A young British woman noticed something she found bizarre while travelling around Australia with her boyfriend, having never come across it anywhere else in the world.
Globetrotter Mel said diners are usually given a key when they ask to use the restroom at certain Aussie cafes or restaurants.
But it’s the random item attached to the key that leaves Mel baffled every time.
‘One thing that I’ve noticed they do in Australia that I’ve not seen anywhere else, and I find really interesting, is all the cafes and restaurants – they have public toilets you can use, shared with other spaces in the area,’ she shared in a video.
‘You have to go out of the cafe to find it – but they give you a key. And they always give you a key attached to something. The first cafe we went to, they gave me a key attached to a milk frothing jug.’
Mel, who posts about her and her partner Phil’s travel adventures to their shared account @melandphil, was stunned to realise this wasn’t just a one-off instance, but a widespread practice at many Aussie hospitality venues.
‘I thought it was just specific to that cafe, but I’ve now realised every cafe in Australia and every restaurant seems to do the same thing,’ she said.
‘This one’s just given me a spatula.’
British woman Mel explained in a video that she found it bizarre how the bathroom keys at Australian cafes and restaurants were often attached to an oversized kitchen utensil
The video quickly exploded with hundreds of comments – many from helpful Aussies eager to explain why cafe and restaurants often attach their bathroom key to an oversized kitchen utensil.
‘They do it so you bring the key back,’ one said, echoing a commonly repeated refrain.
Another elaborated: ‘It’s so you don’t forget to give it back. If it’s attached to something large and bulky you won’t accidentally put it in your pocket or bag by mistake.’
‘The key goes missing otherwise,’ explained another.
‘Otherwise, people leave them in the toilet door or drop them or take them home. This stops all those mishaps,’ another said.
‘No one puts it in their pocket (or handbag) and forgets to return it… when it’s attached to cutlery,’ laughingly added another.
Another commented: ‘Who wants to be seen with a spatula or a jug in their bag?’
Some responses to the video admitted they had mistakenly thought cafes did so people wouldn’t steal the bathroom keys – but other replies gently explained this was unlikely.
‘People don’t steal it deliberately, they just pocket it and forget to return it. You can’t put a massive spoon in your pocket,’ said one person.
Mel shared the observation to her social media account @meladphil after being handed a bathroom key attached to a spatula. Many Aussies helpfully replied, explaining it was so the key wouldn’t get inadvertently lost or forgotten
Mel dining at one of the restaurants during her travels
‘It’s not to prevent stealing, it’s so people don’t lose or forget it,’ agreed another.
Hospitality workers chimed in to explain that the giant utensil also makes it ‘easy for the staff to find’ when customers request to visit the restroom.
Although Mel said she had seen this at ‘all’ Australian cafes and restaurants, a number of replies corrected this generalisation, instead explaining it was a common occurrence in cafes or restaurants that have shared bathroom facilities.
‘It’s more for when cafes are in a shared space with maybe offices or other shops,’ one explained.
Otherd replied to name some of the giant and unusual items they’d seen attached to a bathroom key at a cafe or restaurant – with large wooden spoons being the most common.
‘The place I get my coffee has the key attached to a pizza cutter,’ offered one person.
‘I had one attached to a 4L oil bottle,’ laughed another.
‘At the pizza shop I work at, it’s attached to a giant pizza paddle,’ a takeaway store worker said.
Many Aussies confirmed that a key attached to a utensil was commonplace at cafes or restaurants with shared bathroom facilities. Large utensils such as wooden spoons were commonly seen attached to these keys
British couple Mel and Phil regularly share travel content on social media under @melandphil
‘I saw a restaurant with a little sword attached to it,’ noted another.
Several replies commented that this practice is also common at Australian petrol stations – but instead of a kitchen utensil, you’re likely to be given a key attached to ‘a huge wooden plank’.
However, many commenters were stunned to learn that this bathroom key practice didn’t exist in other places.
‘I didn’t realise that other countries don’t do this,’ replied one Sydneysider.
A number of replies also took a humorous slant on the common cafe act – and offered cheeky suggestions about pilfering the utensil.
‘What I’m hearing is I can get a free milk frother or spatula,’ replied one person.
Another response read: ‘It’s a cheap way to update your kitchen utensils – and you also get keys to the bathrooms in the area in case you need to use one fast.’
‘You should be able to sort out your kitchen in no time!’ agreed another.
