They Ordered From the Menu. Then the Restaurant Told Them to Leave – In One Famous Resort Town, the Mayor Stepped In

Updated October 2026

Is this OK to do at a restaurant?

You know I bring up many discussions about human behavior here, often connected to travel, and lately a lot of them have involved airplanes. There have simply been so many situations worth talking about: the Delta passenger who refused to end a phone call and the entire plane eventually had to get off, the woman who decided to use a curling iron during a flight, and the disagreement over a passenger chewing with his mouth open that ended up being watched by millions.

More recently, another argument involved overhead-bin space and a passenger who kept ignoring the crew’s requests. And airplanes aren’t the only places where strange questions about what is acceptable keep appearing. I also covered the Carnival cruise passenger who was filmed using a dining fork to scratch her bare foot while sitting in a public dining area.

This time, we’re going to a restaurant.

Nobody appears to have done anything dangerous or unhygienic. The customers ordered something that was available on the menu. What happened afterward sparked a major online argument, and when I started looking to see whether anything similar had happened elsewhere, I discovered this wasn’t an isolated situation.

I found cases in several countries and on different continents. Some are surprisingly similar. Others take the issue much further. In one case, the controversy became serious enough that the town’s mayor got involved.

ID 188415946 | Wall © Igor Mojzes | Dreamstime.com

I’m sharing what happened in these cases and some of the reactions people had, but I’m also interested in your opinion, because I suspect people will draw the line in very different places.

Four Tourists Ordered at a Restaurant in Croatia. Then the Waiter Asked Them to Leave

The incident happened on the Croatian island of Krk and was reported in September 2026 by the Hungarian outlet Blikk after a Hungarian mother shared on social media what she said happened to her son and three friends.

According to her account, the four young tourists went to a busy restaurant during dinner time and waited approximately 10 to 15 minutes for a table. Once seated, each ordered a portion of pancakes from the menu. The pancakes cost €7 each, meaning the total order for the four-person table would have been €28.

According to the mother’s account, the waiter reacted angrily when he heard their order.

He allegedly told them that people were waiting outside to have dinner while the four of them were occupying a table for only four portions of pancakes. The young tourists were then asked to get up and leave.

Blikk reported that reactions were very divided.

Some people couldn’t understand how a restaurant could seat customers, give them a menu, and then object when they ordered items that were actually on that menu. Others thought the waiter had a point, even if they didn’t agree with how the situation was handled.

One commenter compared the €28 pancake order with what four people having dinner might spend at the same table. The commenter argued that a group ordering full meals could easily spend €120 to €150, while the people waiting outside couldn’t use the table.

That raises an interesting question: Does the restaurant have the right to decide that your order isn’t enough?

Is There a Minimum Amount You Have to Spend at a Restaurant in Croatia?

Blikk didn’t stop with the social-media discussion. The publication contacted the Hungarian representation of the Croatian National Tourist Board and asked about minimum spending requirements.

Horváth Mira, a senior representative, explained that Croatia has no general rule or code requiring every restaurant guest to spend a minimum amount. Restaurants can set their own sales conditions, but they must display and follow them clearly.

The Tourist Board also explained that customers can complain directly to the business and, if they want a formal investigation, contact Croatia’s State Inspectorate.

That answer made me even more curious about whether customers elsewhere had found themselves in similar situations. I didn’t have to look very far back.

A Family in Rimini Says They Were Asked to Leave After Ordering Six Tiramisus

On August 1, 2026, only one month before the Croatia story appeared, a traveler posted a review about Osteria de Borg in Rimini, Italy.

The reviewer said a family of six went to the restaurant to try its tiramisu.

They were seated without a problem and ordered six tiramisus. About 10 minutes later, according to the review, a waiter came to their table and told them they couldn’t stay because they were ordering only dessert.

They were asked to leave.

The reviewer argued that if the Italian restaurant had a policy requiring guests to order full meals, they should have been told before they were seated, not after they had already ordered and waited.

Italy has its own dining customs, and tourists should know several things about Italian dining etiquette. Still, customers may not expect a restaurant to reject an order that has already been accepted.

