Two Japanese tourists were recently charged $429.00 after dining at a restaurant in Italy. They ordered two plates of pasta, fish, and some water. at Antico Caffè di Marte. The two individuals uploaded their receipt to Tripadvisor. It shows that they were charged $349.80 for the food and an additional $80 as a “compulsory service charge”. This story has gone viral. The cost of fish at the restaurant is marked as $6.50. However, this price refers to the cost of 100g of fish which results in customers paying extremely high prices.
The restaurant told Corriere Della Sera, “The menu is clear, the reason they (the Japanese tourists) paid that price is because they not only ordered the spaghetti but also the fish that was fresh. The customers chose it at the counter themselves.”
As a result, Trip Advisor has suspended the restaurant’s review page stating, ““Due to a recent event that has attracted media attention and has caused an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand experience, we have temporarily suspended publishing new reviews for this listing.”
Italian Police are beginning to become more strict about these issues as they are reoccurring. There may be future consequences for restaurants using misleading prices including criminal charges. What are your thoughts on this incident?
Sources:
- Main Image: Twitter
