A customer of Ditta Artigianale, an Italian cafe, was so outraged at the €2 cost of his espresso that he called the police. The business received a fine of €1,000 after it was determined they didn’t display the price behind the bar.
Italians take espresso seriously, which is part of the daily life for millions in the country, and so integral to their society that the country has applied for it to become a cultural heritage. But many bars in Italy had, until recently, charged just €1 for a single shot. Now, as the price of coffee has soared, that is changing, but this bar in particular prides itself on the quality of its coffee, stating on their website:
We travel the world in search of the most exclusive micro-lots, establishing direct relationships with producers and engaging in special roasting techniques.
https://dittaartigianale.com/en
Their espresso is listed on their menu for €1.5, but the customer had ordered a decaf, which cost more, because of the quality and additional processing work. The beans were sourced from a Mexican micro-lot, and used a water process for decaffeination.
The cafe owner wrote about the experience on Facebook in which he says the old law should be updated, otherwise 99.9% of other businesses would also be found guilty.
The local chapter for small businesses echoed the owners concern.
A great deal of work goes into producing a quality product. Quality pays off and benefits everyone.
Alessandro Vittorio Sorani, President of Confartigianato
A lot of decaf espresso I tasted has not been great, so I can sympathise with the owner, who would prefer to charge a bit more for a quality product.
