A holiday dining experience on Croatia’s Krk Island has sparked a heated online debate after four Hungarian visitors were reportedly asked to leave a busy restaurant because they wanted to order only pancakes during dinner time.
Hungarian tourists ordered pancakes in Croatia, then they were told to leave
According to an account shared by the mother of one of the young men, the four friends waited around 10–15 minutes for a table at a popular, crowded restaurant. When the waiter arrived, each ordered a portion of pancakes costing EUR 7, meaning the group would have spent EUR 28 in total.
The waiter reportedly reacted angrily, questioning why they wanted only dessert during the dinner rush. With other customers waiting outside, he allegedly asked the group to give up their table and leave. The story quickly divided social media users.
Was the restaurant right to refuse them?
Some commenters condemned the waiter’s behaviour, arguing that EUR 28 for four portions of pancakes was hardly an insignificant amount and that customers should be free to decide what they want to order. Others defended the restaurant, pointing to the economics of a busy dinner service. A table for four occupied during peak hours could potentially generate considerably more revenue if the guests ordered full meals rather than dessert.
Several commenters also noted that similar situations can occur in other popular tourist destinations, including Hungary, Italy and Spain, where restaurants may discourage customers from occupying larger tables during peak periods if they intend to order only drinks, coffee or dessert. But does a restaurant in Croatia have the legal right to require customers to spend a minimum amount?
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No general minimum-spending rule in Croatia
To clarify the legal position, the Hungarian representation of the Croatian National Tourist Board was contacted about the incident. Mira Horváth, a senior member of the organisation, explained that there is no general Croatian rule or code requiring every restaurant customer to spend a minimum amount, writes Blikk.
Restaurants must, however, clearly display their prices and terms of sale and comply with them. The Croatian National Tourist Board also stressed that it is primarily responsible for promoting and developing tourism rather than investigating individual complaints.
Customers who believe a restaurant has breached the rules can contact the Croatian State Inspectorate, which supervises hospitality and other establishments. They can also submit a complaint directly to the service provider, which is required to respond within the legally prescribed timeframe. The organisation expressed regret that the Hungarian visitors had such an experience and said it hoped the incident was an isolated case.
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Wider complaints about Croatian dining
The Krk incident comes amid wider online discussions among tourists about prices, food quality and service on Croatia’s Adriatic coast. Some travellers have complained about high-season prices in destinations such as Split, Dubrovnik and Hvar, while others have criticised inconsistent food quality and service.
Such individual experiences should not, however, be taken as representative of Croatian hospitality as a whole. Croatian tourism authorities have stressed their efforts to improve service standards, while the country has seen a growing number of Michelin-recognised restaurants.
For the four Hungarian visitors on Krk, the immediate issue was considerably simpler: they wanted four portions of pancakes during a busy dinner service. While the restaurant may have had commercial reasons for preferring customers ordering full meals, Croatian law does not impose a general minimum-spending requirement on restaurant guests.
Whether the restaurant handled the situation appropriately remains a matter of opinion — and one that has clearly divided diners online.
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