01/10/2026
Pinch and a punch for the first of the month… this one feels like a punch in the wallet. 😅
The picture gave us a laugh — no card surcharge, just 50c to open the cover! 😂 Before anyone worries, it’s a joke.
But the pressure behind it is real.
Card surcharges have gone, but the cost of accepting card payments hasn’t disappeared. Small businesses like ours still have to cover it.
We understand everyone wants relief at the checkout. We just wish it didn’t leave family businesses trying to stretch already thin margins even further.
At Waterview, we won’t be raising our menu prices to cover this change. We’ll be getting creative behind the scenes and finding ways to make things work.
But honestly, it’s getting harder. A recent rent increase, payment fees and fewer people able to afford a meal out all add up. We know our customers are feeling the squeeze too.
We pour our hearts into this place, but some days we genuinely wonder how much longer we can keep absorbing the costs.
Our worry is that, little by little, the locally owned cafés that give our foreshore its character will disappear, leaving only big companies that can afford to weather the storm.
If you’re able, please support your locals. A coffee, a meal, a recommendation or sharing a post all help keep our doors open.
Heads up, coffee on, and thank you for every bit of support. It means more than you know. ❤️
Con, Mel & the Waterview team
