Spanish bar slammed for charging tourists one Euro for cutlery

21 July 2022, 09:50 | Updated: 21 July 2022, 09:55

A Spanish bar has been slammed for making customers pay a cover charge every time the waiter comes to their table on its outdoor terrace – and even making them pay for cutlery.

Blas Galey Hermoso, from Andalucia, was faced with the surprising bill after enjoying some holiday drinks at The Imperial Bar in Zamora, northwest Spain.

While it is standard practice in Europe to have a cover charge to drink on a terrace, he was baffled at having to pay and extra 20 cents every single time the waiter brought items to the table.

He posted about the charges on Twitter in November last year and it quickly went viral, and the charge still seems to be in place with other tourists sharing similar experiences in the time since. 

He posted: "Something strange happened to us a few days ago in Benavente.

"Every time the waiter came to the terrace table to bring something: beer, the tapa … he charged us 20 cents.

"The last straw was the euro that he charged us to [bring] some cutlery to cut a toast that we had ordered."

The restaurant claimed the extra charge was for every drink that was served rather than every time the waiter went to the table. 

Speaking to Spanish News the bar said it's common practice for venues to charge an extra fee for service on the terrace. 

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Some more customers had the same experience as Blas and took to Google reviews to explain.

But one reviewer on Google added: "They charged me for cutlery service and the amazing thing we ordered several beers and they charged us 20 cents for each trip of the waiter to come and bring them.

Another customer said: "It must have changed owners, now they charge you for each time a waiter serves you."

To which the owner of the bar replied: "J. Manuel the waiter charges for each service.

"Every time a drink is served to you on the terrace, it carries a surcharge of 20c, perhaps it is easier to put a full price, but we believe that it is better you know what you pay and, we feel that this is your appreciation. 

"Surely if you told the waiter he would have explained it to you, it will not happen to us again. We will correct what is wrong. We want our bar to be a place of enjoyment and not where you leave angry not because of the price that we understand is fair but because it is badly explained."