pane e coperto charges in restaurants in Italy

We experienced cuperto charges in at least half the places we stayed on our 3 week trip last September. Not as many places charged for bread. I was not aware it was illegal. Any place that charged a cuperto was a place I left NO tip of any kind.

All of the restaurants we went to last fall charged a coperto. This charge could be for something as simple as your table setting. The amount they charge and the reason for the charge is all up to the restaurant. Sometimes we check with the restaurant before we sit down. In Venice, some restaurants advertise that they do not have a coperto charge. And, yes, like the previous poster indicated, we do not leave a tip.

I'd say slightly more than half of the restaurants we went to this past May charged a coperto or a servizio. Yep, no tip at all if they did.

Where did you hear charging for "pane e coperto" is "technically" illegal? It's standard practice everywhere I've been and in the number of years I've been doing travel research, this is the first I've heard an assertion it's illegal. Who knows? I've been wrong before. But it would help, David, if you returned to state a source that such a charge is illegal.

As David said, it's only in Lazio that it's "illegal" (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_charge#cite_ref-4) but as you can see there is some controversy. And as with many other regulations in Italy, enforcement is always an issue :) especially against often-unsuspecting tourists. On the Chowhound Italy board it comes up that in some restaurants, tourists speaking english are charged service while locals are not. The amazing Katie Parla did a nice feature on one, Grano (not exactly coperto but interesting nonetheless http://www.parlafood.com/grano-and-the-ive-service-charg/). I was recently in Rome for 5 days and do not recall any place charging for service, thankfully. Also see another one of Katie's recent posts about tipping and coperto: http://www.parlafood.com/tips-for-tipping-in-italy/ Frankly I can't be bothered to argue about a euro or two and I'd say like others have said my experiences in Rome and Florence about half or a little more than half of the places charge it. I've thought about waving away the bread but then I sit down and get into the atmosphere and I end up forgetting and eating the bread happily. But "no thanks" when they bring the bread should work. As for other parts of italy, the pizzerie in Naples didn't charge a cover but added 10% for service on to the bill. It was clearly stated on the menu. Don't remember paying a cover charge in Sorrento. I honestly can't recall what was added to my bills in Puglia but I don't recall much if anything at all. Trying to remember back to my previous trip where I was in Emilia-Romagna, Cinque Terre, and Tuscany, and I want to say that I paid a cover charge of some sort most of the time, but I can't remember for sure. In Rome you can always try to dispute the coperto I guess but considering many of the worthwhile restaurants in Rome are ones where not much English is spoken, good luck!

Thanks everyone for their input. If you google "pane e coperto charges in restaurants in Italy" you get a ton of stuff, most of it somewhat vague and contradictory on what to do. If they state on the menu that a "service charge" is applied, then fine. I'll politely decline the bread, and see what happens. I'll probably then ask ahead of ordering if there is a "pan e coperto charge", and if so, why. If they charge us for Pane e coperto, then I'll just ask them why since we declined the bread and go from there. In all reality, probably not worth the hassle since on vacation.

More info from my wife who is taking a crash course in Italian before our trip and reads just enough Italian to do a little Googling on Italian websites: "pane e coperto" dates back to the Middle Ages when ppl would bring their own food to inns and innkeepers would charge for use of plates, tables, tablecloths, etc. Whereas in the US, the overhead for the restaurant is included in the price of the meal, the Italians have broken it out separately for a long time - it's a different mindset. The relevant section of the law is here (scroll down to article 16 and use Google translate): http://www.tuttocamere.it/files/regione/LAZIO_2006_21.pdf - it essentially says that all charges at a restaurant should be clearly presented to the customer before the customer orders - and there is supposed to be a big fine for not doing so. In 2009, a local consumer protection group had a campaign to collect receipts from ppl who'd been charged un coperto illegally (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=128111730753&v=wall). As far as my wife could tell, the campaign didn't make a very big impact, since the internet is still replete with stories (especially from tourists) of il coperto or il servizio not being clearly stated, buried in tiny print somewhere, present only on the English menu, etc., etc. Anyway, we talked about it and decided that my wife would find out from her Italian teacher how to politely ask if there's un coperto or un servizio before being seated and figure it into the price of the meal (and leave if it's "troppo caro";) ).

When we went last month nearly every place charged a cover charge.
If it were me I wouldn't stress out over one Euro per person. Not a big deal considering the cost of the entire trip.

Ditto what Brian said. No tipping in Italy.

You can say no thanks to the bread, but just make sure it's not on your bill anyway! ANd make sure you check your bill for accuracy-trust me, I lived in Italy.

Yes, it drives my wife crazy, but for myself, I usually like the bread and also always order a bottle of water, and have to order an anti-pasti for the table, my main dish, then almost always a contorno, and a coffee or sweet to end the meal. All a part of a good long Italian meal. I also do not worry about a euro or two for the bread, and only tip to round up the bill.

We have been in Rome for 6 days and Siena for 6 days We are on our second day in Florence. We have been consistently charged generally 2.50 Euros per person for this bread service despite never asking for bread and not touching the bread most of the time. In view of this we also do not leave a tip!

