Tourists in Venice charged $2,000 for meals

  • 23/01/2018
Tourists in Venice charged $2,000 for meals
Photo credit: Getty

A group of tourists in Venice were charged $2,000 for their meals after dining out at a central restaurant.

The four Japanese nationals enjoyed their meals of steak, grilled fish and water, but were shocked when presented with the bill.

They have complained to Mayor of Venice Luigi Brugnaro, who said the incident at the St Mark's Square restaurant will be thoroughly investigated.

The tourists did not refuse to pay the bill and filed a complaint after leaving the city, the Guardian reports.

"We will thoroughly examine this episode over the coming days. We'll make sure the complaint was justified," Mayor Brugnaro said on Twitter.

A spokesperson for the restaurant, which is reportedly owned by Chinese investors, said he had "no recollection of problems with Japanese customers".

A local residents group, Gruppo 25 Aprile, said the incident is evidence that tourists are being exploited by non-local owners.

Its spokesperson Marco Gasparinetti said only 1 percent of restaurants in the Saint Mark's Square area were owned and operated by locals.

Newshub.