He’s a multi-billionaire, but Mark Zuckerberg has come under fire for his less than hospitable patronage at some restaurants he’s visited during his honeymoon. He may be a big spender, but some Italian food service workers say he is certainly not a big tipper. In fact, he’s not a tipper at all.
Zuckerberg has been traipsing through Italy with new bride Priscilla Chan, trying to fly below the radar as they see the country’s tourist sites. However, that proved to be an impossible feat after a tourist spotted the starry-eyed couple gazing up at the Sistine Chapel, and tweeted a photo of them, exposing their honeymoon location to the world.
It didn’t take long before their every move got picked up by the media, and now the couple is the center of attention for their lack of tipping at two restaurants.
Servers at Nonna Betta, a Roman Jewish restaurant in Rome, told Corriere della Sera newspaper that Zuckerberg and Chan spent 32 Euros (the equivalent of about 40 dollars) on a lunch of deep-friend artichokes, fried pumpkin flowers and stuffed ravioli, bottled water and tea. Zuckerberg paid the bill, but declined to leave any gratuity. And workers at the restaurant were quick to point out that it wasn’t because he didn’t enjoy the meal.
“I asked him ‘how was it?’ and he said ‘very good'”, the owner, who gave only his first name, Umberto, told the Italian newspaper. “I had gone up to him and said ‘Are you …?’ and he said ‘Yes’.”
Zuckerberg and Chan also didn’t leave a tip after a meal the night before at another Roman restaurant, Pierluigi.
Why is it that Zuckerberg and Chan aren’t tipping their Italian servers? While tipping is not as common in Italy as it is in the United States, it is generally acceptable to leave between 5 and 10 percent. Perhaps Zuckerberg thought he was already paying for a tip through a servizio (service charge), which is often seen on restaurant checks in Italy. However, a photo of the bill from Nonna Betta, posted by The Telegraph, shows that a servizio was not included.
Maybe, with Facebook’s IPO troubles, Zuckerberg’s just trying to cut down on expenses?
