📣 Drip Bar Featured on Yahoo Finance for Public Holiday Wage Transparency

We’re humbled and proud to share that Drip Bar was recently featured in a Yahoo Finance Australia article for speaking openly about one of the most challenging and misunderstood topics in hospitality: public holiday wages and surcharges.

💼 Why We Spoke Up

In the article, our co-founder Ahmed Wassel broke down the real cost of operating on public holidays—something many small business owners feel but few talk about.

Over the Easter long weekend, our wage costs alone jumped from around $7,000 to over $12,000, with some staff earning up to $62.45 an hour under Australia’s penalty rates. And that doesn’t even include super, rent, ingredients, or energy costs.

“I don’t like charging the surcharge, but unfortunately, it’s just one of those things we have to do to stay open,” – Ahmed Wassel, Co-Founder of Drip Bar

💸 Why the 15% Surcharge?

We introduced a 15% public holiday surcharge to help offset the wage increases. But even then—it barely scratches the surface. It’s not about making more; it’s about making sure we can stay open, pay our staff properly, and continue delivering the experience you love.

👏 Community Response

Our TikTok video, which showed our staff sharing their hourly rates, went viral—and sparked a mix of reactions:

• Some customers applauded us for our transparency and ethics.

• Others questioned whether businesses should pass on costs to customers at all.

We get it—these conversations aren’t always easy. But we’re not here to hide anything. We believe in honesty, fair pay, and serving our community—even when it means tighter margins.

🥤 Why We Still Opened

Despite the costs, we chose to open—because holidays are when families come together, and many of you choose Drip Bar to make those moments sweeter. It’s not always about the profit. It’s about showing up for our community.

🎁 Giving Back

To show our appreciation, we ran double rewards points all weekend. Customers who spent $50 earned 100 points—enough for a free drink. We’ll continue to look for ways to give back while navigating the tough realities of business.

👉 Read the full Yahoo Finance article here

🫶 Thank you for your ongoing support. We’ll keep doing what we do best—serving Melbourne’s most loved açai, while staying true to our people and our principles.

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