Not intending to revive this whole issue exactly, but I am intrigued now to go back through my Rome dining receipts from March to see if we were charged the pane e coperto. I honestly do not care because we ALWAYS ate the bread if it was brought to the table. But I do have to respond that "pane e coperto" is NOT the same as "servicio", and I got the impression that some people thought it was the same thing and therefore didn't tip because of the "additional" charges. One is a bread and cover charge, and the other is simply service, which may be "incluso" or "non incluso" in the price of your meal. If "servicio incluso" is noted on the menu, you do NOT need to tip unless you care to just leave spare change or round up the bill for extra good service. If "servicio non incluso" is noted on the menu, then you really should leave a tip since it is not automatically being added to your billRome, FLorence, or anywhere else. Bread and cover is an entirely separate element.

This topic has been hashed and rehashed on this site. Tipping is different in Italy than in the US. Wages for restaurant staff are different in Italy than in the US. If you ask Italians (who know their system better than we do), you will find out that a tip is not expected and should be no more than 1 or 2 euros per person even if you get great service and regardless of the price of the meal. This is soooo difficult for Americans in particular to believe, but it's true nonetheless. (I used to wait tables here in the US and always leave a big fat tip when dining here. In Italy on the other hand, a tip was a rare event for me to leave.) Italy is expensive enough as is. No need to make it more so. That said, there are some tourist-oriented restaurants that will press for tips.

Michael is correct. I've talked about this with several Italian friends, some who have waited tables in the past here in Italy, and they think it's crazy to tip for services in Italy. Period. All the service is included in the price of your meal, hotel room, taxi ride, your drink from the bartender etc etc. It's just not done here.

So, we just got back from Italy. We ate at Roman restaurants recommended by food blogger Katie Parla and none charged a coperto or servizio that wasn't on the menu (none had a servizio, some had pane as a separate approximately 2-euro item and one didn't charge for bringing us bread whose price wasn't listed on the menu). We were able to decline bread when it was offered and had no problems getting a pane charge removed from the bill when it appeared in error. In Florence, we went ahead and paid the charge, since only 1 euro per person and not worth the hassle. So in summary, in Lazio (which includes Rome), the charge for Pane e coperto is illegal if not listed in the menu. This is an important point. If the service charge is listed and the bread charge is listed ( and you accept the bread), then it is legal to charge. Only if it is not listed in the menu as a separate item, is it illegal for them to charge you. For the rest of Italy, there is no regulation and they can charge you, even if not listed on the menu. In a separate item, in Rome, there are a couple restaurants that will list a "service charge" on their English menu, but not on their Italian menu. Here is the link to Katie Parla's post from her food blog: http://www.parlafood.com/grano-and-the-ive-service-charg/ PS - We were never able to get tap water instead of bottled. Edit: Katie Parla (10/19/2011) reports that sadly, Roma Sparita is perpetrating a new servizio abuse on tourist customers. Read her informative post, "Roma Sparita, from Hit List to..." And (this has been mentioned on the RS boards elsewhere) - if you think you are being victimized by a restaurant, ask for an official receipt and say the magic words "Guardia di Finanza" (http://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/travel-tips/how-not-to-get-ripped-off-eating-in-italy)

Thanks David, that's certainly informative!

This topic has been gone over here in the past (and in many other places) but it is late here in Florence and I have some wine in me so here is my take (again): the coperto is not a tip or service or "servizio" - it goes to the house - not the staff. When I see people say on forums such as this that "I was charged for bread" so they don't leave a tip - well - that is just shortsighted and cheap in my opinion. Do you have to tip in Italy? No. Can you or should you? Of course. The average services worker here is working 40 hour + shifts and taking home about 1,000 euro a month (and many work double that - or work on a contract that states half their hours). No, it is not the below minimum wage job like it is in America where tips are expected - but leaving a couple of euro per person, especially when the staff is trying, is really nice to do and makes a HUGE difference to the person serving you. I was at a popular spot here in Florence that I frequent one night and it was getting late when an Italian came to the register to pay for his rather large party. The bill was euro 200 something, and after he paid and was about to walk away from the counter, he caught himself and peeled off a 20 euro note for the staff. To say they were astonished and elated was an understatement - and the 2 euro it probably put in their pockets per person left them elated. One of them remarked in a very serious tone "That is a modern Italian". If there is a "servizio" or service charge this is not necessary - but thinking that the coperto covers the staff or absolves you of tipping is just being narrow minded. My .02 cents. :)

Simply Cheating... I had Pizza Wörth 9 Euros in Venice and Paid 5 Euros for Cuperto which i dient use.. When i Asked.. I was abused ... Not a friendly country at all..will never come again!

@Navin: generalizing too much? What if someone told they will not go back to US because Americans are all greedy people ready to rip her/him off because someone charged $ 10 for a hot dog near Times Square?

Naveen, This is an old thread you have reactivated - David from Walnut Creek was in Rome and Florence in September last year. You rant about coperto charges you "didn't use". The coperto is to provide the plates, the silverware, the table - the cover charge. How could you not have used those? Because it is different to the way things are done in your country its worth a rant? And a threat to never return? Is €5 really going to deprive you of enjoying such a wonderful country?

If you sit down, you will pay. I don't think it's only one euro per person but it's standard practice. I look at it this way. If you just want to eat and run, don't sit down - get it at the counter and take it to go (though I do think Italy is getting harder regarding eating on the streets - at least at Spanish Steps). If you sit down, don't complain about the extra charge - just take your time and get your money's worth. Remember, when you order a pizza to go and the server offers you a seat, they are essentially selling "up", the same as a waiter here who tries to sell appetizers or desserts.