Cafes are charging more to cover rising costs, including wages. But a woman charged $4 extra for gluten free bread says it's profiteering.

A woman with coeliac disease who was charged $4 for gluten free bread at an Auckland cafe says the business is profiting off people's illnesses and allergies.

Wellington woman Emma Ward said on Twitter on Sunday: "I am at a cafe in Auckland and the GF bread is $4 extra. $4! I understand it's an extra cost but it is also super ableist."

The 27-year-old said gluten free bread was quite pricey, but the surcharge was usually $2.

"It's frustrating when you can tell the bread is just a slice of Vogels from the supermarket," she said.

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As a coeliac she had little choice but to pay the cost, she said.

SUPPLIED Coeliac sufferer Emma Ward says gluten free bread normally incurs a surcharge of around $2.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease that erodes the lining of the small intestine, preventing the absorption of nutrients from food. There is no cure, but the symptoms can be managed through a gluten free diet avoiding wheat, barley, rye and oats.

Stuff surveyed the menus of a number of cafes across the country on what they charged for gluten free bread and milk alternatives.

The surcharge for gluten free bread averaged between $1 and $2. Some cafes didn't charge extra.

Bestie Cafe in Auckland charged $2 for gluten free bread with its eggs on toast, 50c extra for soy milk and $1 extra for oat milk in coffee.

SUPPLIED It Is frustrating when cafes charge excessively for gluten free bread "when you can tell the bread is just a slice of Vogels from the supermarket", says coeliac Emma Ward.

Daily Bread, a bakery and cafe in Point Chevalier, Auckland, charged an extra $1 for gluten free toast and toppings and $1 extra for hazelnut or soy milk.

Seashore Cabaret in Lower Hutt and Loretta in Wellington did not charge extra for gluten free bread, however Loretta did charge 50c extra for soy milk and $1 extra for coconut milk.

In Dunedin The Perc charged 80c extra for gluten free bread, making Orewa's Goodhub Eatery, where Ward was eating last weekend, the priciest at $4 extra.

Hospitality adviser Mark Collins said $4 was "a bit steep".

Goodhub Eatery was approached for comment but did not respond.

SUPPLIED Loretta restaurant in Wellington bakes its own gluten free bread and does not charge extra for it.

But Collins said the more diverse customer's expectations were, the harder it was to give them what they want.

While it was vital for cafes to meet the market need it could become quite demanding, he said

"The product that you've got to have on hand may not get used ... The cafe has to carry that gluten free bread and accordingly it has got a shelf life."

Rising costs in the sector were making it harder for business owners.

"If you haven't got enough momentum or business it's hard to stay objective about what you should charge," Collins said.

SUPPLIED Hospitality adviser Mark Collins says he advocates charging the same amount for gluten free and covering the cost across the menu to "keep it simple".

Marc Weir, owner of Loretta agreed rising costs were an issue. He didn't charge extra for gluten free bread – and even made it in-house – because two poached eggs on toast for $10 was already a substantial cost.

However, he had put an extra charge on alternative milks.

"We never used to charge for alternative milks but with minimum wage and costs going up every year and we do now charge more for those. That ranges from 50c for a base alternative milk to $1 for a premium coconut milk."

Deciding whether to pass on rising costs to customers was always a challenge, he said. Last year Weir passed on the cost of credit card transactions to customers, which had saved him between $3500 and $5000 a month.

REBECCA BLACK/STUFF Milk alternatives normally incur a 50 cent or $1 surcharge, says Mark Collins.

But Ward, who gets severe symptoms from eating gluten within about 20 minutes, said many eateries advertised food as gluten free "but not suitable for coeliacs", because so many people were now gluten free for health or fad reasons.

"I never even know if the kitchen is educated about food preparation and cross-contamination, so it's always a gamble anyway," she said.

Weir said food prepared for coeliac customers differed from gluten free at Loretta, using separate boards, knives and toasters.