French newspaper Le Parisien performed a fascinating undercover investigation, after some restaurants in touristy areas of Paris received bad reviews for reportedly charging foreign tourists more than locals. Does this actually happen, and in what form?
In this post:
Undercover American tourist charged more than local
Le Parisien sent two reporters to dine at two cafes in the Champ-de-Mars area, near the Eiffel Tower. One presented himself as a local, and one presented himself as an American tourist (with a rather poor attempt at a stereotypical American accent, I must say… though I suppose it worked).
They sat in the same area, and ordered identical things. How did their experiences differ? At the first restaurant, they both ordered a lasagna, a Coke, and a water. While they were both charged the same for the lasagna, that’s where the similarities ended:
- The “American” tourist was given the option of a medium or large Coke (€9.50), was brought a bottle of water (€6), and was asked if he wanted garlic bread (which he later found out cost €6)
- The “French” guest was automatically given a can of coke (€6.50), was brought complimentary filtered water, and was offered complimentary bread (not garlic bread, just the standard one)
At the second restaurant, they both ordered salmon and a water. While they were both charged the same for the salmon, the rest was different:
- The “American” tourist was automatically charged (€6) for a bottle of water, and was told that service wasn’t included; when he tried to tip around 10%, the server actually changed the tip to be closer to 15%, using the machine, without asking
- The “French” guest was offered complimentary water, and had service included, despite the salmon costing the same amount (€22)
Are these practices surprising or problematic?
As I see it, there are two separate issues here — is it reasonable to charge tourists more than locals, and are the specific tactics being used here fair?
Call it a hot take, but in theory I think it’s actually not totally unreasonable for establishments in areas popular with tourists to have different pricing for locals than tourists. We’ve seen widespread anti-tourism protests in Europe in recent times, as those in some major cities are tired of being priced out of the places they live. The way I view it:
- The concept of discounts for locals is nothing new; for example, there are all kinds of hotels that have special rates for locals
- Ultimately having locals at an establishment positively adds toward the vibe; most people don’t want to go to a cafe in Paris and be surrounded exclusively by Americans
- Locals in tourist hotposts are majorly impacted by tourism, in both good and bad ways, and that’s a tough balance to maintain
So, what about this specific undercover operation shown above? The one thing I find totally unacceptable is the server reportedly changing the tip amount that someone left, as that’s just incredibly unethical.
Beyond that, though, I’ve actually gotta say, I don’t actually find this to necessarily be so bad. To be clear, I’m not saying I love this, but I’m not clutching my pearls in shock that this is happening, and I’m almost surprised it wasn’t worse:
- Many Americans are convinced they absolutely always need bottled water, when that’s obviously not the case; so I don’t really blame the servers for playing into that to generate revenue
- For better or worse, Americans change the tipping culture in the places that travel go, since they often apply their own standards, rather than local standards, and that creates a tricky balance for servers
- At least the amount charged for food was the same, and wasn’t adjusted
I’d almost summarize this as “Americans overtip, demand bottle water, and like big sodas,” which, in some way, almost just seems like an accurate read on the situation. Perhaps the moral of the story here is to specifically ask for tap water in Paris if you’re an American, and don’t want to pay for bottled water.
Bottom line
A French newspaper conducted an interesting undercover experiment, having one reporter pose as a local, and one as an American tourist. While they were charged the same for food, that’s where the similarities ended, with the “American” automatically being brought bottled water and larger soda (both at a higher cost), and also being told service isn’t included.
Obviously no one likes to feel like they’re being ripped off, but I’ve gotta say, this isn’t quite as egregious as I was expecting the behavior to be.
Are you surprised by these Paris restaurant tactics?
It's unacceptable and illegal. Period. There's nothing to discuss here at all.
In my opinion, you shouldn't see different pricing just because you are a tourist. Any restaurant who's engaging in these tactics is being deceitful and just plain tacky. You treat every guest equally and give them great service regardless of who they are. It's why its called the hospitality business, and not the inhospitable business.
