price lists in cafe, restaurants and other type of shops on holidays resorts.

Patricia14

hello,

since a couple of years, i have been around in the south of Europe (especially Spain, Italy, Portugal ) and could see that the prices on such outlets as cafes, pizzerias, restaurants, patisseries are not clearly indicated if mentioned at all.

I do not know if you are like me but i tend to keep away from such places; i always fear they will charge me a price a "la tete du client" as they say in French (according to the customer face).
for instance, last july, I was in Florenz, i went to a cafe close to the main plazza; they advertised the price for a capucinno at one euro. So i ordered one and the owner offered me to have a seat at the back of the cafe; then as i was still at the bar, waiting to pay, he charged me 2.50 euros! but i said this should be 1 euro as indicated. then i paid one euro but he was very upset and served me the capucino at the bar in a kind of brutto very unhappy way. I can still understand there may be a charge to get a drink at a table but not to the extend of being billed over the double of the original price; i was kind of traumatized; i can understand he though i was one of these f... foreigner alone tourist females who can get rubbed according to his will.

now i tend to go only to the cafe chains or cafetarias with a very clear price list as i do not feel comfortable to ask for the price in advance. especially if i only want a drink;

I would like to know what is your experience in such a domain.
do you go to cafe or restaurants without checking the prices in advance or do you ask the staff what would be the price?
do you think that the English are more likely to get rubbed than other kind of tourists.
In any case, how do you manage to tacke the problem?

i would appreciate your feedback and will take note for my next trips;

regards,

Patricia14

mcfisco

I rarely look at the prices, if somewhere charged me more than I thought was reasonable, I'd simply not go back.

nearlyrich

When we go on holiday we don't worry about the cost of a coffee or whatever, if we had a strict budget for eating out it might be different, I think you are far more likely to get ripped off in the UK with poor quality expensive food in holiday resorts than anyewhere I have been abroad.
I don't have a problem with asking the price, if it's unreasonable I don't eat there, if you are on holiday what is the issue with putting the menu down and walking out, they don't know you and you probably won't be back so just do what you think is reasonable!

Oldernotwiser

Do you look at the price list in a pub in the UK before you order?

Mark7799

Another trick I have seen abroad is different prices according to where you are sitting. In a nice chair outside, watching the world go by can be twice as much as a table inside next to the toilets (this has happened to me on at least two oaccsions - in Paris and Pisa). Again, though it's a lesson leaned - the second time I expected it and it was still a price I was happy to pay.

Oldernotwiser

I don't think that you can describe this as a "trick", just because we don't do it in the UK. Different prices at the bar, at a table and on the terrace are the norm in most continental countries. That's why you shouldn't order at the bar unless you're going to drink standing there.

crossleydd42

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Different prices at the bar, at a table and on the terrace are the norm in most continental countries. That's why you shouldn't order at the bar unless you're going to drink standing there.

This is certainly a well-made point and an easy trap to fall into, since such a system doesn't operate in the UK and is not usually spelled out anywhere - least of all in the establishments themselves.

It is also quite true that, by law, most European countries insist upon a 'Tariff Prix' being displayed prominently, but many are not filled in, are obscured or too far away to read, or well out-of-date as I've personal knowledge of, still showing French Francs and only three weeks ago! As Patricia14 says, avoid them.

bengal-stripe

crossleydd42 wrote: »

easy trap to fall into, since such a system doesn't operate in the UK and is not usually spelled out anywhere.

That used to be the case in this country as well.

In the days when public house were still divided into different rooms, they charged different prices, depending on whether you drunk in the bar or the (genteel) saloon.

Voyager2002

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Do you look at the price list in a pub in the UK before you order?

Yes, I do actually. Particularly if I want something slightly unusual, like wine. At least there are no nasty surprises later.

Voyager2002

Patricia14 wrote: »

for instance, last july, I was in Florenz, i went to a cafe close to the main plazza; they advertised the price for a capucinno at one euro. So i ordered one and the owner offered me to have a seat at the back of the cafe; then as i was still at the bar, waiting to pay, he charged me 2.50 euros! but i said this should be 1 euro as indicated. then i paid one euro but he was very upset and served me the capucino at the bar in a kind of brutto very unhappy way. I can still understand there may be a charge to get a drink at a table but not to the extend of being billed over the double of the original price;

Yes, in Italy it is usual for the "sitting-down" price to be more than double the "standing-up" price. And the costs you quote sound very reasonable.

I would just query why he tried to get you to sit down when you had made it clear that you wanted to stand up for a quick and cheap coffee. But it sounds as if he was being hospitable rather than trying to cheat you.

MrSmartprice

I find that most food establishments in places such as Spain or Greece will have prices displayed clearly outside otherwise they will do no business. Eating and drinking is generally not the rip-off that it can be in the UK.

In theory restaurants here are required to display prices that can be read before the customer enters. Prices must include VAT and any service charge must be declared. Pubs are required to display legible price lists. There is no reason to get any nasty surprises when the bill arrives.