Man baffled as restaurant tries to charge £10 a head for bringing own birthday cake

5 April 2022, 22:12

A man was left baffled after a restaurant told him he would be charged 'cakeage' at £10 a head for bringing his own birthday cake.

Ivor Baddiel, the London-based TV and radio writer, expressed his disbelief on social media after being informed by staff about the 'cakeage' charge.

He tweeted: "I asked the restaurant where I'm going to for a birthday lunch today if we could bring a cake with us to be brought out at the end of the meal.

"They said 'yes', but they'd charge us cakeage (yes, cakeage) at £10 a head. What is this world we live in?"

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The tweet sparked a fast debate, with some people calling the move "outrageous" and others supporting the 'cakeage' charge.

"I’m a big fan of cakeage, have charged it myself several times," replied Michelin-star chef Paul Foster.

He said he used to charge 'cakeage' when people expected to eat their own cake and not order dessert, describing it as a "sensible business decision".

Many people argued it was fair as it prevents the restaurant from being able to sell its own dessert.

One person wrote: "I think that’s quite reasonable. Otherwise they could insist they provide the cake or say no, and then people would buy dessert. COVID has been tough enough for restaurants, let’s support them. I would’ve tipped £10 happily for allowing me to bring my own cake."

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Others were furious about the 'cakeage' charge and said they would not pay a restaurant to be able to eat their own birthday cake.

One person said: "A cakeage I suppose I can it understand. £10 / head is ripping the piss though. No one is not ordering professional dessert because of a birthday cake."

Others called it "ridiculous" and

While Ivor didn't reveal the name of the restaurant, many users said they had similar experiences, with one saying they were recently charged £40 to bring a Colin the Caterpillar cake to a 'posh restaurant' in London.

Food writer Grace Dent said it was "growingly common" to charge to bring your own cake but added that "£10 is steep".

Another added: "Personally, I'd have cancelled the entire booking and found a restaurant that wanted your business. They truly don't care if you come back again or not... They don't seem interested in making my meal enjoyable at all. Just a transaction."