A Le Parisien report suggests that American tourists are being targeted with higher prices than locals in some Paris restaurants. Is this a widespread problem…or a problem at all?
How To Avoid Tourist Traps In Paris Restaurants
Two French reporters experimented to see if Parisian restaurants were actually charging Americans more for food and drinks, as many had alleged in online forums like TripAdvisor.
Here’s a video report of what happened:
In short, the “American” was charged the same for food, but charged extra for bread and water.
How To Avoid Being Treated Like A Stupid American Tourist
One Mile At A Time says, “I think it’s actually not totally unreasonable for establishments in areas popular with tourists to have different pricing for locals than tourists.”
Call it a hot take, but I think that’s a bad take.
The issue is not that discounts for locals are inherently bad, but that is not what seems to be going on here. Rather, the issue here is that clueless Americans are being deliberately preyed upon with bottled water or larger cans they do not need…plus a more aggressive push to tip.
Furthermore, the issue is that under French law, restaurants are legally required to offer free tap water (“carafe d’eau“) and free bread (“pain“) to customers who are having a meal. In 2022, France even began requiring restaurants to make this more prominent (in an effort to eliminate plastic waste).
But that doesn’t mean restaurants are playing along. If you can’t read French or the restaurant obscures the messaging, when you ask for water, the response will be “still or with gas?” (or something like that). If you say still, you’ll be brought a bottle of still water. If you want tap water, you have to explicitly ask for it.
And to my American readers, for goodness’ sake, the tap water in France is not only adequate, but excellent. Just ask for it.
Then when the bill comes, you’ll be asked to tip. For Americans who do not know better, you may feel compelled to do so. Don’t. The locals don’t do it. When you tip, it’s like spreading cancer. Europe doesn’t need the pathetic American tipping culture, especially when its workers are all paid a living wage and given six weeks of paid vacation each year.
A Rant About Germany…
Regular readers know I married a German and travel to Germany three times per year for family visits. I cannot stand the “water culture” in Germany and particularly the push to serve overpriced water in small 0,5L bottles. Sadly, tap water is not a right in Germany.
It’s a tragedy to drop €8 for a bottle of water that is under €1 in Aldi or Rewe, especially when you order Stilleswasser (still water) and get served a bottle of “still” water from Lieler Schlossbrunnen Sattler (a brand that seems ubiquitous in Baden-Württemberg) which still has some bubbles in it…it tastes like flat Sprudelwasser…
Hint: Ask for “nature” water, not “still” water, if you do not want bubbles…
If I ask for “tap water” in English, the answer is generally no…water is too much of a revenue source for restaurants. But if I speak in German and say it’s for my kids, there is usually no issue.
What is with the obligatory bottled water in a land where the tap water is delicious?!
CONCLUSION
I quite understand and can sympathize with the outrage over American tourists in Paris being pushed into bottled water over tap, larger cans of soda than the French receive, and being steered away from bread, even though it must be offered statutorily. We’d still need a larger sample size to properly understand how pervasive this practice is, but the takeaway here is to ask for tap water and bread in France…
Water? Just order wine. Or Beer in Germany. Those are strictly reulated, you won’t get ripped off.
I would guess the German thing goes back to the “good old days” the old timers still speak of. They didn’t offer free water to the “visitors” either, you know, right before they gassed them. But instead of paying $8 they just paid with all their possessions.
As for France, F Macron for encouraging the savages to continue to kill Jews with his recognition of a Palestinian State.
And Matt you seem to have a water fetish with the constant complaining about the price of bottle. Relax, you can afford it and life is too short to worry about things you can’t control. Again it’s the cost of a highly capitalistic society where everyone has the opportunity to become successful with hard work and tough life decisions. Along with the lack of a conscious at times.
Oh look. Another post that is the product of a sick and disturbed mind. Mindless you might say.
He is consistent if nothing else.
The refusal to recognize the right to exist does happen.
Hamas of Gaza refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Israel refuses to recognize Palestine’s right to exist as a country.
China refuses to recognize Taiwan’s right to exist and sends military aircraft to Taiwanese airspace daily.
Nobody except Turkey recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
@ Dave — Wow, you seem so pleasant. Why would anyone not welcome you as a visitor?
