UPDATED: December 27th 2013
This blog post was originally published back in April 2011, and I thought it was time for an update since the growing nefarious trend of Sevilla tapas bars charging for bread and “service” continues to grow.
It started off small a few years ago, say charging 50 cents for your typical dried-out pre-sliced vienna with a tiny package of picos. More often these days it’s become a 1 euro charge for a small basket of bread, though recently many bars have taken to charging PER PERSON for bread, which amounts to the same as a service charge. The other day I was charged 5€ for a handful of olives, three slices of bread and a packet of picos because there were five people in my group. Scandalous.
What really irks is stopping off somewhere for a quick tapa and a beer and then finding out that I’ve been charged an extra 1.50€ for a basket of bread, especially when I hadn’t ordered bread and only nibbled on a couple of picos or used a small chunk of bread to soak up a bit of sauce, and then later I see this bread being “recycled”… ewwww.
Bar owners I’ve spoken to like to think that this is somehow a personal issue of mine and say they never hear complaints from anyone else. Well, I hear plenty of complaints from all kinds of people, including other more scrupulous bar owners. It’s not just the unpleasant surprise when you get your bill, this practice actually theatens the entire tradition of tapas bars. Imagine going on a tapeo with four or five friends, visiting several bars in an evening, something that is very common here, and at every stop you get charged an extra 4-6€ for bread or “service”. At the end of the night you’ve paid up to an extra 20-25€ or more… for nothing.
I also hear the arguments that “everyone else is doing it” and “food and drink costs a lot more in other countries”, the first argument being pathetic and the second? That’s kind of the point. Spain is not other countries. You can’t compare eating out in Sevilla to eating out in New York. At least not yet. Is that really what bar owners here want?
I have no problem when the menu clearly lists items like bread and olives and the price for each (usually 1€). I can decide if I really feel like spending extra for those items and if I order them then of course I am happy to pay. But when these items are brought to the table without being asked for, usually before you’ve had time to even look at the menu, then one naturally assumes that they are compliments of the house. In fact, bars are not allowed to charge for any items brought to the table that haven’t been ordered by the client. Likewise, they are not allowed to charge any sort of “service” charge. So if this happens to you at a bar then you are not obliged to pay.
What does this “service” charge even mean? Most visitors from the UK would assume this means it’s the tip for the waiters, which here it isn’t. The wait staff see none of this. So bars who charge for “service” are actually doing their staff a disservice as they will end up getting fewer tips. One restaurant owner recently told me that the “cubierto” charge was not only for bread but also because he uses cloth napkins which cost more than paper ones. I mean, what next? Extra charges for turning on the air-conditioning in summer? For putting toilet paper in the loos? Imagine how much extra bars could make by charging to use the toilets! Really the opportunities for getting something for nothing are endless. Seriously though, what happened to trying to offer something more or something different to attract more customers, being innovative, instead of suddenly charging for things that have always been included as part of regular service? Five years ago there were no bread or service charges in tapas bars. In my opinion people are getting too greedy and lazy.
I say that tapas bars and restaurants should factor in these fixed costs as they are clearly a part of their day-to-day operating expenses and thus should be easy to figure out. Tacking on extra charges like this just feels, well, tacky. What do you think?
From Official Rules and Obligations for Bars, Restaurants and Cafeterias
“Los servicios no solicitados no se pueden cobrar. Tampoco se pueden cobrar conceptos como, por ejemplo, reservas, cubierto o mesa.”
“Neither unasked-for services nor such things as reservations, cover or table charges, can be charged for.”
One day they will end up charging for tap water, like some do in Paris*.
If the overall prices were just a little higher but bread was “free” it would look better. This way it looks so, so, er, “gagne-petit”. Somehow not quite the way to go to make customers feel welcome.
* I wish it were a joke.
Somehow I find the paying for tapwater thing not hard to believe for Paris.
Totally agree that “add ons” feel less welcoming, especially when the bread is brought to the table automatically. Same with olives.
Restaurants in France are not allowed to charge for tap water (or bread, or linens, etc) if you are having a meal. If you order a coffee in a café, almost every cafe will give you a glass of water for free. (I’ve never been denied one, or asked to pay – but they do have the right to charge for it. Perhaps in very touristy parts of Paris, they get away with that but that’s certainly not normal.)
If they do charge for tap water, the law states that there needs to be a sign posted that notes the charge. I’ve only seen that once in France, and it was 10 cents/glass, and only if you didn’t buy anything to eat or drink. (The law is here, in French.)
Thanks for that extra info, David. Being charged for water in any big city (Paris, London, NYC) wouldn’t actually surprise me, but how many people would know about the law to realise that they shouldn’t have to pay? And even then who would bother filling out a complaint form about it? I also wonder how many requests for water from non-paying customers a place would actually get to make them feel they needed to charge. Probably it’s just another way to make more money for nothing.
You should demand they price it by the nibble, to avoid paying for something you didn’t consume.
Imagine that! The worst thing is that when they bring sliced “barras” and I only eat one slice, and the rest gets put aside to be given to the next customer … who is also charged for it! Not only unhygienic but adds insult to injury.
So THIS is interesting. A comment by Juan Tarquini left on Facebook where I linked to this blog post. Since it’s already been made public I’m sure he won’t mind me quoting him here…
Juan’s comment is a real eye-opener. I had no idea it was actually illegal to attach extra charges like this. I also really dislike it when the 8% VAT isn’t included in the price, but now that I know it’s not legal to do this I can simply refuse to pay.
I have to say that when the menu states that bread is extra and when you order some (it isn’t just brought to the table) and you get a nice selection of freshly baked hot rolls then I don’t mind paying extra. But paying for your standard basket of bread is like being charged extra if you ask for salt or want sugar in your coffee.
Amazed to read that charging for bread is illegal in Seville. We must find out if that’s true for other parts of Spain!
Let’s go for it! Viva la Resistancia!
At the second stop on a Sevilla Tapas Tour this evening I asked for the cheque and was appalled to see that we were charged 3.20 euros for “bread & service for 4”. What we got was a metal tin with three slices of bread (that we didn’t eat) and a handful of picos. So I marched up to the bar and asked them to please remove the bread charge. Which they did. And then I left the 3.20 euros as our tip.
I know that in Portugal, if you so much as touch it, you pay for it. The golden rule there (or at least when I was there) was don’t touch the bread! Or the tiny dish of carrots you get. I guess their view is, you’ve accepted it as part of your meal – despite the fact it’ll be recycled (yes, ewwww).