Man vows by no means to return to seaside city after waiter chased him over £429 tip
A rich Italian vacationer vowed to by no means return to Saint-Tropez, a glamorous vacation hotspot on the French Riviera, after being chased down and reprimanded by a waiter for the tip he had left, it has been claimed.
While the person, described as “very rich” by native media, had thought his tip to be fairly beneficiant contemplating he had left £429 (€500), the waiter that reportedly adopted him to the car parking zone of the restaurant allegedly informed him the cash “wasn’t enough” and scolded the vacationer for not reaching the “minimum” quantity required – £859 (€1000).
A buddy of the unnamed astonished Italian vacationer claimed to the French publication Nice Matin: “[He] thought he had been generous by leaving €500, instead he was reprimanded.
“The waiter informed him that it wasn’t sufficient and that he may nonetheless make a small effort to achieve €1,000 as a result of it was extra constant in approaching 20 p.c of the overall quantity of his invoice.”
While it is known the French Riviera is a destination favoured by the wealthy, the behaviour of some restaurants is making the stunning area inaccessible to most people and risks turning away even those who can afford it.
The French publication also reported a tourist claiming to have seen a restaurant asking clients to spend at least £1,288 (€1,500) per person if they wanted to dine there.
Much like the wealthy Italian, the visitor swore not to return to Saint-Tropez.
Shocking requests from restauranteurs appear to be widespread across the Riviera, as a local businessperson reported to have been given a flyer in Ramatuelle, a town near Saint-Tropez, advertising “premium” tables at a venue for an eye-watering £85,900 (€100,000).
To be sure the bills and tips at the end of the night are as big as desired, some venues are profiling their guests, a source sensationally claimed to Var Matin, another local news outlet.
They said: “They ask in your identify and surname. They test if you’re already registered of their profile. Then they take note of how a lot you have got already spent, the beverage you have got ordered and so forth.”
If the guest is deemed not generous and wealthy enough, the publication continued, these restaurants turn down the booking even if they have tables available.
Reports of these impossible prices have brought the mayor of Saint-Tropez, Sylvie Siri, to launch an initiative called Sygnal Conso, set to provide restaurants with unique QR codes that will allow customers to easily report “unfair industrial practices”.
From next week, 1,000 stickers showing the code will be distributed to businesses across Saint-Tropez, which will in turn be required to display them.
Ms Siri branded the behaviours of certain local restaurants reported by customers as a “racket” which can end up doing “a whole lot of harm” to the seaside city.