05/10/2026
🇦🇺 SO… ABOUT THAT 15% PUBLIC HOLIDAY SURCHARGE 🇦🇺
For those wondering why hospitality venues charge a 15% surcharge on public holidays, here’s a little behind-the-scenes reality.
And just to clear up some confusion…
👉 The surcharge that has been banned is the EFTPOS/card surcharge. Public holiday surcharges have NOT been banned. They are two completely different things.
While most people are enjoying a well-earned day off, hospitality staff are still here pouring your b**rs, cooking your meals, washing the dishes and keeping the doors open.
And rightly so, our staff are paid significantly higher penalty rates for working a public holiday.
That means the cost of opening our doors is considerably higher than on a normal Monday.
The 15% surcharge isn’t us rubbing our hands together thinking, “Beauty, let’s make some extra cash today.” 😂
It helps cover the additional costs involved in actually being able to open.
We could choose to close for the day, save the extra costs and enjoy the public holiday ourselves. Instead, we choose to open so our community has somewhere to go for a meal, a cold b**r and a catch-up.
So when you see that 15% public holiday surcharge, please remember it’s helping us cover the extra cost of opening and paying the legends who gave up their public holiday to look after everyone else.
And to our staff working today: thank you. ❤️
We appreciate you giving up your public holiday so we can keep the doors open.
🍻 Mount Pleasant Hotel
Open today from 12pm.