I've spent a lot if time in France. I can assure all this is an issue confined to Paris---it is not a "France" thing. I have no interest in restaurants designed for tourists, even the ones catering to French tourists. I've always received a free carafe d'eau (tap water) simply by asking for it. I pay by card, and there is no mechanism to add a tip to that (see below). I do leave a...
I've spent a lot if time in France. I can assure all this is an issue confined to Paris---it is not a "France" thing. I have no interest in restaurants designed for tourists, even the ones catering to French tourists. I've always received a free carafe d'eau (tap water) simply by asking for it. I pay by card, and there is no mechanism to add a tip to that (see below). I do leave a euro as a tip, which follows the tradition (that seems to be fading away with universal card usage) of leaving some of the coins when you pay in cash. There are card machines that let you tip. I've only seen it in one restaurant, and then, only when served by a particular server. I was fine with that because the first tip option is a "round up" (e.g., your €23.40 meal will have a €0.60 tip added). I liked that, the server in question got tipped less than my normal €1 per meal. Please if you want to visit France, get out of Paris.
The argument could be made that it is not "ripping off" but rather adjusting the service to the nationality. I have observed something similar in the UK. When I am there with my Canadian friends, we mostly get a bottle of tap water included in the service charge brought to our table. When I am there with my non-Canadian friends, I always have to ask for water, which then comes in a branded bottle and...
The argument could be made that it is not "ripping off" but rather adjusting the service to the nationality. I have observed something similar in the UK. When I am there with my Canadian friends, we mostly get a bottle of tap water included in the service charge brought to our table. When I am there with my non-Canadian friends, I always have to ask for water, which then comes in a branded bottle and is charged (same restaurants!). I assume this is due to me speaking only in (North American) English with my Canadian friends and with my European friends in one or the other European languages. Similarly, in France, when I order in French, the service is always better and "more French" including the carafe d'eau, the breadbasket etc (and I'm not a French native speaker).
In the UK you order (in any accent you like):
1) tap water or
2) still water (bottle) or
3) sparkling water (bottle)
1% of restaurants will bring tap water automatically.
It’s nothing to do with being Canadian.
If this behaviour means fewer Americans visiting Europe, good.
Advice: learn the language of the country you're visiting. When citizens of other countries come to the US, they have to learn English. Why shouldn't Americans at least have the decency to learn another language. Yes, this then goes into our education system not enforcing a foreign language early on rather than Hight School. But it doesn't hurt to learn another language. People who are saying foreigners need to learn English to visit the US,...
Advice: learn the language of the country you're visiting. When citizens of other countries come to the US, they have to learn English. Why shouldn't Americans at least have the decency to learn another language. Yes, this then goes into our education system not enforcing a foreign language early on rather than Hight School. But it doesn't hurt to learn another language. People who are saying foreigners need to learn English to visit the US, i have a peice of advice to you: speak better English yourself! I have seen lots of hillbillies with broken English telling others to speak it to them, why don't you learn to speak better first?
Have you ever communicated with English native speakers in writing--those who do not travel outside their states? Who can blame them when their president Trump spelled " The Prince of Whale" on Twitter back then. Your jaws will definitely drop when you try to figure out what their semantics mean. They spell the way they sound out the words. It is not a shock why East Indian kids win national spelling contest year after year....
Have you ever communicated with English native speakers in writing--those who do not travel outside their states? Who can blame them when their president Trump spelled " The Prince of Whale" on Twitter back then. Your jaws will definitely drop when you try to figure out what their semantics mean. They spell the way they sound out the words. It is not a shock why East Indian kids win national spelling contest year after year. Spellcheck just worsen native speakers' spelling skill. It is a reality that unilingual English native speakers never bother acquire proficient knowledge of another foreign language because foreigners must learn English to get around and get better paid jobs. When I read reviews of tour guides in Japan, the majority of posters whined about their limited English skill. Such an audacity. All four Japanese tour guides who I hired were engineers.
