Coperto Servizio (restaurant service charge in Florence)

Not surprised, have seen it since I traveled as a child with my parents. Used to be called "pane e coperto" (bread and cover, as in table cover) and the service charge was separate. Lately I have noticed some places dropping the cover/service charge (it will be noted, usually at the bottom of the menu).

On the other hand, there no surprise sales tax to deal with.

Yes it's a normal practice in most of Italy, although some regional governments have prohibited the separate cover charge in their jurisdiction.
Coperto (cover charge), which ranges from 2 to 5 euro per person, covers the cost of setting up the table and bread (often it's called "pane e coperto"). "Servizio" (service charge) is a percentage of the bill (10-12%) which covers the cost of the serving staff. In America that is the gratuity. In Italy nobody leaves a gratuity as that is covered by the "servizio". Both are mentioned in the menu, as they must be shown by law, maybe you didn't notice it.
Some restaurants however don't charge for either coperto or servizio. Those are therefore embedded in the price of the dish you order. In those restaurants the menu will say in a footnote at the bottom: "servizio e coperto incluso" (service and cover charge included), which means that the price of the entree includes both and therefore you won't see an extra charge in the bill.
It's like with Airlines. Some charge you extra for baggage or food, some don't because that cost is included in the price of the airplane ticket. As long as you are warned before hand, that is perfectly legal.

Bruce,

I've seen that numerous times, and just treat it as a normal part of "doing business in Italy".

Hi, Bruce. I'm glad that the majority of the trip went smoothly! Most of Rick's guidebooks do cover service and cover charges in the Eating section, for instance p. 1185 of the Italy book, pp. 643-4 of the Florence & Tuscany book, and p. 117 of the Italian Phrasebook. However, the topic is not covered in the same detail in Pocket Florence; service is just briefly mentioned on pp. 154, 175, and 188.

If you had spent anytime previously on this board, you would have seen this discussed fairly often. There is a tendency for inexperienced American tourist to claim this is a rip off but it is not. It is standard. The other area that some object to is charging extra to sit down. You cannot order at a stand up bar and then go and sit down. Typical of coffee bars, ice cream, etc. It is just a different way of doing business. Now the other side of that same coin is that you are not expected to tip the typical American schedule of 15 to 20%. So in the end it probably was cheaper than tipping 20%.

Our first trip, in Spain and Portugal, which have the same thing, we let the service charge be an irritation. On subsequent trips to Italy we realized that this is part of travelling in Italy and accepted it. We also realized that as a percentage of the total cost of a trip it was minimal. As well, give we did not tip, not really much of a cost. Learn to relax and accept Europe is different.

This has been their custom forever. It is a good reason to not go to a sit down restaurant for lunch. A cheap sandwich gets really expensive when you pay 3-5 Euro a head to just sit down.

Not paying 20% tip every meal tends to even it out especially with dinner charges.

I think it's a mistake to evaluate everything from the point of view of your own culture.
I like the coperto when it's not used as a tourist scam. It allows you to order a pizza for 7E at a good restaurant w/o getting an eyeroll. People react to this 2E charge while ignoring the 22% sales tax that's included in the menu prices as well as almost everything else the traveler buys.

I agree with James 100%.

Many American travelers are annoyed by the €2 charge for "pane and coperto", the €3 for 1lt sparkling water (tap water is not normally served in Italy) and by the 10% or 12% servizio (service charge) in those restaurants that don't incude it in the price of the dish.

However those same travelers totally overlook the fact that in America restaurants may not charge you for those but instead they charge you way more for:
- sales tax added to your bill (not included in the price like the VAT in the EU)
- 15% to 18% gratuity (which is obviously more than the 10% Servizio)
- exorbitant cost of wine that in American restaurants is marked up 300% to 400% as opposed to 50% to 100% in restaurants in Italy.

The only time the sit-down charge gets cumbersome for me is at breakfast when that charge doubles the cost of caffe' and pastry, and when I buy an ice cream bar in the afternoon.

There's a large Bar near SMN that charged me nine euro for a caffe', pastry, and large Frizzante. I didn't protest because his young daughter was there. But I never buy water there again, and only go there sparingly when I want one of his unusual pastries.

I search for Bars that don't charge sit-down. There are plenty of them around.

We like that there's the option in Italy of paying more to sit at a table vs. a lesser amount to just have a coffee standing at the counter area. When we return home to the US, we notice having to adjust again to having restaurants turning tables compared to Italy where the meal experience is intended to linger. We gladly pay the pane or coperto charge for enjoying the meal unrushed.

The practice of charging a different price at the table as opposed to the counter is actually not common at all outside of heavily touristy areas like the historical centers of Florence, Venice, Rome, etc. Outside of tourist areas, no coffee bar will ever dream of charging more for sitting down. I can't think of one place that does that in my neighborhood in Florence, not even the fanciest.

I know that if I want to sit in Piazza Navona at Tre Scalini in Rome, I'm going to pay for it. But it's worth it to me, once in a while, to just linger in what I think is one of the most beautiful piazze in Italy. Not a problem at all, and much more civilized than the wait staff hovering to sell more product or turn the table.

In some cities, the restaurant or bar either has to pay extra to have tables outside, or are fined if the tables encroach on the public walking area. Our favorite restaurant in Assisi tried to explain this to an American tourist who insisted that he add another table outside, close to the fountain (!), for a better view. This was in a very high-tourist-traffic area.

One of the nice things about European dining and hotels is that there are very few hidden charges. In the US, it is common for 10% sales tax to be added to a dinner bill and if one doen't leave at least 15% for a tip, they have essentially stolen the service. In Europe, tipping is not part of the culture, taxes are usually included in the cost of the meal (or announced on the menu -- don't let anyone add one otherwise) and coperto is also announced. In Rome where coperto is not legal, they will bring a bread basket and then charge for it, so if you don't want it send it back immediately. (We ordered a bruscheta appetizer and the bread basket still arrived unbiden-- we sent it back)

Same with hotels; although there is a tiny tourist tax added by some municipalities, the 20 or even 30% that are commonly added with multiple taxes and 'resort fees' at US hotels are not part of the bill in Europe. What you sign up for is what you pay for the most part.

Couldn't agree more with Roberto. I can only laugh when Americans complain about this.