Coperto in Italy: what it is and when you can refuse it

If you order two dishes and two waters in an Italian restaurant and the bill carries one extra line, “coperto 2 x €3,” nobody has cheated you. The coperto is a flat per-person charge for sitting at the table. It’s legal as long as the restaurant warns you in advance, and the warning lives on the menu.

When the charge appears nowhere, the picture changes: in that case you can refuse to pay it.

What the coperto is and where it comes from

The word means “covered,” as in a table set for a meal. The money is meant to cover what the restaurant spends on setting the table: tablecloth, napkins, cutlery, plates. According to The Local, the charge goes back to the Middle Ages, when the fee paid for washing or replacing those items. The name stuck.

The amount depends on the place. In ordinary restaurants it runs from €2 to €4 per person, according to The Local. In prime spots, such as Piazza San Marco in Venice or the area around Milan’s Duomo, it can reach €10 or €15. Money.it, a personal-finance site, quotes a general range of €1 to €5.

What Italian law says

Italy has no specific law on the coperto. The rule comes from a 1940 royal decree (Regio Decreto 635/1940), whose article 180 requires establishments to display their price list “in a place visible to the public.” In practice, that works as the general rule: if the coperto is on the menu or the price list, the charge is legal.

The best-known exception is Lazio, the region around Rome. A regional law from November 2006 banned restaurants from applying the coperto. According to The Local, many places get around it by charging for “pane” (bread) or “servizio” (service). Those lines are legal if they’re printed on the menu.

Three lines that get mixed up on the bill are worth separating:

• Coperto: the per-person charge for the set table.
• Pane: the bread charge, which some restaurants treat as something you can decline. If it’s listed on its own, you can ask them not to bring it.
• Servizio: the service charge. When it’s on the menu, it already covers the waiting staff.

Some restaurants merge everything under “pane e coperto.”

When you can contest it

According to Money.it, a customer can ask for the charge to be cancelled if the coperto isn’t on the menu, if the waiter didn’t mention it when taking the order, or if it was added to the bill without notice. If the restaurant insists, the site’s advice is to call the local authorities.

If the coperto was on the menu, there’s nothing to contest. The Local says that in that case the customer has no legal grounds to refuse.

What to do at the table

• Read the foot of the menu. The coperto usually sits in small print, near the end.
• Ask before you sit down, in tourist areas. “C’è il coperto?” is three words.
• Check the bill line by line. Make sure the coperto matches the number of people and the price on the menu.
• Ask for an itemized bill if something doesn’t add up. It shows what was charged as coperto, bread or service.
• Compare with the bar counter. If all you want is a coffee, you skip the table charge, as the post on why standing at the counter is cheaper explains.

Frequently asked questions

What is coperto in Italy?

A flat per-person charge that many restaurants add for the set table. It doesn’t depend on what you order.

Is the coperto legal?

Yes, as long as it’s stated on the menu or the restaurant’s price list. If it isn’t, the customer can contest it.

How much is the coperto?

Usually between €2 and €4 per person. In very touristy spots it can reach €10 or €15, according to The Local.

Does Rome charge coperto?

A 2006 regional law in Lazio bans the coperto, but restaurants can charge for bread or service if it’s on the menu. Check the current situation before you complain.

Are coperto and tip the same thing?

No. The coperto pays for the set table. The “servizio” is a service charge, a separate line that also has to be on the menu.

If you’re planning a trip through Southern Europe, the table customs keep coming. In Spain, for instance, dinner starts late, which confuses plenty of visitors.

Sources

• Coperto: should you really get mad about Italy’s table charge?, The Local Italy, 2023: the origin, the amounts, the 2006 Lazio law, pane and servizio, and the 1940 decree.
• Cos’è il coperto al ristorante e quando è legale farlo pagare, Money.it: article 180 of the 1940 decree, the conditions for legality and the cases where a customer can contest the charge.

Amounts and rules change. Before contesting a charge, check the local rule and ask for an itemized bill. The photo shows a restaurant table in Italy.