Italian Cafe Justifies $2.20 Charge for Sandwich Cutting

• An Italian bar and cafe gained viral fame when it charged a customer $2.20 to cut a sandwich in half.
• The cafe owner is standing by the decision, stating that “work must be compensated.”
• However, she questions why the customer only complained after paying, mentioning that she wouldn’t have insisted on the fee if it was disputed earlier.

The owner of a bar cafe in Italy is defending her decision to charge a customer $2.20 for cutting their sandwich in half.

Bar Pace, a winery and cafe near Lake Como, made local headlines last week after a customer wrote on TripAdvisor that they were charged an additional 2 euros for their sliced sandwich.

Sharing a photo of the receipt, the customer, who remains anonymous, mentioned that they were dining with another person and wanted to share the dish.

In June, the customer spent a total of 15.70 euros ($17.25) and was charged for a service called “diviso a metà,” as shown on the receipt. Based on the reviewer’s profile on TripAdvisor, they are a woman from Milan between the ages of 50 and 64.

The comment went viral in early August, resulting in negative reviews on Facebook, Google, and TripAdvisor from individuals offended by the practice.

Due to concerns about ratings from non-visited customers, TripAdvisor temporarily suspended new reviews for Bar Pace.

Now, Cristina Biacchi, the owner of Bar Pace, questions why the upset customer didn’t raise their concern before paying the bill.

In an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Biacchi stated, “We would have explained to him that each additional service must be paid for. We had to use two plates instead of one, and the time to wash them doubled, as well as using two placemats.”

Biacchi added, “To cut it in half took us some time, and work must be compensated.” However, she also mentioned that Bar Pace would not have insisted on the two-euro slicing fee if the customer had disputed it.

“All of this would not have happened,” Biacchi told the outlet.

As a result of the negative reviews, Bar Pace’s Facebook star rating has decreased to 2.7 out of 5 stars.

“It’s strange when someone writes a negative review without actually visiting the bar,” criticized one user in response to the angry review-bombers.

Another user retorted, “People are using social media to warn others to avoid this bar, and they’re absolutely right to do so. If you care so much, go ahead and keep paying 9.5 euros for a toast.”

Insider reached out to Bar Pace for comment but did not receive an immediate response.