The articles here are fairly educational–some comments far from that.
How to block Dave Edwards’ vacuous, vitriolic droppings?
Great to hear from another fan!
Sorry if you don’t like reading opinions that don’t align with your liberals views.
@ Dave — You seem to think that anyone not spewing hatred like you must be liberal. Liberals and conservatives alike can be kind to others. You are clearly just an angry old man. Cruelty does not equal conservative. Cruel is just cruel.
L’eau ? France est chez Perrier (le bon l’eau de le monde) . Champagne aussi .
‘Are Paris Restaurants Ripping Off Americans?’
I do hope so.
Oh look, another Anti American foreigner, Lil Jimmy.
Sorry Jimmy, as America enters its Greatest Days ever for its legal citizens, the rest of the world still is jealous of us. Without us all those Euro Trash would be speaking German because the French caved like the unshaven p#ssies they are and England would have fallen, even with how they fought, unlike France again. How about this, you can keep your “tired, poor huddled masses”, we don’t need your unwanted garbage. The door is closed*
*Unless you have $5 million to get in, we will gladly take that.
Not so, we’re all laughing at a sick country. So sick that Criminal Trump and his side kick, the ill mannered lout, Vance have to take their breaks in the UK to get away from you all.
Different twist in Rome. If the restaurant bill indicates “servizio include,” that means service (tip) is included in the total. You should feel no obligation to tip. You already have. It’s not unusual in tourist areas for the waiter to tell Americans “that’s for the house, not for me.” Which is complete b.s. Then the waiter hovers. The pressure can be intense. I fell for it once or twice. Never again.
While I don’t exactly tip, I will order some nice bottled water to bump up the total sale in small family restaurants. We rarely drink alcohol, sodas or eat dessert so I feel it adds a little something. Also I will do this at home as well. I want good eateries to survive.
THIS. I also try to find and support those small businesses that are the backbone of our country. It’s also important to leave good reviews when warranted so others find them.
When I enjoy a meal out I do review! Finding a new spot or even reminding people of place they might have forgotten that is still great.
@ Dave — I’m sure the small business brothels and gay bars you surely frequent will do fine without your business. Stay home.
My wife is Swiss and at least in the part of Switzerland that my in-laws live in (Canton Zurich), they serve tap water when ordered.
I speak bad Swiss-German and in Germany they either really don’t understand what I am saying or just don’t want to understand Swiss-German.
They also seem confused by what my wife is saying a native Swiss-German speaker, so not too sure what is up with that.
It is interesting, most Germans seem to default to English to communicate with us.
I thought the German spoken in the southern part of the country was closer to Swiss-German than it is to the German used in the northern part of Germany.
“Then when the bill comes, you’ll be asked to tip. For Americans who do not know better, you may feel compelled to do so.” I’ve spent 6 tp 12 weeks in France for 12 of the last 14 years (in 16 cities). I’ve only spent about 4 weeks total in Paris. I have never been asked for a tip. Twice, a few weeks ago in Bordeaux, I was presented with a card machine that allowed me to tip. I charge every meal, but leave a euro coin as a tip. Leaving a few coins is a dying tradition in France. The use of cards and changes among the young have made tipping uncommon among natives. The card machine allowed me to select no tip and the first-listed tip was rounding up the amount (e.g., a €23.40 meal becomes €24.00 with a €0.60 tip). I was offered the tip-possible machine twice by the same server, but not in two visits with another server. Otherwise, I have never seen a case where tipping via card could occur.
“restaurants are legally required to offer free tap water (“carafe d’eau“) and free bread (“pain“) to customers who are having a meal” – good to know, thanks.
Great ideas! I’ve been in the airline business for 27 years and use all the travel “tips” I can get! Why some have to interject politics into this article is bizarre! Many are the “dumb masses”.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that not all tourists come bearing the mighty pound sterling or American dollar.
In my case I come from South Africa, where the exchange rate to the euro is currently 20:1.
At the moment with saving and commitment I can still make it to Europe to experience the cities. But if this kind of thing becomes commonplace, it will push me even further out in terms of affordability and the ability to come over and spend my discretionary income.