Penalty rates are either completely ignored or a token amount is paid. No part of the hospitality sector is without guilt: a tactic of big catering companies is to pay staff low part-time rates and then treat them like a casual, with no sick days and short shifts. High-end restaurants expect insane amounts of overtime and yet only pay a base full-time salary.

“Melbourne-style” cafes are a mix of great coffee and restaurant-quality food. We have a passion for our cafes with their quirky fit outs, inventive cuisine and coffee that pays homage to our Italian immigrants. We love them, but with their labour-intensive model they are currently unsustainable if they operate within the law and their food prices remain the same.

The United Voice union campaign is a welcome shake up, but it's all stick, no carrot. It has the potential to wipe out our beloved cafes unless the public is informed and brought along with the needed changes. If this doesn't happen the result will be fast-food style cafes that employ minors, heat-and-serve food from the front of house, and definitely no smashed avocado made in a dedicated kitchen. We are at a turning point: either we shut down cafes from public shaming campaigns; we abolish penalty rates; we substantially lower food quality; or we collectively put up prices.

You can't have your smashed avocado on toast and eat it too.

Most cafe owners would dearly love to pay their staff properly but it just doesn't add up. Fixed costs can skyrocket if you are paying huge rent, on top of soaring utility bills, or expensive loans for a fit out.