Cafe’s anger at 17 friends who spent just £55 in 3 hours

CATCHING up with friends in the local cafe should be one of the more relaxing times of the week.

But one group of regulars at Henry’s Bistro Cafe might need to sit down with a strong cup of tea after the owners apparently gave them an online lashing for not spending enough during their three-hour visit

A letter on Facebook said to be from the owners of the cafe, in Wallington, Surrey, told a customer and her 16 friends that their £55 bill had not even covered costs.

It added that the visit left it with a ‘financial loss’ – and that each person spent ‘less than the price of a cup of tea every hour’.

It explained: ‘Your group of 17 people recently visited our restaurant for nearly three hours spending a total of £55. ‘ When you originally approached us, you assured us that the spending from the group would be of an amount making yours/our understanding to be a beneficial one. However, the visit left us with a financial loss that is neither sustainable nor how a business/restaurant works.’ The letter was said to add: ‘To further explain our loss, £55 divided by 17 is approximately £3.24 per head, which, divided by three hours, is approximately £1.07 per head gross – less than the price of a cup of tea every hour.

‘That level of spend does not even begin to cover the national minimum wage...’ The owners reportedly concluded: ‘At present, for the business there is no incentive or obligation to carry on with this relationship.’

The post sparked debate among the online group’s members – but most commenters seemed to side with the cafe.

One posted: ‘We all want independent businesses to succeed, so we must play the game by spending a fair amount too.’

‘It doesn’t cover mimimum wage’