Would you pay $7 for a flat white?
Richard Corney, Wellington’s coffee boss, says New Zealanders must be willing to pay $7 for a large barista-brewed coffee if cafes are to survive 2022. However, will they?
On Tuesday morning, coffee drinkers along Auckland’s popular Ponsonby Rd had a mixed reaction to the price increase.
Evie stated that she paid $11 for two regular Allpress coffees and would not have placed the order had it been $14.
However, marketer Amelia Lowe already pays $7 twice a week for a medium-sized oat milk flat white from Daily Bread.
“I’m completely willing to pay that on occasion,” she stated.
“However, $7 is probably my upper limit.”
According to Flight Coffee general manager Richard Corney, cafes must charge $6 for a regular coffee in order to survive.
Corney, Flight Coffee’s manager, said he charged patrons $4 for a large flat white 15 years ago at his first cafe in Napier.
Since then, rents, wages, the cost of milk, and inflation have all increased the cost of operating a cafe tenfold, yet the majority of establishments continue to charge $4.50 or $5. It is insufficient to survive, Corney stated.
According to Corney, a reasonable price for a large dine-in coffee (300ml/10 oz) should be between $6.50 and $7.
“In the new year, guests should budget up to $7.20 for a large flat white and $20 for a plate of brunch fare. If you are not, I completely understand, but the hospitality sector will eventually die,” he stated.
