Family charged over Rs 1,800 by restaurant in Italy for slicing a birthday cake

This is the second incident from Italy where restaurants charged a fee for a basic service. (Representational)

A family's celebratory mood turned sour after they were slapped with an unexpected 20-euro charge, over Rs 1,800, for having their birthday cake cut into 20 pieces at an undisclosed restaurant.

Amidst a gathering that had already spent around $130 on pizzas and beverages, the family was met with a bewildering item on their receipt: "20 X Servizio Torta" or "20 x cake service," according to documentation obtained by Newsflash. The unsuspecting diners were left questioning the rationale behind the seemingly exorbitant fee for a basic service.

This incident, however, is not an isolated one. Another diner, from Milan and visiting the upscale Lake Como region, took to TripAdvisor to vent her frustration after being charged an extra 2 euros for having her sandwich cut in half.

The vegetarian sandwich, that came stuffed with french fries, left the woman flabbergasted when the bill arrived. The unexpected surcharge prompted her to later post a scathing review, complete with a snapshot of the receipt, on the travel platform.

The restaurant owner, Cristina Biacchi, had then defended the practice, arguing that the fee was justified due to the use of additional tableware, increased washing time, and extra labour involved in the process.

"To cut it in half took us some time, and work must be paid for," she asserted in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica. Biacchi emphasized that the charge would have been waived had the customer raised the issue.

These instances, while relatively minor, pale in comparison to the sky-high bills that some tourists have encountered in Mykonos, Greece. The DK Oyster Bar has faced repeated accusations of overcharging unsuspecting visitors.

A couple was stunned to find themselves saddled with a jaw-dropping $570 bill for what they considered modest fare. Meanwhile, a pair of travellers lamented an eye-watering $860 tab for what should have been a light bite.