'Very rich' Italian chased down by waiter for 'only leaving 500 euro tip' after St Tropez meal
15 August 2023, 14:43
An Italian restaurant patron was chased down by an angry French waiter after only leaving a 500 euro tip after his meal in Saint Tropez.
The Italian man, described as ‘very rich,’ was pursued into the car park of the restaurant in the French resort by the waiter, who told him his £429 tip wasn’t enough.
He was told to go back inside and put down another 500 euros in tips to meet the ‘minimum’ tip amount, according to local newspaper Nice Matin.
A friend of the Italian man said: “He thought he had been generous by leaving 500 euros, instead he was reprimanded.
“The waiter told him that it wasn't enough and that he could still make a small effort to reach 1,000 euros (£858) because it was more consistent in approaching 20 per cent of the total amount of his bill.”
The customer was so angered by the exchange he said he never wanted to set foot in Saint Tropez again.
It comes amid a backlash and claims of restaurant ‘racketeering’ in the upmarket French resort.
Tourists have said some restaurants are asking for a minimum spend of 1,500 euros for dinner, and some expecting diners to pay e10,000.
Staff at restaurants are reported to be screening customers based on how wealthy they seem, and local restaurants are running a ‘black list’ of people who don’t tip well.
The mayor of Saint Tropez has called for a summit of restaurant bosses to clamp down on the controversial practices and urged them to ‘welcome customers in a more dignified way.’