Oh ffs, it's completely unreasonable to expect people to learn a language for their weekend breakaway somewhere. I used to work in tourist industry. Do you think French people have learned Czech for their holiday in Prague? Of course not. They used English, which is lingua franca (no pun intended :)) of Europe, the language we use to speak to each other when we don't share a native language.
My experience with France, or at...
Oh ffs, it's completely unreasonable to expect people to learn a language for their weekend breakaway somewhere. I used to work in tourist industry. Do you think French people have learned Czech for their holiday in Prague? Of course not. They used English, which is lingua franca (no pun intended :)) of Europe, the language we use to speak to each other when we don't share a native language.
My experience with France, or at least the areas I visited (Paris, Nice and Saint Martin, although rather is of course kinda special) is that English is absolutely fine as long as you're polite and treat staff nicely. It doesn't matter whether you say bonsoir or good evening, mercy or thank you, sir or monsieur, just don't be an asshole with no manners. If you are, no language will save you.
Here's the problem. They did this one time at two restaurants, hardly a good sample. If they did this over several months and at multiple restaurants may be a case could be made. The other problem is the lack of details. Did the French guest ask for tap water, for example? What size Coke was the French guest given? Did the American ask for a bottle of water? etc.... etc.... I'm not saying that this...
Here's the problem. They did this one time at two restaurants, hardly a good sample. If they did this over several months and at multiple restaurants may be a case could be made. The other problem is the lack of details. Did the French guest ask for tap water, for example? What size Coke was the French guest given? Did the American ask for a bottle of water? etc.... etc.... I'm not saying that this kind of thing does not happen, but if you are really going to do such an "investigation" then the details really matter.
The American should not have tipped at all. Leave this anti-customer trend in the states.
What utter nonsense. I've been going to France for 40+ years. I don't get ripped off and the friends of mine who go get a nice briefing - they don't get ripped off. Come on a Lonely Planet guide even covers basics on bread charged, asking for a "carafe d'eau"
This is just a waste of time
As someone from Europe, I find this very sad to see. You can’t justify this at all, I mean just because someone’s American, they should be ripped off..like what??
Perhaps I’m biased, but I’m a huge fan of visiting the US and I can’t imagine getting different prices in a restaurant just because I’m from somewhere else. If I was an American, I’d avoid these countries asap, spend your money somewhere else.
At one of...
As someone from Europe, I find this very sad to see. You can’t justify this at all, I mean just because someone’s American, they should be ripped off..like what??
Perhaps I’m biased, but I’m a huge fan of visiting the US and I can’t imagine getting different prices in a restaurant just because I’m from somewhere else. If I was an American, I’d avoid these countries asap, spend your money somewhere else.
At one of my recent trips to Istanbul, I got scammed multiple times in several taxi’s. You know what I did? Booked a last-minute Pegasus flight to Qatar, just somewhere I wouldn’t get scammed. Heck, the flight was cheaper than one scam taxi in Istanbul.
Its paris, the place of some of the worlds worst food and service, so its not really surprising.
The tipping plague is spreading tho. The US really needs to start fighting back.
Seriously? Why, did someone overcook your Big Mac in Paris?
Thanks for the reminder to speak in an even louder voice next time I am in Paris.
On a recent visit to Paris, I entered a restaurant and immediately asked to use the restroom. When I sat down and ordered, I asked for just water. The owner of the small joint asked what sort of bottled water I wanted, and I told her just tap water. She told me they don’t serve that, and I told her it is the law in Paris to serve it at no charge. She wasn’t backing...
On a recent visit to Paris, I entered a restaurant and immediately asked to use the restroom. When I sat down and ordered, I asked for just water. The owner of the small joint asked what sort of bottled water I wanted, and I told her just tap water. She told me they don’t serve that, and I told her it is the law in Paris to serve it at no charge. She wasn’t backing down, and when I got up to leave, she tried to change me for using her toilet. When I told her I’d write a review on Google, she told to get the F out!
This was really the first trip to Europe that I was confronted with card machines with the tip screen activated. I guess Americans are a tip target now. I always chose the last option of no tip and told them I don’t want to spread the tipping disease to Europe. Never a problem.
