Sydney restaurant defends 10% Father's Day surcharge
A popular Sydney restaurant chain has defended a 10 per cent Father's Day surcharge after diners took to social media to slam the added fee.
A sign advertising the surcharge was spotted in the window of Mr Stonebowl in Parramatta over the weekend, sparking anger among customers hoping to celebrate the occasion with a meal out.
The notice was later photographed by a passer-by and shared on Reddit, with social media users pointing out that Father's Day is not a public holiday.
"It's not a public holiday so the surcharge is to just take advantage of the crowds?" one commenter wrote, while another said: "I've paid a dad tax but this is ridiculous."
Some Reddit users questioned whether the fee was being applied in addition to Mr Stonebowl's standard Sunday surcharge, and one diner reported seeing an identical sign at the chain's Eastwood location, adding: "Shocked to see a line outside of the restaurant despite the sign." Other diners at unrelated venues said they had been charged a 15 per cent public holiday surcharge stacked with a 10 per cent weekend fee over the same period.
A spokesperson for Mr Stonebowl confirmed the chain had applied a 10 per cent surcharge for Father's Day, but said customers were made aware of the charge before ordering and that it was not layered on top of any other fee.
"This was a single 10 per cent surcharge only and was not charged on top of any Sunday surcharge. Customers were therefore not charged a combined 20 per cent surcharge," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson noted Mr Stonebowl does not apply a standard Sunday surcharge, and explained the one-off Father's Day fee was introduced to offset the cost of increased staffing on one of the year's busiest trading days.
"Father's Day is one of our busiest trading days of the year and requires additional staffing and operational resources," they said. "The 10 per cent surcharge was introduced specifically for Father's Day to assist with these additional operating requirements."
The controversy comes as new data from the Australian Retail Council (ARC), produced in partnership with Roy Morgan, shows Australians were forecast to spend approximately $730 million on Father's Day gifts this year, approximately $10 million more than in 2025.
Jonathan Jackson, 10th September 2026
