What's happening?

A photo doing the rounds on www.reddit.com thread today shows a handwritten sign taped to the front door of Mr Stonebowl, the stone-pot Chinese restaurant at Westfield Parramatta. Under a little smiley face and some fine print: Father's Day Surcharge 10%.

Quick reality check: Father's Day in Australia is the first Sunday of September. It is not a public holiday. There are no penalty rates, no extra staff costs, nothing that costs a restaurant a cent more today than it did last Sunday. The date on the calendar is the entire justification.

The question everyone's asking

The thread filled up fast, and the top question is the obvious one: is that on top of the Sunday surcharge? If a venue stacks a 10% Sunday surcharge with a 10% Father's Day surcharge, dad's lunch just attracted a 20% fee for no reason other than the date.

Redditors were quick to name the venue themselves (the phone number on the sign gives it away), and it turns out Parramatta wasn't alone in honouring dad with a fee. One commenter said the same sign had appeared at the Eastwood outlet, and another recalled Mother's Day got a 7% surcharge — so at least dads were hit harder.

Is it legal?

Probably. Australian law doesn't stop a business charging whatever surcharge it likes — it demands the price be clear before you pay. A sign on the door does exactly that, even if it feels like a stretch. As one commenter put it: it's legal simply because it's clearly signposted; unjustified, but technically legal.

My take

Here's the kicker. From 1 October, the card surcharge — the one we're all conditioned to hate — is banned. And yet venues are already inventing fresh fees, and a day that isn't even a public holiday is apparently fair game. Dads just want a parma and a quiet beer, not a 10% fee for turning up. Vote with your feet — or better, take them to a pub that charges for nothing but the schnitty.

Happy dining! G