I live in Paris and sometimes also get the tip screen.
It's less because of Americans and more of to do with the card machine and how the business sets up said card machines. Some businesses choose to include the tipping option some don't in my experience across Europe. I was at a cocktail bar in Sweden which included the option for tipping a few krones but nothing like 25%, but obligation to do so.
I travel to Paris a lot. I'm obviously American (you can't hide it), but I speak fluent French. They don't try that shit with me. That's how you know it's just plain theft.
I was in Paris in May and in two different restaurants, I witnessed American tourists (including myself) being treated differently - first, didn't leave a tip because I know it's not required in Paris. The server then asked me if I was Australian. I asked why would they think that, they said "Australians don't tip, Americans do". Right. I'm not an idiot.
Second: The table next to me with an American Couple was offered/asked...
I was in Paris in May and in two different restaurants, I witnessed American tourists (including myself) being treated differently - first, didn't leave a tip because I know it's not required in Paris. The server then asked me if I was Australian. I asked why would they think that, they said "Australians don't tip, Americans do". Right. I'm not an idiot.
Second: The table next to me with an American Couple was offered/asked by the server "would you like to include a tip for the staff". The server didn't ask anyone else in the restaurant that.
They always try to make you get the bottled water...no matter what you tell them..It is on your bill. I pay cash and deduct the amount.. The bread and other suggestions is not nice...
When we welcome the French to Orlando, payback is a b****tch.
upcharging the tip is child's play compared to what the mouse is going to do to you. :-D
Treating people different because of their race, religion, nationality, sex, color, etc. is wrong. Substitute American for ..... Black, gay, female ....would it still be alright?
Well, you've got it, Don! Other people's bad behavior is an excellent defense for my bad behavior too!
The person on the video says that this started 3 years ago when the President said that tips would not be taxed anymore. Are we going to see 75%, 150% tips in the US when they are not taxed either?
americans must pay tip everywhere, because its in their culture. Not in mine. If i go Amreica, can i get free from tipping? no. So amrecans must pay everywhere tipping but for all other countries they havent ruined jet, it based on free will.
That reminded me a joke for in Las Vegas, when i had breakfast included in W (0usd), but tip was calculated from full amount. Mathematicly not correct.
Well said!
I do not think Americans necessarily insist on bottled water - but there is a widespread belief that the only way to get water abroad is bottled and restaurants are not offering tap as in US
Where does this stop. Shall we charge us gays more since we mostly don’t have kids and can afford it? Careful.
I’m in Europe right now. And I’m surprised by being expected to tip almost 20 to 25% in most of the establishments I visited in Vienna, Prague and Berlin.
In US you can even justify that percentage because the hourly wages are peanuts and they’re really any benefits. But in Europe, the wages are supposed to be better. The benefits are supposed to be better so why am I still expected to pay 20%?...
I’m in Europe right now. And I’m surprised by being expected to tip almost 20 to 25% in most of the establishments I visited in Vienna, Prague and Berlin.
In US you can even justify that percentage because the hourly wages are peanuts and they’re really any benefits. But in Europe, the wages are supposed to be better. The benefits are supposed to be better so why am I still expected to pay 20%?
Just as a matter of principle where I’ve been pressured to tip highly I have said I’m gonna not tip at all. Let that be a lesson. It’s not a question of money. It’s a question of principle. I don’t want to be gouged or taken advantage of.
I bought some local people about tipping in most seem to suggest rounding to the nearest whole amount or 10% depending on the city
Only because you're being profiled as a gullible American.
Just select 0%, like non-Americans do, and be done.
Did you even read the article?
"stereotypical American accident"
Best description yet of our President.
Tell us you live and breathe politics in a blog dedicated to airlines, without tellling us you........live and breathe politics......in a blog dedicated to....airlines.
Glad the French have discovered cutthroat capitalism & price discrimination
Tourists and especially those coming from rich countries are getting ripped off….
where is the news?
Slow news day (it's a regular occurrence here).
