Shocking breakfast bill in Tihany confectionery sparks outrage
For several days, a receipt from a guest at the popular Apátsági Rege Confectionery in Tihany has been circulating online. The receipt reveals a transaction involving a startling amount of money, sparking debate: is it really surprising that a breakfast costs so much in a prime tourist spot?
The restaurant is situated in one of the most picturesque areas around Lake Balaton, in a favoured part of Tihany, with a magnificent lake view. Naturally, the prices are very high, but the total bill has still outraged many, according to Szeretlek Magyarország.
The receipt shows that the guest did not dine alone; they ordered stuffed French toast, vegan toast, coffee, lemonade, and water, with a total cost of HUF 48,218 (EUR 123), including a mandatory service fee of over HUF 6,000 (EUR 15.3).
Check out a photo of the receipt HERE
The image of the receipt, which has appeared on several sites, has divided people online. While no one disputes that the amount paid is a lot for a breakfast, many argue that guests could have checked prices in advance or seen them upon arrival. Others contend that a service charge is too high, even for such a level of consumption. However, the confectionery’s ratings are around 4.5/5 and 9.4/10, indicating that the high prices do not deter most customers.
Were the prices at the Tihany confectionery reasonable?
Világgazdaság investigated the cost of the food and drinks at the confectionery, as it has been the subject of public disapproval recently. “For this price, no one on the shores of Lake Wörth would say a word,” said László Kovács, president of the Hungarian Catering Industry Association, in response to a question from the portal. He expressed confusion over the outcry, stating that no one was deceived. Although prices are not required to be displayed online, they should be indicated at the entrance and on the menu, which was done. People who entered the confectionery and ordered were aware of the prices.
Another important factor is that the Tihany confectionery is in a high-value zone with special prices due to its beautiful panorama of Lake Balaton and the special World Heritage environment. Whether the business is operated by an owner or tenant, the purchase or rental price of the property is significantly higher than average, which affects everything. Summer is the high season at Lake Balaton, generating the majority of the businesses’ income during this period, which cannot be ignored.
According to the expert, the prices at Apátsági Rege Confectionery are not low but are justifiable for understandable reasons. Besides the Benedictine Abbey of Tihany, it is probably obvious without any indication that a restaurant with special prices operates in the most expensive settlement on Lake Balaton, in the best location.
A catering company manager running high-end restaurants told Világgazdaság that he considers the Tihany confectionery’s story to be hysteria, another opportunity to scrutinise Balaton prices. He added that there are many places in Budapest with similar or even higher prices on their menus, yet they remain full or even have long queues, thanks to the large number of foreign tourists. These include Gerbeaud Confectionery and the New York Café, among others.
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Anyone remember the days of the simple bufé at tourist sites where you could feed a family of four with langos and kolbasz for a small amount of money? That Hungary no longer exists. Welcome to Orbanistan where you pay Fidesz prices and go home with nothing left in your wallet. What I am hearing from Hungarians in Canada who no longer have family in Hungary is that they would rather go somewhere else such as Turkey for example where prices are less and the food in restaurants is better.
I would rather go on holiday to Turkey than to pony up the prices being charged in Hungary today. The quality of the food and service is much better while prices are broadly speaking half those in Hungary which is becoming overpriced for what it offers.
I recently went to a river front restaurant in Szentendre. I had a personal size pizza, one beer and a salad. The bill came to 11000. These was a scam attached to my bill. I ordered a margarita pizza, which is the least expensive. The waitress brought me the most expensive on the menu. When I told her it was the wrong pizza, she asked if I “minded” to eat the pizza she brought. I thought it would go in the trash, since they are made at the moment, so I agreed. But then she billed me the most expensive. It was not the first time this was done on the Szentendre waterfront to me, the other concerned the denial of a service charge on the bill when it was clearly there. I will never go to eat in Szentendre again.
We’re sorry to hear that. Please, watch out at these places! Thanks for reading and sharing your story.
That’s such a tacky scam and it leaves a nasty taste in the mouth (no pun intended). These things have an outsize effect as experiencing this could well lead to someone never returning to Hungary again, then telling 30 people about their experiences after they return home with an enormous consequent loss of future tourist revenue, all because someone in Szentendre wanted to cheat a patron out of a paltry 2,000 Ft.