‘Ripped off': Sydneysider slams price of ‘tiny' pub steak

News.com.au

5 days ago

A Sydney pub owner has defended the price of an eye fillet on his menu after a diner who bought the meal claimed the steak was 'the same size as the mushroom' that accompanied it.
The disgruntled customer shared a photo of the pub dinner on Reddit, stating it was ordered at the Four in Hand pub in Paddington, an upscale suburb in Sydney's eastern suburbs where the median house price is $3.5 million.
The customer paid $49 for the eye fillet, but after seeing the portion size, they felt as though they were being 'had on' by the venue.
The dish featured the expensive piece of meat, three truss cherry tomatoes, a field mushroom with mustard cream, and a red wine jus. After adding an additional peppercorn sauce, the total bill amounted to $52.
While the diner acknowledged that they ordered a premium cut of beef, they thought the value for money was poor, especially at a pub, where one typically can get good value meals.
'Am I right to think that they're having a laugh here?' the Sydneysider asked the forum, before the image went viral and over 100 people weighed in.
In response to the post, the owner of the pub and industry stalwart, Colin Parras, defended the pricing and portion sizes.
'Fillet steak prices are through the roof at the moment,' Mr Parras told news.com.au. 'The dish in question is $49 for a 200g steak and sides, which is priced lower than most similar venues in the area'.
He claimed that most establishments in the area have actually taken eye fillets off the menu due to the cost.
Beef pricing is surging in Australia at the moment partly because China has ramped up its imports of Australian beef, leading to a record amount of beef exports in April – more than 127,000 tonnes.
The record month comes as beef exports from the United States to China have ground to a halt.
Mr Parras also pointed out that the angle of the photo, taken directly from above, doesn't clearly show the thickness of the steak, which is important as eye fillets are 'proportionately thicker than they are wide'.
He believes that those ordering an eye fillet typically are opting for 'quality over quantity', but if customers baulk at the price, they always have a $35 hanger steak available or $22 steak nights on Tuesdays.
Mr Parras' points were not lost on the post's commenters, with many surprisingly defending the pub – which doesn't usually happen in these sorts of posts, especially given the cost of living crisis.
'Costs have gone through the roof for things like produce, electricity, gas, insurance, security, council rates, loans or rent, and to a lesser extent, wages,' one commenter pointed out.
It's true that the hospitality industry is under immense strain, with many venues forced to raise menu prices just to stay afloat.
Nearly one in ten food service businesses closed in the past year amid rising rents, labour shortages, cost of labour and economic pressures, according to a recent May report from CreditorWatch.
Others pointed out that the customer should have known what they were paying for – and in which suburb – when ordering.
'I for one can't believe an expensive cut of meat in the eastern suburbs is so pricey,' one commenter said, sarcastically.
'The price and size of the steak would have been written on the menu and you chose to purchase it … Plus, have you ever eaten an eye fillet cut before?' said another.
However, there were a few people who shared the original poster's disappointment.
'Used to be such a good pub too. Shame. Yes, you've been shafted,' said one.
'A complete rip off,' another wrote.
'Yes, you are right. Taking the p**s deluxe,' wrote a third.