Aimee Walker
A blogger has divided opinion in Italy after accusing a restaurant of having a ‘sexist’ menu.
Agustina Gandolfo, from Argentina, was dining in Milan with her footballer boyfriend, Lautaro Martinez, when she claims she was given a different menu without any prices visible.
She took to Instagram, saying: “Did you know that in numerous restaurants in Italy they don’t put prices on the menus that they give to women? And what if I wanted to pay?
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“The worst thing is that they justify this by saying it only happens in restaurants of a certain level.”
Taking issue with the presumption that the male will pay, she added: “So does that mean women cannot pay if we are talking about a more expensive meal?”
The conversation attracted the attention of the national press, sparking debate about the ‘blind menu’ concept, and if it’s courteous or outdated.
Rossella Cerea, a manager at a three Michelin-starred restaurant, told La Repubblica the practice was ‘a way to advise the woman to enjoy the dinner,’ without ‘worrying about more banal matters’.
The spokesperson said: “If there is a couple at the table we have the habit of giving the blind menu to the woman.
“It is not discrimination but a form of gallantry.”
However, Alessandro Pipero, a prominent restauranteur in the country, told The Times: “We are in 2021 and it is not possible to believe that a woman will not pay at a restaurant.”
The post has prompted several Italian diners to take to social media to share other customs that exist in the country, including the fact that males are always asked to taste the wine and are given the bill.
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