A CAFE customer who posted a searing internet review after being charged £2 for a drink has been given a lesson in catering industry costs.

A woman calling herself Hannah C, of North Yorkshire, wrote on Trip Advisor that Bennett's Cafe & Bistro, which is overlooked by York Minster, was "absolutely awful", "over-priced" and had "very rude" staff after visiting it with friends for afternoon tea on December 7.

In response, rather than apologise, the cafe's manager, Mike Fisher, disputed that she had been "ripped off" and said the price of the drink was "the cruel reality of life".

The Northern Echo:

The review states as she was on a tight budget, she ordered hot water and a slice of lemon, which was served after her friends' cakes, alongside a bill for £2.

After complaining about the cost to the waiter, Hannah C said she was asked if she knew how much a lemon costed.

She said: "He then went on to wrongly inform me that a pot of tea for one (which is what I was charged for) is the same price as a lemon. To show just how ridiculous this is, my friend ordered a slice of chocolate cake which was £1.90.

"Dreadful place, would definitely not recommend, and the rude waiter that served me should be sacked. I will not be returning and will be advising friends and family not to go there."

In response, Mr Fisher detailed18 individual tasks that the waiter performed while waiting on the customer before explaining the cafe's overheads.

The manager said: "Perhaps the rudeness that you perceived in me was triggered by the disrespect that I perceived in you by your presumption that you could use our facilities and be waited on for free.

"It's actually the facilities that cost the money, far more so than the ingredients."