Staff costs see cafes close doors for holidays

As more businesses shut on public holidays, one Masterton cafe owner says it wouldn't be economical to open without the help of family.

Express Lunch Bar was one of few Masterton cafes which chose to open yesterday.

Owner Gavin McAnulty said he ran the cafe with his family on the public holiday to help save staff costs.

"Our staff have it off so we don't pass the surcharge on," he said.

"It wouldn't be economical for us to open if we had to pay our staff." Mr McAnulty said the family pitched in to help keep the business running.

"If we were a really busy cafe, it would be a different story."

Cafe Strada and Entice were also open, with a holiday surcharge on prices, as were Greytown's The French Baker and Main St Deli.

In Kuripuni, the Village Grinder and Village Cafe + Bakery were open, and weren't charging higher prices.

In Carterton, Wild Oats and Istanbul were also operating without a surcharge.

Wairarapa Chamber of Commerce chief executive Stephanie Gundersen-Reid said people don't generally mind if a cafe has a surcharge on a public holiday.

She said whether or not businesses chose to open on Labour Day was a business decision.

She said that the surcharge is to cover the cost of paying extra for staff to work on a public holiday. "So there is a cost to it" she said.