Many restaurants and hotels in the tourist areas of Hawaii also provide discounts to locals, with Hawaii IDs, to compensate them for the inconvenience (traffic congestion, etc.) and inflation resulting from tourism. The discounts are typically in the 10-15% range, but not at peek times. I don’t see a problem with that.
On the other hand, we visited a very popular restaurant in Lisbon for both locals and tourists. Every moderately priced wine was mysteriously...
Many restaurants and hotels in the tourist areas of Hawaii also provide discounts to locals, with Hawaii IDs, to compensate them for the inconvenience (traffic congestion, etc.) and inflation resulting from tourism. The discounts are typically in the 10-15% range, but not at peek times. I don’t see a problem with that.
On the other hand, we visited a very popular restaurant in Lisbon for both locals and tourists. Every moderately priced wine was mysteriously out of stock, so we had to keep choosing up. When presented with the bill, our slip had a place to add a tip. We were able see the bills for the tables of locals around us and none of the locals were solicited for a tip. We were highly offended. We told our Portuguese friends about this experience and they have stopped patronizing the establishment. Fortunately, we have eaten at scores of other restaurants in Lisbon, and elsewhere in Portugal, and have never had this problem.
Peak* times.
Peek times is something you get at an adult bookstore.
I don't find this too shocking and it's not limited to Paris. I was in Rome last summer and stopped for lunch at a restaurant in the city center. On the bill it was written that a tip was recommended. I have family in Rome and have been going there my whole life so I am well aware that there is no tipping culture in Italy. I didn't leave a tip but I am sure that plenty of unsuspecting tourists do.
Water bottle dropping should be illegal in all countries. Any differences in pricing for locals should be publicly posted. Funny how some people accept racial profiling under certain circumstances…. cough cough.
"Funny how some people accept racial profiling under certain circumstances…. cough cough."
¡NEWSFLASH!
"American" and "French" aren't races.
Try harder.
My comment wasn’t specific to just the French/American dynamic. Remember, it’s only racist and/or xenophobic if Americans do it.
Think bigger.
Willy doesn't have the capability to think outside of his small box. Big brain stuff is foreign to him.
Alonzo, please have pity on TravelinPenis. Thinking outside of the box hurts his 3 and a half brain cells. Ouch!
I understand Delta is setting up a system under which every restaurant patron will be charged their maximum capacity to pay.
I don’t have an issue with any of these practices, except the forced tipping at second restaurant.
You expect some level of steering toward more expensive options. A tourist that’s willing to stand up for themselves can overcome these by double checking prices and specifically asking about filtered water option.
Not so easy when trying to argue in your second language.
You think that would be their second language?
Try a language they don’t speak.
Changed the tip? No excuse for that. Chargeback time, let his boss enjoy paying the extra fee for processing that.
Our amazing travel agent explained to us that, by law, every French restaurant has to offer water and bread for free
That's not in the guidebooks.
I don't blame the restaurants for not publicizing it when they can get an extra €10 out unsuspecting tourists
It's in some guidebooks like Rick Steves for instance.
For that same reason, I am never going to Venice. Fish on the Canal restaurant was advertised as "Market Price". when I asked the waiter for what that would be. I was Told more than 20 Euros. Finally got the Bill, It was 85 Euros. water was 15 Euros, Fish turned out to be 60 Euros. Ended up paying, no use complaining there. (Just to let you know,that was 15 years ago, I do not know what "Market Price" is now ). Paris was just as bad last year.
You will be smart to ask about "Market Price". The answer will usually be $X per kilogram. And then you will need to know the portion weight.
Sounds like you got 300 grams of fish.
.... or a ton of B.S. !!
LOL do Japanese restaurant "sabisu" items next! (these "service" items are often presented to foreigners as a complimentary gift from the chef but they're often on your bill and many places won't let you refuse them)
I spoke decent Japanese when I moved there but it I needed a whole new lesson to be able to refuse them correctly.