This account comes from a Tripadvisor review, so we have the customer’s version of what happened rather than independent reporting or a detailed public response from the restaurant.

But dessert isn’t always the issue.

In New York, Two Customers Say $74 of Food Still Wasn’t Enough

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A Google review from December 2025 describes a different version of the same argument at French Diner in New York City. According to the reviewer, Helen Kogan, she and her boyfriend had been coming to the restaurant for their anniversary for three years.

On this occasion, they arrived before opening, put their names down, and eventually waited about two hours to be seated. They ordered a $29 octopus dish and a $45 hanger steak. That’s $74 of food for two people.

According to the review, the manager or owner then approached the table and told them they weren’t spending enough for a Saturday night. The reviewer said they explained that they couldn’t afford to order more. She claims they were then told that if they couldn’t spend more, they would have to leave.

The original Google review is also reproduced on Foodeist, where the reviewer titled her complaint:

“KICKED OUT FOR NOT ORDERING ENOUGH.”

She added that they had ordered the exact same combination on previous visits without having a problem.

According to the woman’s account, they were both graduate students who saved up for these anniversary meals. She described their reaction in three words:

“We were heartbroken.”

Again, this is a customer review rather than an independently verified news report, and I haven’t found a public response from the restaurant addressing this specific allegation.

Three Tourists in Spain Asked for Dessert and Drinks. The Waitress Took Their Menus Away

Another account appeared on Mumsnet on August 11, 2026. A woman vacationing in Spain with two other adults explained that they had eaten dinner at an Asian restaurant. The restaurant didn’t serve dessert, so they went somewhere else for chocolate cake and drinks.

They found a table at another restaurant, but when they asked for dessert, the waitress asked whether they were ordering dinner.

They explained that they’d already eaten and only wanted something sweet and coffee or drinks. According to the woman, the waitress’s response was immediate:

“no no no”

She said the waitress looked disapproving, tutted, took their menus, and gestured for them to leave. 

The woman estimated they would have spent approximately €30 and said they hadn’t intended to stay for hours. They were tired, wanted dessert, and planned to return to their hotel afterward. She also said they’d gone to restaurants for dessert alone in the UK and had done the same elsewhere in Spain during the same vacation without problems.

The group eventually found another restaurant willing to serve them.

People Disagreed About Whether the Tourists Were Wrong

The discussion drew 62 replies, and commenters divided on whether the restaurant acted reasonably. One commenter said their family frequently visited restaurants just for dessert while on vacation:

“We do this all the time!”

Another defended restaurants having different expectations:

“Different establishments have different rules.”

Others suggested tourists should explain what they want before accepting a table, especially during the evening dinner rush.

One commenter who had worked in a busy UK restaurant shared another experience. A group of six reportedly ordered six glasses of free tap water, then wanted a single £6 dessert to share.

The staff told them to order one plate each or leave. They left.

The former restaurant worker supported customers ordering only dessert, provided they ordered one each and paid for drinks.

Another commenter described having a similar experience at a Zizzi restaurant in the UK. According to that person, they wanted dessert and cocktails but were told they had to order a main course as well.

Commenters on both sides said they’d happily serve customers who wanted only dessert, while others argued that busy restaurants couldn’t afford to lose tables that might otherwise be occupied by diners ordering full meals.

A Family Was Given Dessert Menus – Then Told They Couldn’t Order Dessert

Another restaurant complaint, shared in a Reddit discussion, involved a family who were already eating at a restaurant.

The family had finished their main courses and received dessert menus. According to the person who posted the story, the staff then took a long time to return to their table.

When someone finally came back, the family was told they had only 15 minutes before the restaurant needed the table for other customers.

Apparently, they didn’t have enough time to order and eat dessert.

Another detail: the children’s meals reportedly included desserts, so the family was told to leave before receiving everything that came with those meals.

According to the poster, nobody had mentioned a table time limit when they arrived or during the meal. They eventually paid and went to a nearby dessert establishment.

