The first place has now lost my trade, perhaps for good. OK, I don't spend a fortune there anyway and visited perhaps a dozen times in an average summer, so the loss of my trade shouldn't affect them too much, if at all, but if others start to think like me, they could be losing trade hand over fist. We all know prices of everything have gone up in the last few years, particularly since the Covid lockdown, but this is one step too much for me. Last year their prices were no where near this high. End of rant.
The problem is that many of these places have a captive audience in that bikers or any other type of group will venture out to meet like minded people and take a look at the bikes etc. and as these types of places, especially bike meets, are out of town there is very little alternative if you do want a drink or snack.
There used to be loads of caravans tucked away that sold a cup of stewed tea in a polystyrene cup for something like 50p. They have been replaced with converted Airstream trailers selling a latte for £3. Progress...
@johne: Here in Austria your payed price would have been "cheap"! The "new normal" price after COVID is about £8,50/€10 for your order. There are some places where you can get it for better prices, but in big cities the prices rushed the last years through the ceiling! £4,4/€5,20 for a single cup of coffee is meanwhile usual.
johne. that seems to be the average sort of price around the various watering holes that my wife and I frequent around the Taunton area, roughly £2ish for a tea and just over £3 for a cake. It's all gone up recently but wage costs, energy costs and food costs have all spiralled so that's the sort of price we are going to have to pay
Went to the non- biker cafe at Byland abbey the other year and had a lovely piece of cake. Took the wife back last year and it had changed hands, had a makeover, and was full of yuppies having sunday lunch. The waitress asked if we'd booked because if not they were full. I said can we just have a coffee and a bag of crisps in the garden? Yes sure no problem. I got a tenner out for x2 coffees and x2 bags of crisps. Sorry, how much did you say? £13.60
Let me guess. Willingham Woods. If I'm correct then try this one, miles better, and without the idiots. https://wickenbyairfield.com/cafe/
There's a country pub on a well known biking route in the Peak District which seems to be a popular stop off for bikes and classic cars in Summer. A couple of years ago I was charged £7 for two 275ml bottles of Becks Blue. You can get a box 15 for £10 from Morrisons.
Like I said I won't name the place, but it wasn't Willingham or Squires over near Leeds. I agree with Adrian, in that Bikers tend to be creatures of habit when it come to cafes. You can ring your mate/s up and say lets meet at such and such a place at 10 am tomorrow and then we can ride on to the coast or where ever. Its nice to see what people turn up on and exchange banter perhaps with someone you've not met before. From your responses it would seem £5:20 for a cuppa and cake isn't out of the way at all, so perhaps I am being harsh, but being a tight Yorkshireman I'll be taking a flask of tea with me next time. A packet of ginger biscuits from Aldi are still less than 50p too. Lol
Cake seems to be one of many ways cafe’s can fleece folk. I find it is cheaper to get an English breakfast, which usually come’s with toast and a cuppa for just little more than tea and a cake.
The vast majority of people on here can afford it. Just another first world problem.....that said my cortado on the seafront in Spain is now 1.20, Euros
@johne. Yes we all have seen these hikes from our hangouts but like said here we are Bikers and expected to just accept it. Me I go to the McDonalds drive through these and get a full Breakfast for similar or less. Even take a coffee with me from there and enjoy it at the meet. But until all Biker get together and say enough is enough and stop buying it will go on. And we all know that's never going to happen we just say oh well. Joe
That seems to be a standard price around here for a decent coffee and cake, whether an establishment aimed at bikers or not.
Yep, I have a small insulated cup with a lid that locks that I use sometimes. I suppose the places are just trying to earn a living. On the weekends I know a few places like church/village halls that do tea and cake sales, they are better priced, one that springs to mind is £2.50 for tea and homemade cake, but only Sat 10-12.
We sometimes have a run out and call at a church that does diy tea and coffee. The bonus is there's usually a box of biscuits as well All relying on an honesty box and we don't mind dropping a few quid in for a good cause.
If it's a piece of Mr Kipling whatever I'd agree Steve. But....... SWMBO has recently been baking cakes to sell on the course at batting central for the lady captain's charity. The cost of the ingredients alone makes you cough, add to that the cost of heating the oven up and it's no joke. For a commercial establishment you've then got to add the cost of the person actually making the cake and then clearing up after them. And that's without the standard overheads the cafe has got. Anyhooo, I don't eat cake or full breakfasts when I'm out, Costa Packet is bad enough as it is, though our local one where I meet some of my fellow batters when the playing field is shut in close to a Gym, so that's not so bad. Far better than looking at old hairy arsed bikers
Stop being tight feckers These places have had their overheads doubled and yous would moan more if they didn't exist. Suck it up and support local traders
@andyc1 Not moaning but just when you visit some of these places and a cup of tea is 2 or three pounds and like water it really makes me angry. Like you I am from Northern Ireland and when we made tea it was Tea. And like wise I can go into McDonalds and get a breakfast complete with coffee for not much more. Joe
