“Handsome Her” was a coffe shop in Melbourne that aimed to address wage inequality in Australia, where men earn 17.7% more than women, according to government data. However, the coffe shop has now shut down.
“We really just wanted to raise awareness and start conversations about the gender pay gap,” said Belle Ngien, the venue’s manager. Voluntary donations were collected for one week each month and given to women’s charities.
n a statement shared by the café, the reason for closing was explained, and it was not related to the surcharge.
“Most of our male customers were happy to pay even more,” said Alexandra O’Brien, the coffe shop founder and owner.
“As much as many would love to believe it, sorry, but the surcharge did not ruin our business; we simply no longer want to run a coffe shop” the statement read. “We’ve sold the business because we are young, educated, and ready for our next adventure,” it concluded.