When you hop on the Eurostar to Paris to sample the city’s culinary delights, it pays keep your wits about you.
An investigation by French newspaper Le Parisien has shown that tourists eating in the French capital’s restaurants are sometimes charged as much as 50% more than French customers.
After spotting several online complaints by tourists feeling ripped off in the city, Le Parisien sent two journalists to a restaurant near the Eiffel Tower, with one disguised as an American tourist and the other presenting as a Frenchman.
The two men ordered exactly the same items off the menu – a portion of lasagne, a Coke and some water – but their experiences were very different.
While the Frenchman was offered free tap water in a carafe, the ‘American’ had to pay €6 for bottled water. The local was given a can of Coke costing €6.50, whereas the tourists was presented with a half-litre glass for €9.50. The American was also charged for a €6 portion of garlic bread which he hadn’t even asked for.
At a nearby café, the journalists tested whether waiters expected customers to tip differently according to their nationality.
Again, the difference was staggering. The Frenchman wasn’t asked to tip at all, whereas the American was expected to pay a 15% service charge.
In both cases, the final bill for the fake American tourist came to 50% more than the one given to the French customer.
Franck Trouet of the hotel and restaurant group GHR told Le Parisien: “In France, water and bread are free. You can refuse bottled water. A tip is a thank you for great service if you’re happy. Above all, it is not compulsory. This isn’t the United States.”
He added: “It’s a disgrace to the profession. You can’t even call these people waiters.”
