Food fault: How the Australian Open serves up a $100 lunch for a family of four

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The price of lunch for a family of four at the Australian Open has hit over $100, with some tennis fans opting to take a packed lunch instead to avoid the high costs.

At Grand Slam Oval, a square slice of margherita pizza is $18.90, a serve of fries is $8.80 and a beer is $15.20.

Tarushka Moniz (right) and family members (from left) Srushti Ambekallu, daughter Anita and Fatima Moniz with the food they bought at the Australian Open.

Eating lunch at a table in the shade on Monday, Tarushka Moniz and her family said four meals and one drink had set them back more than $100.

Moniz bought a souvlaki for $25, two serves of pizza (one for $23.90 and the other $18.90), a chicken satay with rice and roti for $29.50 and a soft drink for $6.50, which totalled $103.80.

The Melburnian said she had attended the Open before, but was still a shocked by the cost of food at the grand slam event.

“It’s definitely too expensive,” Moniz said. “It would be nice if they would make it a bit cheaper, but because it’s a captive audience, I think they all do it.”

Moniz said it was disappointing there were no specific children’s meals on offer, and only limited options for her five-year-old daughter Anita.

“I think it would be nice for them to have smaller meals,” she said pointing to her daughter’s adult-sized serving of pizza. “She’s not going to finish that.”

While there has been plenty of hype around the Australian debut of US burger chain Shake Shack at the Open, prices there are even higher, with burgers priced from $18.90 to $25, fries ranging from $9.75 to $12.50, and shakes $12.90.

The solution for regular tennis attendee Katrina Langdon was to bring a picnic lunch in her backpack.

Katrina Langdon and daughter Eliza serve home-brought hot dogs to the seven children in her charge at the Australian Open.

Langdon packed a thermos of hot dogs, buns and tomato sauce to feed the group of seven children she had brought to the tennis, which cost her about $12 in total.

“I don’t want to spend $25 per child for lunch,” she said. “If you are just a single person, it’s OK. But if you are bringing a horde of kids, then it’s not.”

Despite winning on the food front, Langdon missed out when it came to the tennis, as she was unable to see any matches beyond what was shown on the big screens.

After waiting for 45 minutes in a queue to get into Kia Arena, she gave up and took the children to sit on the grass and have lunch.

“I think they’ve oversold the ground passes,” she said, explaining that she thought the half-hour passes allowing people to go and come back meant people were leaving for short stints before returning, and others couldn’t get in.

“You don’t give up your seat; people will be in there all day.”

Tennis Australia head of growth and innovation Fern Barrett defended the pricing of food at the Australian Open and said most outlets offered at least one item for $15 or less.

“Delivering great value, quality and choice for all fans is our priority at the AO, and there’s something for every budget, from price-friendly crowd favourites to premium dining experiences,” she said.

Barrett said cheaper options across the tournament included arena hotdogs for $6.80 and chicken tenders for $14.

“We’d like to remind fans that they can also bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks into the precinct, providing even more flexibility and value,” she said.