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Tourist's bill message sparks outrage in Italy
๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡ท Croatia /Culture & Society

Tourist's bill message sparks outrage in Italy

From Veฤernji List · () Croatian

Translated from Croatian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A tourist was shocked by a message written on her restaurant bill in Italy, which read, "Burn the eggs and spit in them, this annoys me."
  • The incident occurred after the tourist had already experienced poor service, including receiving the wrong order and undercooked eggs.
  • The restaurant confirmed the incident, stating the waiter who wrote the message was fired, but a subsequent social media video by the owner, seemingly mocking the situation, further upset the tourist and sparked public debate.

A tourist's dining experience in Riccione, Italy, soured dramatically when a message on her bill read, "Burn the eggs and spit in them, this annoys me." Maria Clara, a Brazilian-born tourist from Florence, recounted the "shocking" incident, which followed a series of service issues.

Burn the eggs and spit in them, this annoys me.

โ€” Waiter's message on billThe offensive message discovered on the tourist's restaurant bill.

Clara had already faced problems with the waiter, including receiving a salad she had asked to be omitted and being rudely dismissed when she requested her eggs be cooked longer. The eggs eventually arrived undercooked, but she decided not to escalate the matter further at the time.

The offensive message on the bill was discovered before the food even arrived. Initially thinking it was a joke, the guests became alarmed and demanded to speak with management. A 17-year-old waiter, who admitted to writing the message as a "joke" between himself and the chef, attempted to snatch the bill away, but guests prevented him and threatened to call the police.

Sometimes I almost feel like laughing when I watch it, but this is not a laughing matter. This is serious.

โ€” Maria ClaraThe tourist's reaction to the restaurant owner's social media video mocking the incident.

The restaurant confirmed the incident and stated the waiter had been dismissed. However, the owner later posted an ironic video on social media, portraying a demanding customer ordering food "with spit." The owner also posed a question about whether the employee should be rehired. Clara found the video to be an additional insult, stating, "Sometimes I almost feel like laughing when I watch it, but this is not a laughing matter. This is serious." She was particularly disturbed by online comments from individuals admitting to spitting in customers' food.

I did that too.

โ€” Online commenterAn admission from an online commenter that they had also spat in customers' food, which disturbed the tourist.

Following her public account of the incident, Clara received death threats and racist abuse, prompting her to request that her surname not be published. She concluded that even the most difficult customer should not be subjected to "revenge on a plate." The incident ignited a significant debate online, with some defending the waiter and the restaurant, further astonishing Clara.

Even the most difficult customer should not be subjected to revenge on a plate.

โ€” Maria ClaraThe tourist's concluding statement on the incident.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Veฤernji List in Croatian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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