A bar owner in a popular Spanish city loved by British holidaymakers has imposed a new rule after an argument between customers. Bar Perfetto in Barcelona’s Barceloneta neighbourhood put a warning on tables on its terrace informing customers of higher prices on certain drinks depending on how long they spend sitting at them during busy periods, as per Spanish outlet El Dario.
A photo of the notice was shared on X last Sunday, showing that the standard price of a Café con leche (a popular style of coffee with milk)or an Americano (€1.60, or around £1.36), increases to to €2.50 (£2.12) after 30 minutes at one of the bar’s four terrace tables, and more than doubling to €4 (£3.39) if you’re there for over an hour. The price rise policy also applies to cortados, espressos, and tea, all of which increase to €4 for those who stay more than an hour.
There have been mixed reactions to the rule, with a woman who lives nearby telling the outlet: “I wouldn’t sit here. Mostly because of the manners. I don’t want to have to keep an eye on the clock when I’m in a bar,” according to a Google translation.
The local claimed the neighbourhood has been “colonised by tourists”, and that all the bars “are designed for outsiders, and the ones with affordable prices end up charging us €4 for a coffee if we go over our time”.
Bar Perfetto’s owner, named only as Massimo told the news outlet that the notice started following an argument between customers.
“It was one night when some people waiting for a table got tired and confronted those sitting there, who had been waiting for hours without consuming anything…” he said.
He said the warning is a “way to raise awareness… you can’t go for hours without consuming anything, otherwise the business isn’t profitable”.
Massimo says the additional charge hasn’t affected business, and that it is only used “if we have customers waiting”.
“Nobody likes to see people occupying a table you want to sit at if they’re not consuming anything,” he addded.
It comes amid growing anger in Spain over the impact of tourism, including on the cost of living – particularly rent prices.
Demonstrations have taken place in various Spanish cities in recent months, including in Barcelona, where irate locals were seen spraying tourists with water pistols last year.
Marches look set to continue, with activist groups across the country, and southern Europe, bracing for what’s being described as “an unprecedented mobilisation” on June 15.
Authorities across Spain have responded to the demonstrations by introducing various measures to crack down on visitor numbers.
Some areas have brough in tourist taxes while other cities are looking to dramatically reduce the number of holiday lets in a bid to manage tourism and make it more sustainable for the country and its residents.
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