Woman discovers Italian restaurant gives couple 2 menus: ‘They only put the prices on the man’s menu’

A finance content creator dining with her husband at a luxury hotel in Italy has sparked a social media debate after claiming that the restaurant gave them different menus, with prices listed only on her husband’s copy.

Liana said she noticed that her menu did not display any prices, while her husband’s menu included the full costs of the dishes and drinks. She shared her experience in an Instagram video, saying she had previously encountered what she described as a similar practice at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Rome.

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‘They only put the prices on the man’s menu’

Explaining the experience, Liana said she and her husband were looking through the menu when she realised that hers did not include prices.

“In Italy, they do something different with the menus for men than women. We were looking at the menu and there was no price on it. And then, he said, Wait, I see the prices,” Liana said in the video.

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A post shared by Liana | Christian Finance Coach (@liana.danielle)

“They only put the prices on the man’s menu,” she added.

Liana said this was not the first time she had encountered the practice, claiming that she had also noticed the same arrangement at a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Rome.

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Price-less menu led to $120 drinks and $140 dessert

Liana later updated the caption of her post with an unexpected consequence of not seeing the prices. Although she initially said, “I like not knowing the prices,” she said the final bill changed her view.

According to Liana, she unknowingly ordered two drinks costing $120, approximately Rs 11,514, as well as a birthday dessert priced at $140, approximately Rs 13,433.

Including the tip, the total bill came to $926.86, approximately Rs 88,947.

Liana said she had expected the meal to cost less. She added that the expense was manageable because she and her husband had set aside money in a high-yield savings account for food, shopping and taxis during their trip.

However, she said she would have preferred to know the prices before ordering.

“If the food was incredible, it would have been worth it. But the food wasn’t anything extraordinary,” she wrote.

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A post shared by Liana | Christian Finance Coach (@liana.danielle)

Viral video sparks debate over menu pricing

Liana’s video has received more than 4.1 million views and prompted reactions from women and other social media users. Some questioned the practice of withholding prices from women, particularly amid wider discussions around equality and financial independence.

One Instagram user wrote, “Regardless of who is paying, I want to know the prices. I appreciate transparency.”

Another commenter offered a historical perspective on the practice, writing, “It is classic and elegant. Country clubs and private dinner clubs in the US used to do the same as recent as the early 2000s.”

A third user took a different view, commenting, “My lady don’t need to see the price if she’s not paying.”

Another user disputed the idea that the practice was specifically Italian, writing, “Not an Italian thing…. Fancy restaurant thing.”

Liana turns experience into financial lesson

Liana later shared another video with the caption, “This seems like the perfect opportunity to level up our finances, right ladies?” using the dining experience to discuss being more deliberate about money.

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