What you're describing sounds like the Japanese cover charge/service fee at some restaurant, especially Izakaya. In Japanese, it's called various things like "otohshi" "tsukidashi" "tsukedashi". The latter 2 are interesting because they literally mean "shoved" kinda reflecting the practice of restaurant just delivering it to your table without asking.
This is not a foreigner-targeting practice. Japanese customers receive tsukidashi and pay for it, because, again, it is considered equivalent to the cover charge, just...
What you're describing sounds like the Japanese cover charge/service fee at some restaurant, especially Izakaya. In Japanese, it's called various things like "otohshi" "tsukidashi" "tsukedashi". The latter 2 are interesting because they literally mean "shoved" kinda reflecting the practice of restaurant just delivering it to your table without asking.
This is not a foreigner-targeting practice. Japanese customers receive tsukidashi and pay for it, because, again, it is considered equivalent to the cover charge, just with benefits.
Some Japanese people protest this practice and try to not pay for it. It's fine to decline, or at least have a conversation about it but the best practice is to let the workers know as soon as you enter the establishment because they can come out wickedly fast, and once delivered typically it's considered rude to send the dish back.
Not surprised at all, especially given all the Prague Honest Guide youtube videos I've seen of scams targeting tourists. Nor is it exclusive to Europe, you can find overpriced tourist-oriented trash souvenirs, bottled water, and food in pretty much any city or town that sees a decent amount of tourists.
That being said, it is absolutely unacceptable for a server to manually change the tip %, and pretty deceptive to pass off the paid-for garlic...
Not surprised at all, especially given all the Prague Honest Guide youtube videos I've seen of scams targeting tourists. Nor is it exclusive to Europe, you can find overpriced tourist-oriented trash souvenirs, bottled water, and food in pretty much any city or town that sees a decent amount of tourists.
That being said, it is absolutely unacceptable for a server to manually change the tip %, and pretty deceptive to pass off the paid-for garlic bread as the house bread or the water as charged only.
It’s not only Americans. It can happen in many countries to gullible people. If you bother to say a few words in the language it helps. You don’t need to speak in fluently like Jodie Foster. Le plupart des Français sont accueillants
Tourism tax is fine, but the kinds of practices shown here are deceptive and can lead to some very bad situations.
It's not uncommon to charge more to foreign visitors to stimulate sales and the economy, but if it's not applied consistently and appropriately, there'll be widespread cases of discrimination.
Will fat Americans be charged more than skinny ones? Will women be charged less than men? There needs to be standards and policies for doing so.
Trumpshould demand the end to that or he'll raise tariffs to 100% and, if that doesn't work, will bomb Le Havre and Brest.
Maybe try eating in a Chinese restaurant, which are sometimes run by Vietnamese?
Americans have been told to not drink the tap water outside of the states for decades. Why can you drink the tap water in Paris or Rome but not Kuala Lumpur or Buenos Aires? They all got pipes that are centuries old don't they?
You also can't drink tap water everywhere in America. So it seems like some education around where asking for tap water is acceptable and is not, is needed. I don't want...
Americans have been told to not drink the tap water outside of the states for decades. Why can you drink the tap water in Paris or Rome but not Kuala Lumpur or Buenos Aires? They all got pipes that are centuries old don't they?
You also can't drink tap water everywhere in America. So it seems like some education around where asking for tap water is acceptable and is not, is needed. I don't want to pay for a bottle of Voss or Fiji if I don't have to at a restaurant. Same goes with filtered restaurant water that just comes from the tap anyway.
Well, I would definitely drink tap water in Kuala Lumpur, Buenos Aires, and most of South America. But never in Flint, Michigan, for example.
Not in Lima, not necessarily in Santiago de Chile, and I wouldn’t be too sure about all of Buenos Aires either.
"Why can you drink the tap water in Paris or Rome but not Kuala Lumpur or Buenos Aires?"
If this question is serious, just...no. And one can drink tap water in Buenos Aires.
The population of KL a century ago was about 80K people - the pipes in New York, Boston, Chicago etc. are likely much, much older than KL.
