£14 for a latte could become a reality, warn coffee shop owners
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
The owners of a coffee shop in Kent have wanted that they may need to increase the price of coffees to £14 each to meet their rising energy costs.
Chris and Anna Vidler, who own an independent restaurant called The Lane in Deal, Kent, expect their gas and electric bills to increase to more than five times than they are currently paying. And to keep up with rising energy prices, they have calculated that their £2.90 latte would have to rise to £14.30 a cup.
As reported in the Daily Mirror, Chris said: "We are already down, despite a reasonably busy summer. We're noticing empty seats because people are staying home when they don't have as much money to spend."
When shop’s electricity contract runs out at the end of this year, new quotes take the price from £15,000 per year to around £69,000. At the end of February their gas contract will also need to be renewed - with the new quote set to take them from around £400 per month to around £2,400.
Chris added that while the Prime Minister has introduced a cap on energy bills for households, as a business owner he is left confused about what to do.
The Prime Minister last week announced an unprecedented intervention in the energy market to cap household bills at £2,500, promising an “equivalent guarantee” for businesses for the next six months. But little detail was given by the government on how it intended to cap costs for the business sector, where pricing is more complex. It is thought that this further detail could be delayed by a period of national mourning following the death of the Queen.