What is the Coperto in Italy? Tipping and Cover Charge Guide

Last Updated on 20th February 2024 by Sophie Nadeau

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If you’ve come to this post wondering ‘what is the coperto in Italy?’ then you’re in the right place. The coperto is a kind of fixed cover charge, and in this short guide we’ll go over everything you need to know about the charge, as well as what you should know about tipping etiquette in Italy!

Pizza, pasta, gelato, and risotto: food in Italy couldn’t be more delicious. But if you’re going out for a meal in the boot-shaped country, then one thing you’re soon to start to notice after ordering ‘il conto’ (the bill) is the addition of an item at the end of the receipt that says ‘coperto’. And no, this isn’t a scam, nor is it a tip!

What is the coperto?

The coperto is a fixed cover charge which is applied per person who is sat at your table. The term coperto literally means covered in Italy. It is the same whether you order one course or four. Not every restaurant charges the cover fee but the majority do.

The idea of it is that it covers all of the things necessary for your meal; cutlery, plates, glasses, the tablecloth that’s washed between services, and napkins (basically everything that the customer requires).

Though, unlike in France, it’s rare to be able to get free water with your meal in Italy! Bread does not legally have to be included in the coperto charge, though it often is. As such, if you don’t want to pay for bread, be sure to ask your server if the bread is included in the price of your coperto charge.

For many, it’s a strange concept as most people would assume that the price of the cover charge would be built into the cost of their meal.

However, it’s added to ensure that the restaurant at least gets a small amount extra, even if a group of people haven’t ordered much in the way of food or drink.

The practice actually dates all the way back to taverns and inns in the Middle Ages! At this time, people would often bring their own food with them to bars as a way to save money and only consume the drinks at the bar.

Clients would head into the bars as a way to shelter from the cold, i.e. they would head al coperto (indoors). As the inn wasn’t making money from the food, they would charge customers for occupying a seat in their establishment.

If the customer was eating at the restaurant, then the price would be included in the price of the food. Obviously this is no longer the case today!

How much is the coperto in Italy?

Typically, the coperto is around €2 or €3 per person, though I’ve seen it as low as €1 and as high as €5. Some tourists in Venice and Positano have been charged as much as €20 as restaurants can charge as much as they want when it comes to the cover fee and there is no legal maximum!

Children are also charged the fixed price at the same rate as adults and so you should always factor in the cost of the cover charge when ordering your meal. With this being said, the coperto is actually banned in the Lazio region, which is where the capital city of Rome is located.

Some restaurants in this area of Italy will instead try and charge you a fee for your bread basket, but you can refuse this at the beginning of your meal if you so wish.

If you get a takeaway like a pizza, then you won’t be charged the coperto, though you might be charged it if you choose to sit at the tables outside the pizzeria. Again, it depends on the establishment.

What about the servizio charge?

As well as coperto, you might also see servizio listed on the receipt. This is like a service charge but is more of a tourist tax because the service charge doesn’t normally go to the waiter!

It is legally allowed if it is printed on the menu and may be up to 10% of the final bill. If it does not appear anywhere on the menu but is charged anyway, you can ask to have it removed. We have never seen the servizio charged as it’s not that common, especially outside of more touristic cities.

What to know about the coperto

According to the law, the coperto must be printed somewhere on the menu. With this being said, it’s typically added in an inconspicuous place such as at the end of the menu or in very small print.

I’ve hardly ever seen the coperto printed in large font close to the start of the menu! If you’re on a budget or in a particularly touristic area (especially if you’re somewhere like Venice), then be sure to ask what the cover charge is before sitting at a table.

For the most part, you’ll only be charged the coperto if you’ve ordered food and drinks as typically you won’t be charged the coperto if you’ve just ordered some Italian coffees or glasses of wine or a simple aperitivo.

However, in more touristy areas, my husband and I have definitely been charged the coperto, especially in fancier places.

Tipping in Italy

Tipping isn’t required in Italy and isn’t standard practice. In Italian, the tip is known as the mancia. It is not expected that you’ll tip at the end of the meal, though you can if you so wish and the service was particularly outstanding.

If you do wish to add a tip, then you can add around 10% of the bill, though I would only do this in a European sense, as in where the service has been great!

If you want to do this, then you can leave some change/ bank notes (depending on how much you wish to leave) next to the receipt on the table when you’re leaving.

Of course, the standard amount to tip on top of your bill in North America would be 15% or 20% but this is absolutely not necessary as waiters in Italy are paid a real salary and do not rely on tips for their income.

In much of Europe, there is not really any tipping etiquette and so you shouldn’t feel guilty for not leaving 20% extra every time you go for a meal!

The only time that my husband and I have ever been asked for a tip in Italy was when we were in the restaurant of a fancy five-star hotel in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. To be honest, we were quite taken aback when the waiter said ‘service isn’t included’ when he presented us with the bill.

It was quite an Anglophone-focused restaurant, and I think that what had happened was that the servers had become used to North Americans leaving a huge tip at the end of the bill. However, as we are French-speaking and it’s not the norm for French people to leave tips, he encouraged us to leave one!

We do leave tips while in Italy (and also in France, where it’s also not the norm) but typically only when the service has been fantastic/ outstanding as it’s just not the cultural norm to leave a tip at the end of your meal.