BILLED FOR NOTHING – Italian Restaurant Charges Olympic Athlete To Leave Tomatoes Off Pizza
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An Olympic swimmer has sparked outrage after revealing she was charged extra for having cherry tomatoes removed from her pizza.
The incident took place in Bisceglie, a charming Italian town located in the Puglia region which is famous for its whitewashed hill houses, and the receipt was shared publicly by athlete Elena Di Liddo on Sunday, 10th August.
Di Liddo, 30, said she had been dining at a city centre pizzeria when she asked for the ingredient to be left off her order.
When the bill arrived, she noticed a EUR 1.50 (GBP 1.29) surcharge marked "No cherry tomatoes".
She later posted a photo of the receipt on Instagram alongside a message describing the charge as "sad and at times shameful", questioning whether it was even legal to bill a customer for something they had not eaten.
In her post, she wrote: "Sitting in a pizzeria in Bisceglie and paying EUR 1.50 for something I didn't even eat is truly sad. Bordering on the legal?"
Di Liddo compared the charge to other practices she had seen, such as bars in northern Italy charging for a glass of water with a coffee.
The swimmer, who has competed in European and World Championships and has four gold medals from the Mediterranean and Universiade Games, said she felt compelled to share the incident to highlight what she sees as a worrying trend in restaurant pricing.
Her post quickly went viral, drawing hundreds of comments from followers and other social media users.
Many accused the restaurant of exploiting customers, while others argued that removing ingredients could still involve staff time and changes to preparation.
It comes just days after a man in Bari was charged 50 cents (GBP 0.42) for a sprinkle of pepper on his pizza, and weeks after a cafe in Oderzo billed a woman 10 cents (GBP 0.08) for cutting her croissant in half — both sparking similar online backlash.
The earlier pepper and croissant incidents, like Di Liddo’s case, divided opinion between those who defended them as legitimate business decisions and those who condemned them as petty and damaging to Italy’s image with tourists during the summer season.
(Mike Leidig / newsX)
NewsX-SwimPizz-01.jpg
Copyright: @elledili93/Newsflash/NX
Description: Picture shows the receipt for the pizza, undated. Swimmer Elena Di Liddo said she was charged for removing ingredients from the pizza in Bisceglie, Italy. Note: Private photo. (@elledili93/Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-SwimPizz-02.jpg
Copyright: @elledili93/Newsflash/NX
Description: Swimmer Elena Di Liddo poses in undated photo. She said she was charged for removing ingredients from the pizza in Bisceglie, Italy. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@elledili93/Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-SwimPizz-03.jpg
Copyright: @elledili93/Newsflash/NX
Description: Swimmer Elena Di Liddo poses in undated photo. She said she was charged for removing ingredients from the pizza in Bisceglie, Italy. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@elledili93/Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-SwimPizz-04.jpg
Copyright: @elledili93/Newsflash/NX
Description: Swimmer Elena Di Liddo poses in undated photo. She said she was charged for removing ingredients from the pizza in Bisceglie, Italy. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@elledili93/Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-SwimPizz-05.jpg
Copyright: @elledili93/Newsflash/NX
Description: Swimmer Elena Di Liddo poses in undated photo. She said she was charged for removing ingredients from the pizza in Bisceglie, Italy. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@elledili93/Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-SwimPizz-06.jpg
Copyright: @elledili93/Newsflash/NX
Description: Swimmer Elena Di Liddo poses in undated photo. She said she was charged for removing ingredients from the pizza in Bisceglie, Italy. Note: Private photo taken from social media. (@elledili93/Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-PizzBily-01.jpg
Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Picture shows the bill, undated. A customer was charged for adding pepper to the pizza in Bari, Italy. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-OnlinePestry-01.jpg
Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Picture shows the receipt, undated. A bakery charged a customer for cutting the croissant in half. Note: Private photo. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-OnlinePestry-02.jpg
Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Picture shows the Audrey's Bakery in Oderzo, Italy, undated. They charged a customer for cutting a croissant in half. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-OnlinePestry-03.jpg
Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Picture shows a woman cutting a croissant at the Audrey's Bakery in Oderzo, Italy, undated. They charged a customer for cutting a croissant in half. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (Newsflash/NX)
NewsX-OnlinePestry-05.jpg
Copyright: Newsflash/NX
Description: Archive Picture | Picture shows a croissant cut in half at the Audrey's Bakery in Oderzo, Italy, undated. They charged a customer for cutting a croissant in half. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (Newsflash/NX)
Byline Journalist: Mike Leidig
Byline Sub editor: Simona Kitanovska
Byline Spotter: Ivica Stojanovski
Byline Commisioning Editor: Simona Kitanovska
Byline Senior Writer: Mike Leidig
Byline Picture Editor: Zorica Stojkovik
Byline Copychecker: Marija Stojkoska
Byline Illustrator: Marija Stojkoska
Byline News Editor: Mike Leidig
Geography: Bisceglie
Subject: Food / Drink, Food, Restaurants, Real-life, Foolish, Social media, Society, Sport
T4 Editor Story Rating: 7
T4 Editor Pic/Vid rating: 7
T4 Total rating: 7
