'It's the principle': Sunrise weatherman Sam 'Mac' McMillan calls out 'sparkling scam'' hitting diners across the country amid cost-of-living crisis
The 42-year-old Channel Seven favourite took to social media on Tuesday to share his outrage after being hit with a $12 bill for a one-litre bottle of San Pellegrino at a restaurant, all because he said "sparkling" when asked what water he wanted.
"I said sparkling," Mac wrote in text over his video, filmed from the table.
"And suddenly I was the next victim of the #SparklingScam."
In the clip, the father-of-two shook his head in mock disbelief before turning the camera to the high-end bottle sitting on the table.
"Not today bro!" he declared, before knocking back several glasses.
"I will drink that one litre of sparkling water whether my bladder likes it or not."
"It's the PRINCIPLE!" he added.
"They are fully aware it's available in 250ml bottles."
While McMillan didn't name the restaurant, he did post a photo of the receipt showing the bottle cost $12.00, sparking a flood of comments from followers who felt his pain.
"This might be a little niche… but is anyone else onto the #SparklingScam," he captioned the post, which was reshared to his Instagram Stories.
Fans were quick to back him up.
"I'm with you on that, Sam! Let's spread the word!" one user wrote, while another added: "Biggest rip-off ever- should be free whether it has bubbles or not as most can just put it through an aerator."
Famous friends joined in too, with The Cockroaches frontman and former Wiggles manager Paul Field dropping two laughing emojis, while Dancing with the Stars champ Aric Yegudkin admitted: "Hahaha I get done every time too."
Still, not everyone agreed, with one follower leaping to the defence of the sparkling offender: "It's San Pellegrino, Sam! It's the Moet of Italian water! You should be smiling and grateful, it's delicious!"
Another user pointed out that the Sydney-based weatherman's dilemma seemed like a "big city" problem.
"Where was this? There's a bit of big city energy about that," they wrote.
McMillan, known for his humour both on and off air, has been easing back into the swing of things after returning from "Dad leave" following the birth of his second daughter.
In a recent reel, the self described "TV Weather Boi" documented his whirlwind week covering more than 6000 kilometres across Auckland, Waiheke Island, Brisbane, K'gari (Fraser Island), Caloundra and Sydney, all while tackling "the big topics".
"Do you put the cream on first or the jam on first?" he asked a chef while filming a segment involving a tray of fresh scones.
"It can divide a nation."
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