What Was Your First Reaction to the 'Coperto' Charge in Italy?

[Andrea_Stellato]

I'm eager to hear your first-time encounters and eye-opening moments with 'coperto.' What was it like navigating this Italian dining tradition for the first time?

 

[Ian Sutton]

First time would have been in Amalfi in 1990.

It wasn't bad, as back then it was only about 2-3000 lira (I guess ~2-3 euro in today's money), and that did include grissini and some bread.

Over time I've tended to avoid these industrial breadsticks unless I'm really hungry, and that's been ever more true since trying artisan versions in northern Piemonte and indeed making my own.

I've never encountered a huge coperto, certainly all have been under €5. Are there large charges in touristy places?

Conversely, we've also enjoyed plenty of generous nibbles, even at times small meals, merely for buying a drink in aperitivo hour (mostly in Torino). Those drinks still reasonably priced.

 

[Alpinista]

Never an issue. I've never seen anything excessive or extortive, but we don't eat at places that have a tourist clientele. It is more than offset by the tipping etiquette. As with you, we can often make entire meals out of the stuzzichini that come with our afternoon spritz/hugo stops at the bars.

 

[NoSpin]

A complete non-issue. What was eye-opening was that I didn't have to tip!

 

[Ian Sutton]

I did a quick online search, as it had me intrigued. Only one article came out high on search results, claiming as much as €20 coperto in Venice and Positano, but normally between €1-5, and typically in the middle of that range. Venice no surprise, but although Positano is touristy, I never thought of it as that extreme, and would hope that even one-time visiting tourists would snub such a place.

It also appears to have originated in medieval times, as a way of getting something off patrons who used to bring their own food, rather than buying what was being offered. Essentially a charge for plates, cutlery, condiments and anything else provided like bread.

 

[Alpinista]

Venice no surprise, but although Positano is touristy, I never thought of it as that extreme, and would hope that even one-time visiting tourists would snub such a place.

Problem is that the cover usually a footnote at the bottom of the menu page (and might only be printed in Italian) and many of the unaware are not going to see it and incur the cost. Generally safe to follow the "If the menu is printed in English and/or has photos of the food, go somewhere else."

 

[Ian Sutton]

Problem is that the cover usually a footnote at the bottom of the menu page (and might only be printed in Italian) and many of the unaware are not going to see it and incur the cost. Generally safe to follow the "If the menu is printed in English and/or has photos of the food, go somewhere else."

Yes that latter advice is very sound indeed, even though on asking for 'il menu' in a restaurant in Rastignano, my tension went up a little when the waiter said "Non c'è, io sono il menu". FWIW I have eaten in a few good places that also have an English menu, but I don't recall anything decent with pictures of the dishes in the menu.

The tension because it's a tough test of linguistic skills to not just listen and comprehend, but then to translate for one's partner, whilst also having to consider what we might want to eat ourselves.

The food was good though, even if the beef in balsamic vinegar skimped on neither core ingredient.... there was enough balsamic vinegar that it could have easily been called a soup! It certainly gives the digestive system a workout!

 

[Alpinista]

The tension because it's a tough test of linguistic skills to not just listen and comprehend, but then to translate for one's partner, whilst also having to consider what we might want to eat ourselves.

Far too true. Our story is a night out with a friends from Empoli where the patriarch of the family we were dining with insisted on ordering for the table. As he went down the list of items we would be enjoying, my wife and I both gave each other "the look" and whispered, "Did he just say 'trippa'??"

 

[Fioridave]

I'm eager to hear your first-time encounters and eye-opening moments with 'coperto.' What was it like navigating this Italian dining tradition for the first time?

I just thought it was part of the culture. Lot of places had it, and the locals weren’t up in arms. It’s like leaving mandatory tip in advance.

 

[Parigi]

I'm eager to hear your first-time encounters and eye-opening moments with 'coperto.' What was it like navigating this Italian dining tradition for the first time?

The first experience was way back in 1970s. I was accepting, since I noticed every restaurant was charinging that. It's like the way every country has a different habit of tipping. Absolutely no biggie.
It was much more shcoking to hear London bus drivers call me "love", or see French diners put the bread right on the table. Shocking may not be the word. But those were things that took me a much longer to get used to.

 

[Fedina]

A non issue - and we've been there many times since 1980.

 

[davythefatboy]

I've always appreciated that food in Italy is usually less than half the price of similar food in New York. Sometimes one third. We just had a delicious dinner in Florence at Tranvai for 61 Euro, including a liter of wine. And they were happy when I left the four euro change as a tip. At the Mercato, the fruit and vegetables are usually less per kg than they would be for a lb. in America. Oh, and did I mention that the food here is really good?

I'm eager to hear your first-time encounters and eye-opening moments with 'coperto.' What was it like navigating this Italian dining tradition for the first time?