One Reddit commenter suggested that they should have asked for the desserts to go. Others thought the staff should have explained the time limit before seating the family.

The customer later explained that they hadn’t wanted to turn an otherwise enjoyable family day into an argument.

Then Saint-Tropez Took the Question to a Completely Different Level – The Mayor Got Involved

A much more extensively reported controversy emerged in Saint-Tropez, France, in 2023. According to The Guardian, some restaurants in the famous French resort were accused of screening customers based on how much they had spent on previous visits.

Restaurants reportedly kept records of previous bills and tips and checked those records when customers tried to make another reservation. If someone hadn’t spent enough previously, the accusation was that the restaurant might simply tell them there were no tables available.

There were also reports of much higher minimum-spend expectations. One customer said they were told a table was available with a €5,000 minimum spend. Another account mentioned a €1,500 per-person minimum.

A €500 Tip Apparently Wasn’t Enough for One Waiter

According to the same Guardian report, a waiter allegedly followed a wealthy Italian customer into a parking lot because he was unhappy with the tip he’d left.

The customer had reportedly left €500, approximately 10% of the bill. The waiter allegedly expected a 20% tip.

And we’re talking about France, where restaurant bills normally already include a service charge. Additional tipping is discretionary.

But the reports about customer spending and tipping weren’t the end of the controversy.

The Mayor of Saint-Tropez Became Involved

Saint-Tropez mayor Sylvie Siri publicly condemned the reported practices.

She told local media that the accusations were, unfortunately, true. She said the behavior was damaging the town’s image and warned that establishments engaging in improper practices could face sanctions.

According to The Guardian, the mayor said she’d meet restaurant owners to remind them of their responsibilities. She also warned that businesses involved in serious misconduct, including certain unlawful customer-screening practices, could risk losing valuable late-night operating licenses.

Concerns also arose about customer databases that may have been compiled without consent, and about the consequences for local residents who could find themselves unable to afford restaurants in their own town.

The municipality, working with the local shopkeepers’ association Esprit Village, distributed 1,000 stickers informing customers that they could contact the town hall or the government’s consumer fraud service if they believed they’d been overcharged or mistreated.

The Saint-Tropez situation isn’t identical to the pancake or tiramisu incidents. But restaurant spending had become serious enough for local authorities to intervene.

A Café in Spain Put the Minimum Spend on a Sign

Then there’s another case from Spain, a little bit different. In April 2026, the Spanish hospitality account Soy Camarero shared a photo of a sign reportedly displayed at a café or ice-cream shop in Aranjuez, near Madrid.

The rule was quite specific. Customers who wanted to join two tables had to spend at least €25.

If they wanted to join three tables, the minimum increased to €35.

The sign also asked customers to ask staff for permission before moving the tables. The photo spread widely online, and Spanish media, including La Razón, covered it.

Some people thought the requirement was excessive. Others defended the business, pointing out that larger groups taking several tables occupy considerably more terrace space.

But one key difference separates this example from the earlier cases.

The rule was written down.

Customers could see the condition before moving the tables and decide whether they accepted it. They might dislike it. They might decide to spend their money somewhere else. But they weren’t being seated, ordering something from the menu and then discovering that the restaurant had another spending requirement they hadn’t known about.

Can a Restaurant Ask You to Leave for Not Ordering Enough?

I can understand why restaurants think about tables very differently during their busiest hours.

A restaurant has a limited number of seats. It has employees to pay, food costs, rent, and a relatively small lunch or dinner window when it makes most of its revenue.

Four people ordering four desserts can bring in much less money than four people ordering appetizers, main courses, drinks, and dessert while occupying exactly the same table for a similar amount of time.

But I can understand the customer’s side just as easily.

If you enter a restaurant, the staff seats you, hands you a menu, and that menu includes pancakes, tiramisu, coffee, or another item you want, how are you supposed to know that ordering it isn’t enough?

And what exactly is enough?

Is €28 too little for four people?

Would €50 be acceptable?

Does everyone at the table have to order a main course?

