Italian Restaurant Charges Tourist for Cutting Sandwich in Half

A British tourist was left frustrated after a restaurant in Italy added a charge for cutting their sandwich in half. The tourist has ordered a vegetarian sandwich and fries at Bar Pace in Gera Lario, near the Lake Como region’s north end.

The tourist ordered the sandwich to split with a friend, but never asked for the sandwich to be cut. Upon receiving the receipt, he was shocked to find the extra charge. The 2 Euro charge was labeled “diviso da meta,” loosely translated to “cut in half.”

The tourists paid the bill in full without argument, or complaint to the restaurant manager. Later he posted a screenshot of the bill, along with a negative review on TripAdvisor. His review left the restaurant with one star, claiming the experience was “incredible, but true.” The restaurant owner defended the charge, stating additional request come with a cost.

“Additional requests have a cost. We had to use two plates instead of one and the time to wash them is doubled, and then two placemats. It wasn’t a simple toasted sandwich, there was also French fries inside. It took us time to cut it in two,” restaurant owner, Cristina Bianchi told Italian newspaper La Repunnlica. Bianchi went on to say that had the customer objected to the charge before paying, the charge would’ve been removed.

When first hearing about this extra charge, I was a little skeptical. Why didn’t the customer question the charge when they looked over the bill? Did the restaurant have any signage indicating they upcharge for extra services? I mean if I went out somewhere and they charged me for splitting one meal, I would have some serious questions. I can understand the frustration of the customer, but to pay the bill without saying anything and then posting a negative review? That’s just attention-seeking to me.

TripAdvisor has suspended reviews for the restaurant for the time being, due to the viral negative review.