by InTrieste
Two French tourists who left a seaside pizzeria without paying their bill were confronted the following morning after the restaurant’s owner tracked them down with the help of other local business owners.
The women had dined at Ai Due Re, a pizzeria in Civitanova Marche, a town on Italy’s Adriatic coast, ordering two pizzas and several glasses of spritz, according to the restaurant. The bill amounted to €44, or about $48.
Instead of paying, they walked out the front door, said the restaurant’s owner, Michela Malatini. “They ordered two pizzas and several spritzes, four or six. When it was time to pay, they got up and walked out the front door, slowly walking away,” she told the local newspaper Il Resto del Carlino.
Ms. Malatini said it was not the first such incident. Days earlier, staff had prevented another couple of tourists from leaving without paying. This time, she decided to pursue the matter.
Through conversations with other restaurant owners, Ms. Malatini learned where the two women were staying. The next morning, she went to their guesthouse with the owner’s permission.
“They were sleeping,” she said. “I asked if there had been a problem with the bill and showed them the security camera footage. They didn’t say a word, but they paid.”
Ms. Malatini emphasized that her concern was less about the money than about the principle. “It’s not so much about the amount as it is about the act,” she said. “We work hard, and seeing customers trying to leave without paying is a slap in the face for our work.”
