Canada’s Second Cup Café drops non-dairy surcharge

Second Cup Café has been owned by restaurant franchise group Foodtastic Inc. since April 2021 | Photo credit: White Rainforest

Montreal-based Second Cup Café has dropped its CA$0.80 ($0.56) surcharge for dairy alternatives. 
 

Implemented on 27 February 2025, the new policy covers almond, coconut, soy and oatmilk dairy alternatives, as well as lactose-free 2% milk and lactose-free skimmed milk. 

In a press release, Second Cup Café said the decision follows a shift in customer expectations towards ‘more flexible and accommodating offerings’.  

“Our goal has always been to create a welcoming café experience. We recognise that preferences and dietary needs vary, and by removing this charge, we’re ensuring that all our guests can customise their drinks without an added cost,” said Peter Mammas, Founder and CEO of Foodtastic, parent company of Second Cup Café. 

Second Cup Café is the latest branded coffee chain in Canada to drop non-dairy surcharges amid heightened pressure from consumers and campaign groups to abandon additional charges for plant-based products. 

In January 2025, Second Cup Café, Tim Hortons and Starbucks were named in a class-action lawsuit, filed by Quebec-based law firm LPC Avocats, which alleged the coffee chains had been ‘price gouging’ consumers for years. The court document claimed the companies had charged extra for dairy alternatives despite costs being on par with dairy products and argued the operators had overlooked the ethical, environmental, and dietary grounds for removing additional charges. 

In November 2024, US coffee giant Starbucks and Calgary-based Good Earth Coffeehouse stopped charging extra for dairy alternatives, with market leader Tim Hortons following suit in January 2025. 

Founded in 1975, Second Cup split into two business entities in 2009 – with Second Cup Café managing stores in Canada and Second Cup Coffee Company managing international locations. 

Second Cup Café has had several owners over the last three decades, including Cara Operations Limited, Dinecorp Hospitality and Aegis Brands. In April 2021, Aegis Brands sold Second Cup Café to restaurant franchise group Foodtastic Inc. for CA$14m ($11.4m).