If two people spend $74, as the New York reviewer said they did, can the restaurant still decide the table should generate more money?

Does your answer change if it’s 8 p.m. on a Saturday, every table is occupied, and another 20 people are waiting outside?

For me, there is a big difference between a restaurant having a clearly stated policy and customers discovering an unwritten one only after sitting down.

If a restaurant wants to reserve its dinner tables for people ordering full meals, it can tell customers that before seating them. If there is a minimum spend, it can display that too. Then the customer can decide whether to stay.

Being told your order isn’t valuable enough only after you’ve waited for a table, sat down, and ordered is a very different situation, an unpleasant one for customers and potentially the employees involved.

And as the family who couldn’t order dessert discovered, spending requirements aren’t the only potential issue. A previously undisclosed table time limit can also affect the experience.

Restaurant rules and consumer protection laws vary between countries, so whether a specific refusal is lawful depends on the circumstances and local legislation.

What Do You Think?

People were already divided in the discussions surrounding these incidents, and I can see why.

If four people occupy a table in a packed restaurant during dinner and order four €7 desserts, should the restaurant be able to ask them to leave?

Would your answer change if the restaurant had told them before they sat down that tables were reserved for full meals during dinner hours?

What about the Rimini family who says they ordered six tiramisus? Or the three tourists in Spain who wanted chocolate cake and drinks?

And where would you draw the line in the New York case, where two customers say $74 worth of food still wasn’t considered enough?

I’m curious what you would have done in any of these situations – and whether you think the restaurant or the customers were in the right.

Can a Restaurant Ask You to Leave for Not Ordering Enough? FAQs

Can you go to a restaurant and order only dessert?

Often, yes, but it depends on the restaurant and the time of day. For example, a place may be happy to serve customers who only want dessert in the afternoon while keeping dinner tables for people ordering a full meal later in the evening. If a restaurant doesn’t accept dessert-only orders at certain times, it should tell customers before they sit down and order.

Can a restaurant ask you to leave if you don’t order enough?

There isn’t one answer that applies everywhere because restaurant rules and consumer laws differ from one country to another. The bigger issue in cases like the ones discussed in this article is when the customer learns about the requirement. Being told about a minimum order before you’re seated is very different from being seated, ordering from the menu, and then being told your order isn’t sufficient.

Can a restaurant require a minimum spend?

Some restaurants do set minimum-spend requirements, especially for large groups, high-demand tables, busy periods, or special events. The amount can vary considerably. Such conditions must comply with applicable local laws. Customers should know about them before ordering so they can decide whether to stay or choose another restaurant.

Do you have to order a main course at a restaurant?

Not always. Many restaurants allow customers to order starters, side dishes, dessert, drinks, or a combination of smaller items instead of a main course. However, a restaurant may have different rules during peak meal times or require a full meal for certain reservations, menus, or seating areas.

Can a restaurant set a minimum order per person?

Some restaurants use a minimum order or minimum spend per guest rather than one amount for the entire table. This is more common for group reservations, fixed-menu dining, private areas, or high-demand tables. Whether and how those requirements can be imposed depends on local law and the terms communicated to customers.

Can a restaurant ask you to leave because it needs your table?

Some restaurants use fixed seating times, especially during busy periods or for reservations. The rules and their enforceability depend on local law and the circumstances. If a table has a time limit, restaurants should inform customers when they book or before seating them, especially if the limit could prevent them from finishing their meal.

3rd photo is AI generated

Violeta Loredana

Violeta-Loredana Pascal is a communications expert, business mentor, and the founder of Earth’s Attractions and PRwave INTERNATIONAL. A pioneer in the Romanian digital PR landscape since 2005, she holds a degree in Communication and Social Sciences from SNSPA Bucharest. Violeta is a senior trainer at AcademiadeAfaceri.ro, where she leverages over 20 years of experience to teach professional courses in PR strategy and workplace productivity. By blending high-level business consulting with a passion for holistic travel and wellness, she empowers solopreneurs to overcome procrastination, build profitable brands, and design a life of purposeful adventure.