An espresso for 70 cents – is that still available today? At least in a café in the Italian municipality of Millesimo. The village in Liguria is considered one of the most beautiful places in Italy. However, you can only get the espresso at a ridiculous price in the “Bottega del caffè” under certain conditions.
If you only want to pay 70 cents for the drink instead of the usual 1.20 euros, you have to bring the rest yourself. That means: cup, spoon – if you want, even sugar. At a time when Italy in particular is making the headlines with sharply rising prices in the catering industry, this is an unusual measure. The low price is “a provocation”, admits Valentina Venturino, who runs the café together with her parents: “But we really use the special price.”
The small restaurant wants to set a counterpoint to the stories that you usually hear from the country this summer. New absurdities keep coming to light: a café charged its customers two euros for halving a sandwich. Another restaurant also added two euros to the bill because a mother wanted an extra plate for her daughter to share a dish. Many tourists find this a rip off.
It was such incidents that prompted the “Bottega del caffè” to take this unusual action. At first her father only joked about the “price war” in restaurants, cafés and bars, then it turned into a serious project, Valentina Venturino told the Italian newspaper “La Stampa”: “It seemed like a good idea to start with the price increase to compensate for price increases associated with raw materials, so that the customer does not have to forgo enjoying a good coffee or breakfast with us.”
For example, the café saves the cost of the dishwasher and can pass these savings on to customers. The latest online reviews are at least very positive – perhaps the example will soon set a precedent.
Quellen: “La Stampa” / The coffee shop
Watch the video: Most coffee lovers know Cantuccini as a companion to espresso or cappuccino in their favorite café. The crispy almond biscuits are also easy to bake at home.
