Restaurant rip-off occurs in Venice

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Europe

The mayor of Venice has vowed to investigate into the latest scandal of an alleged restaurant rip-off in which four Japanese tourists claim they were charged 1,100 Euros (about 8,624 yuan) for fish, steaks and mineral water near St Mark's Square last Friday.

At the same time, three other Japanese women paid 350 Euros for three plates of seafood pasta at another restaurant.

Italian cuisine /CFP Photo

The tourists filed a formal complaint upon returning to Bologna, where they were studying.

In response, the mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro‏ tweeted on Sunday, “in the next days, we will verify this episode. We will send the copy of the complaint to see if it is factual. If this shameful episode is confirmed, we will do all we can to punish those responsible. We are for justice, always!” (Google translation)

Screenshot from Twitter

According to BBC, the restaurant is not named, but is said to be owned by a Chinese woman and run by an Egyptian.

Reports also suggest that only one percent of restaurants in that part of Venice are owned by locals, and the figure is half in the historic center as a whole.

The Japanese unpleasant experience is not a sporadic incident, as many users shared their similar encounters on Twitter.

Screenshot from Twitter

@neil_purssey wrote “Japanese people allegedly ripped off in Venice restaurant. No surprise, I was. I didn't complain because it was Christmas Day and I didn't want to ruin my family's enjoyment. “

@erite wrote: “Regrettably we fell victim of the same scam when we visited your city back in October with unexplained bill. Big taint for your city.”

CFP Photo

Last November, Luke Tang, a university lecturer from Birmingham, UK, wrote an open letter to the mayor, after he and his parents were charged 526 euros for lunch in a restaurant close to St Mark’s Square.

However, the outspoken mayor labeled such tourists as “cheapskates” in an interview, saying “they didn’t even leave a tip. If you come to Venice, you need to shell out a bit. You’re welcome, but you need to spend”, according to the Telegraph.

CFP Photo

Known for bridges, historic buildings, and gondolas, Venice has attracted millions of tourists every year. The massive population inflow has drawn local campaigns against excessive tourism in recent years.