A woman who was told to “get a real job” after she complained about the price of two coffees has shared a cheeky comeback to the comment.
Victoria Devine, host of finance podcast She’s On The Money, shared her shock over paying $12 for “two small coffees” on Instagram on Thursday.
The price hike came after her favourite Melbourne cafe Pantry Glen Iris reopened with a change in ownership.
The establishment’s new owner – director of Only Hospitality Group, Julien Moussi – then messaged Ms Devine to “get a real job”, saying the prices were reflective of his staff’s talent.
But the money guru has now poked fun at the comment in a subsequent Instagram story, which saw her having a high-end lunch at Melbourne fine dining establishment Hazel.
“Having lunch with my angels … because we don’t have real jobs,” she joked.
Mr Moussi, who is the director of Only Hospitality Group, which has $30 million-plus in annual revenue across 22 venues, messaged Ms Devine following her first Instagram story regarding the coffee price.
“Predictable,” he began. “Our pricing is a reflection of our talent, not your budget. Best find yourself another local!
“There is a 7/11 nearby that does $1 coffees? Otherwise get a real job that pays properly so you can afford the good things in life.”
Ms Devine shared the interaction to her story on Instagram, to which Mr Moussi doubled down on his commentary.
“The funniest thing is that you genuinely think that people care for your opinion,” he said.
Ms Devine closed the interaction by restating she hadn’t tagged the cafe in her original post, or even said where she was, and she only posted it because it’s relatable to “not love that your coffee goes from being $4 for 8 ounces to $6 for 6 ounces of coffee”.
However Mr Moussi said the whole conversation has been misconstrued and he’s received harsh comments since.
He told news.com.au that Ms Devine was upset when the old owners sold the cafe.
Mr Moussi said he contacted her to try to explain the background to the cafe and offered to meet.
“Once I saw her come in on day one, I was eager to see what she thought but sensed it was going to be a negative review,” he said.
“The comment at the job thing was misconstrued. I was suggesting she stop making a task and job of constantly posting negatively about the venue, which she’d done in polls and also the unfollow comment which sparked negative comments.”
He added that the 7/11 comment was meant to be a joke, but he’s had some harsh comments about his family as a result.
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Mr Moussi also explained part of the reason for the cafe’s prices was the high quality beans and the business’s own roastery, with coffees ranging between $5 and $5.70. Alternative milks and decaf coffee are an additional cost.
“Thankfully it’s been a very busy start and everyone in the area has been really supportive,” he said.
“I’ve got a lot of ties to the area so I know a lot of people/families and we are really excited to make it a great meeting spot.”
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