Two Restaurant Questions

Hi RT, I think with “cubierto” the restaurant charges for making a table with fresh linen, clean cutlery and immaculate chinaware (I hope it was so&#8230 available. It’s usual in Italy, where you need at least an MBA to understand the check…
With the tips above the included service I also would go up to additional 10% to honor real good attention and have done good experiences with it.

Cheers!

 

Well, Let's see if I can clear things to you:

1.- "Cubierto" literally means silverware (even if it is not silver but stainless steel), and ElecTroll is right, it is the charge for the linen, the cutlery, the chinaware, table, seat, etc. It is the way most fancy restaurants protect themselves against the guy who comes in and asks just for "a glass of water...on the rocks" or so to speak. Most small restaurants don't charge for "cubierto" for obvious reasons.

2.- The 10% charge for "service" is actually the tip. There is a law about it, it is not a tax and, if charged, it is distributed between all the waiters; law requires "service", when charged, to appear separately in the invoice since the restaurant will not charge IGV (VAT) nor pay income tax for it. Therefore, if you are not charged with "service", a 10% tip will do; if you are charged 10% "service", you do not have to tip your waiter or waitress unless you consider that his or her service deserves more than 10%. It is usually useless, anyway, because in most places the additional tips are all gathered and distributed between all the waiters too. That is why it is customary to leave 0nly the coins in your change as additional tip; that is also why they usually put a lot of coins in your change.

Don't mistake the "service" charge with the IGV (VAT). The IGV is 19% nowadays, but it is included in the price shown in the menu. Even if in your invoice it might appear separately, or not at all, law requires the price in the menu to include it.