A Brazilian tourist went out for breakfast in Italy and allegedly left a bill that could make anyone lose their appetite forever.
Maria Clara was looking for a simple breakfast to kickstart her day in Romagna, a seaside resort town that’s known for its food and hospitality.
But she was appalled by a possible secret ingredient that wound up in her eggs that morning.
Highlights
- Maria Clara walked out of an Italian restaurant horrified by their service.
- The Brazilian tourist said she faced back-to-back disappointments over her order but decided to let it go.
- The final straw was when she allegedly found a message on her bill that claimed her food was contaminated.
- The culprit behind the message was eventually found and fired.
A Brazilian tourist shared her horrifying experience of going out for breakfast in Romagna, Italy
On August 19th, Clara and her family decided to have some vacation breakfast at a restaurant, Victor Lab, on the Viale Ceccarini.
Clara decided to keep things simple and ordered nothing more than scrambled eggs, juice, and some coffee for herself.
But when the waiter placed her scrambled eggs in front of her, the 20-year-old felt they were too runny.
With the nicest tone she could muster, the tourist asked the staff if they could make the eggs less runny.
“I was polite. I simply asked if it was possible to have the eggs a little more cooked,” she told local media.
But in return, she was rudely told that the restaurant doesn’t serve raw eggs to their diners.
Despite back-to-back disappointments, Clara decided to let it go because she didn’t want to “argue” with the staff
Nevertheless, the waiter brought out a plate of their second attempt and placed it in front of her.
This time, too, Clara wasn’t happy.
“In the end, they arrived very soft, but I didn't ask for them to be recooked,” she recalled. “I let it go because I didn't want to argue.”
Clara also claimed that she had asked the staff to hold off on the salad that came complementary to the eggs. But the salad still made it to her table anyway.
“This is pissing me off. Burn the eggs and spit in them,” the message said.
The words appeared to be instructions previously passed on from the waiter to the chef.
The manager eventually got involved, and the culprit behind the message was caught
The tourist initially thought the message might be a joke, but she was still concerned by the possibility of her food having been contaminated.
When she asked to speak to the manager, she was initially told there wasn’t one.
Another waitress eventually intervened and got the manager involved.
The waiter behind the message was identified as a 17-year-old, who apparently “went white” and became “very nervous” upon being caught.
“He apologised and said it was a joke between him and the chef,” Clara said.
The teenager tried to get his hands on the bill and discard it, but Clara said she would escalate the matter if he did so.
The 20-year-old tourist threatened to call the police if the teen got rid of the bill
“We told him not to do it and that otherwise we would call the police,” the tourist said.
“If I had been rude, I could at least understand someone getting angry,” she continued.
Clara thought the saga ended after leaving Victor Lab.
She posted a one-star Google review, telling readers about the horrifying “spit” message on her bill.
The restaurant left an apology under her review, saying, “The behavior you reported was absolutely inappropriate and in no way reflects the values, customer service, and professional standards we strive to ensure every day.”
They also reportedly fired the teen waiter over the incident.
The restaurant later shared a video seemingly mocking the situation with the disgruntled customer
However, the restaurant didn’t seem ready to let things go.
They shared a video on social media, where the owner of the restaurant appeared to mock the entire situation.
He played the role of a demanding customer, who ordered a bunch of dishes including one “with spit” in it.
The restaurant included a poll along with the video that asked whether viewers thought it was right to fire the waiter in question.
Netizens had mixed reactions, with one saying, “Never complain about a food dish that will come back to you because it could have extra ingredients.”
One felt firing the teenager was too harsh and said, “Everyone deserves a second chance.”
Several others shared their own experiences of being employed in the food and hospitality sector.
“I worked in a restaurant which led me to grow and cook my own food,” one said.
A second comment said, “I worked in a catering hall that had two ice bins one for good customers and one everyone pissed in.”
“Y’all have no idea how much this really happens,” a third said. “Was in the industry for a long time and saw servers and cooks do disgusting things. If I was mature as I am today I would have prevented it or at least spoke out about it. Regardless anytime you eat out you are taking a risk and you should take preventative measures such as tipping up front and being extra extra kind!”
“Any restaurant I worked at ...if you even ‘joked’ about doing something like that you were fired. On the spot,” one said.
“I have worked in Food service my entire life. I have never once seen anyone do anything to anyone's food,” wrote another. “Diners, cafeterias, hotels. Not Michelin star, but local 4 star places, food trucks. I have run the gamut, never once.”
Clara said she’s been received threats over the incident that’s now gone viral
After the incident went viral, Clara said she’s been receiving violent threats online and was targeted in racist comments.
She was also surprised by the number of people who said they have witnessed similar acts at their workplace.
“At first we thought it was something absurd, written as a joke,” she said. “Then we read people saying, ‘I did it too.’ And we started to think that these things really do happen.”
“Just imagine how many times they did that and got away with it,” one commented online
