Eating near the crew hotels in Rome

Lazio regional law 21/2006, article 16, bans the coperto. Where food and drink are served at table the price table or list must be put at the customer's disposal before ordering and must state any service element clearly enough for the price to be easily understood, and charging extra for the cover is forbidden. Breaching article 16 carries an administrative fine of 2,500 to 7,500 euro on the business.

On a fixed-price offering the same article bans additional charges for service, for the cover, for drinks and for anything else not included in and advertised as part of the offer, so a set menu price is the price.

Prices must be displayed on a table inside the premises wherever food and drink are served, and for restaurants also outside or in a way legible from outside, with the wine list excepted. That is the document to read before you sit down, not the one you argue about afterwards.

Since 1 January 2021 the old scontrino fiscale and ricevuta fiscale have been replaced by the documento commerciale. It has no fiscal value in itself, but the Agenzia delle Entrate says it can be kept as a guarantee for the goods or service paid for, for an exchange, or as proof of purchase.

Card acceptance is a legal obligation, not a courtesy. Article 18 of decree-law 36/2022 widened the obligation to cover at least one debit card, one credit card and prepaid cards, and moved the date from which refusal is sanctionable forward to 30 June 2022.