€52 for sandwiches and juices

Two sandwiches and two juices for the ‘modest amount of 52 euros’. This is the ticket Ms Paola faced after a meal with her 9-year-old son at Bar Rosati, in Piazza del Popolo, in Rome. The woman recounted the incident to Fanpage: ‘On Tuesday I was with my son in Piazza del Popolo, he was hungry (he is 9 years old). We came back from a hospital visit for him. So I thought, ‘Let’s stop at Rosati and have a sandwich and a juice.’ Couple dines in a restaurant and leaves without paying the bill, the owner posts the receipt on social media: after 2 days they come back, this is what they said. Rome, shocking bill at the bar in the center So far so good: “My son was excited,” Mrs. Paola explains again. ‘I knew Rosati because I had been there before with my husband, always at the table. So we sit in the inner room and order two sandwiches and two juices.’ But then comes the painful part: ‘Without a placemat or anything else, our toast is served on one plate with two paper napkins. For the modest amount of 52.37 euros. If this isn’t theft… With 8 euros just for the service… What service!?’ The photo of the receipt shows that the ham and cheese sandwiches were sold for 10 euros each, the juices for 12 euros. Plus 8.37 for service we get a total of 52.37 euros. The incident sparked a lively debate on social media, as often happens in these cases. Is the bill of 52 euros too high in relation to the amount of food and service offered? Or is it an adequate price, given the exceptional location? Bar Rosati is in fact a household name in the capital: a historic venue, open since 1922, that has always attracted Romans and tourists in the beautiful setting of Piazza del Popolo.