Not so in a well-known café in Florence: There, a man was asked to pay twice as much for his decaffeinated espresso – and got so upset that he called the police.

One in the morning, one after lunch and sometimes in between: For most Italians, life without espresso – or, as they simply say there, caffè – would be unthinkable. It’s sort of a ritual that goes with it. And precisely because so much of it is drunk, most bar and restaurant owners charge an almost symbolic price of 1 euro for an espresso. And for a long time that was considered to be an unwritten law.

In the Café Ditta Artigianale in the center of Florence, however, a caffé costs a whopping 2 euros. Apparently, a customer didn’t like that at all, as reported by the Italian news portal “Firenze Today”. Because when he wanted to pay for his decaffeinated version and found out the price, his collar burst. After a war of words with the barista, he alerted the police – and the officers actually agreed with the customer. However, the reason was not the price of the espresso itself, but the fact that it was not listed anywhere in the café. The bars in Italy are actually obliged to do this. As a receipt, the Ditta Artigianale received a fine of 1000 euros.

Bar owner posts emotional video

The case became public because the owner of the bar, Francesco Sanapo, has meanwhile posted an emotional video on Facebook. In it he holds the police letter up to the camera and is terribly upset about the incident. “They fined me because someone was supposed to pay 2 euros for my espresso. Something like that can’t happen, it mustn’t happen!” Sanapo scolds. He explains that his coffee comes from a small plantation in Mexico and that his baristas prepare it “very professionally.” In addition, the price for the espresso is shown on a digital menu, which customers can access via a QR code.

“I don’t actually use social media to complain,” continued Francesco Sanapo. “But this time they hit a point that is too important for me and for the entire hospitality industry and especially for the coffee industry. I don’t like the idea of this man now walking around proud and believing that he has taught us a lesson and done justice.” Sanapo hopes the video will somehow reach the customer who viewed it. “Then maybe there will be an opportunity for us to meet and talk about it plainly.”

Other cafes in Italy are also raising their espresso prices

In fact, the Ditta Artigianale has been criticized for its coffee prices since it opened almost 10 years ago. At that time, Sanapo, who owns other cafés in Florence and runs a coffee school, was one of the first to offer an espresso price of 1.50 euros. “If you make quality, you have to pay for it,” Sanapo explains his prices in an interview with “Firenze Today”.

But even simple bars in Italy that don’t offer coffee of the same high quality as Sanapo have recently raised their prices, according to a report by “Stern”. Reasons are, among other things, the increased commodity prices, inflation and sometimes low coffee harvests. And now the effects of the war against Ukraine. The times when you can get a coffee for one euro seem to be over.