Food blogger Jack Goldburg travels the world in search of “the best food in the world,” documenting his findings on his Jacks Dining Room account, where he has more than five million followers.
This week, he heads Down Under to explore what Australia’s food scene has to offer.
Because this New York native has a taste for the finer things in life, he tried the $2,100 Tasmanian King Crab, the country’s most expensive lobster ($210), and the best burger in Sydney ($27) – but the price that left him completely shocked, was $2.80 on the side of spinach.
You wouldn’t think he’d be the price-sensitive type, but apparently, the side dish was the most “ridiculous” bill he’d ever seen.
During a visit to Melbourne for the Australian Open, he was left stunned when he ordered leafy greens alongside his breakfast at the hotel restaurant.
“I think this might be the most ridiculous hotel charge ever,” he said in a recent TikTok video, holding a side plate of wilted baby spinach.
“This plate of spinach … three pieces of spinach … costs $2.80. This, pound for pound, is the biggest deviation I’ve ever seen.”
It seems he ordered a big breakfast, full of toast, bacon, sausage and avocado – probably close to $21 – but when his extra fiber came out, he gave him the bill.
“We are getting out of hand here. The world needs to turn around and think about how we set prices,” he said.
He then tested the taste of the bad side, saying “it had to be the best tasting spinach of my life” but was very disappointed.
“It tastes like spinach. That’s crazy,” she said.
A 4.2-ounce package of spinach at Woolworths, a popular Australian grocer, is currently $1.40, which is about what Goldburg found.
But we know how tricky baby spinach is. What might be 4.2 ounces in a bag might end up looking like that small amount on his plate — even though the volume is small, the ingredient is dense.
And, when you consider the fact that you might be staying at a luxury hotel in one of Australia’s most expensive cities, it’s no wonder the price is what it is, says John Hart, President of the Restaurant & Catering Association Australia.
“It looks really crazy, doesn’t it,” he admits, speaking to news.com.au. “The challenge is that most of the $2.80 actually goes to cooking, serving, and cleaning the spinach side rather than the product itself (ie, the labor cost involved rather than the ingredient cost).
“This is the case with all food and drink products sold in restaurants and cafes.”
He said 50 percent of every dollar is spent on labor costs to put the food on the plate and serve it.
Despite this, people in the comments still thought the price was too high.
“Great rebellion,” agreed another.
“Welcome to Australia!” the other laughed. “Breakfast prices are insane, sides can easily reach $14!”
“That’s funny,” commented another.
However, several viewers defended the amount – noting that it was almost a large amount of wilted spinach, and asked, “How much spinach would you want?”
“Not too bad, to be honest,” wrote another.