This is quite the archetypal ignorant American comment, congrats.
Some people have a GI system that does not tolerate away from home bacteria that might be in tap water anyplace in the world. My recently retired internist was very familiar with this and advised travelers to stick to bottles or boiled water away from home. This is no way implies that water in any one place is worse than another place. I would note that most Italians, at least in certain regions, do not...
Some people have a GI system that does not tolerate away from home bacteria that might be in tap water anyplace in the world. My recently retired internist was very familiar with this and advised travelers to stick to bottles or boiled water away from home. This is no way implies that water in any one place is worse than another place. I would note that most Italians, at least in certain regions, do not drink tap water. Bottled water in Italy is a small fraction of prices of bottled water in the USA, comparing local to local.
Not surprising at all. Trickery abounds in touristy areas. Go to somewhere slightly less on the beaten path and (a) the food will be better, and (b) there will be much less attempting to rip off foreigners.
This is actually quite interesting, I always get into internet arguments complaining about how European countries never provide free water, and locals alway insist that they receive free tap water without even needing to ask. Turns out the restaurants know to rip off American tourists!
“Une carafe d’eau s’il vous plaît” is how you ask for tap water in a restaurant. If you do not preface this with the “carafe” or you ask for de l’eau, you will be offered a choice of PLAT or GAZEUSE/PÉTILLANTE , meaning you will get a bottle of plat(still) or gazeuse (sparkling) water that will likely cost you more that your wine!
Simple like that, something basic on a trip to France.
Can’t wait till every person is charged their maximum willingness to pay for every service and product. That is the natural end point of capitalism.
Glen Hauenstein getting in the comments!
This is not new. Have you not seen National Lampoons European Vacation? If anything the view of American Tourists has only worsened.
i still say "un champagne amerericane" in my head whenever i order a coke :)
Perhaps the American tourist could try to leave his limited world and learn a few words in French.
Reading a menu in French isn't that difficult, and it's important to know a restaurant's prices when ordering.
Absolument, vous avez raison. Un touriste américain qui prend la peine d'apprendre quelques mots de français et de lire le menu avec attention éviterait facilement ces problèmes. C'est vrai que connaître les prix avant de commander, c'est la base - et franchement, ce n'est pas si compliqué de demander "l'eau du robinet, s'il vous plaît" au lieu d'accepter automatiquement une bouteille à 6€.
Un petit effort pour sortir de sa bulle américaine, ça va loin à Paris.
You don't even need to learn any French. Just use Google Translate - point your camera at the menu and it magically translates for you.
But a menu isn't going to explain the tip policy, the fact that water is available for free, and maybe not even the fact that all meals come with free bread. All the locals know what is customary in that area without being told, so it won't be on the...
You don't even need to learn any French. Just use Google Translate - point your camera at the menu and it magically translates for you.
But a menu isn't going to explain the tip policy, the fact that water is available for free, and maybe not even the fact that all meals come with free bread. All the locals know what is customary in that area without being told, so it won't be on the menu.
Of course, chances are that any self-respecting local won't be caught dead in a restaurant that is so overrun with tourists that the staff play these tricks.
I’ve never seen a menu in France that didn’t say “service compris” on it.
If you really want a Coke…ask for “un beaujolais du Texas!” By law service is included on every bill.
But this wasn’t about being able to read a menu.
Well, the "American tourist" in this case had no idea about the prices and sizes of Coke, which are on the menu.
But in the land of wine, who orders Coke? In the land of baguettes, who orders garlic bread? What is this, Pizza Hut?
Really, the "American" deserves this big beautiful bill!
Agree. Coke? Garlic bread?
Why travel to Paris if you are going to order this.
Spend an hour on Youtube before you go.
@Ricardo, so we'll spoken!
As mentioned above, I also use Google translate. However, I have noticed most menus are in the native tongue with English translations as of late. Also, I find those in the hospitality industry speak better English than most Americans!!
As for water, I ask for a large bottle of sparkling water and several glasses when ordering. I end up sharing it with the rest of my group at the table who may also order wine.