A family breakfast on the Italian coast took a shocking turn after a tourist discovered a disturbing message on her restaurant receipt that appeared to instruct staff to spit in her food. What began as an unsettling dining experience quickly escalated into a viral controversy, with the customer calling the incident 'completely unacceptable'.
The fallout spread from a scathing Google review to TikTok, where the restaurant's response drew further attention and raised fresh questions about how the incident was handled.
Maria Clara, a 20-year-old Brazilian-Italian woman living in Florence, was having breakfast with her family at Victor Lab in Riccione, Emilia-Romagna, on 19 August. She had ordered scrambled eggs, juice and coffee, but said the eggs came back much runnier than she wanted.
Clara said she politely asked the server if her eggs could be 'a little more cooked', but claimed he responded dismissively, saying, 'We don't make raw eggs here.' Rather than make a scene, Clara said she let the issue go.
The eggs eventually arrived 'very soft', but she chose not to send them back because she did not want to argue. She also said her order came with a salad despite asking for it to be left out.
It was only later, when she checked her receipt, that she discovered a message apparently intended for the kitchen rather than the customer. A photo of the receipt, shared by Clara, shows the message reading: 'This is pissing me off. Burn the eggs and spit in them.'
Clara said the message was written by a 17-year-old server. She and her family initially wondered whether it was a joke, but became concerned about whether her food could have been tampered with.
There is no evidence that anyone actually spat in Clara's food, and the restaurant has not indicated that this happened.
Non puoi scegliere cosa accade, puoi scegliere cosa significa…😅 TU cosa faresti?🤔⬇️⬇️ (Da guardare fino alla fine)😂🤣 #victorlab #riccione #uovastrapazzate
The incident took another turn after Victor Lab responded publicly. The restaurant had initially apologised in a response to Clara's Google review, describing the employee's behaviour as 'absolutely inappropriate' and saying it did not reflect the business's values or professional standards.
It also said the 17-year-old had been working at the restaurant for around two weeks. The restaurant reportedly cancelled the family's bill and offered complimentary items, which were not accepted.
However, on 22 August, Victor Lab posted a video on TikTok that appeared to mock the controversy. The skit featured a customer character rejecting various menu items before asking for a dish with 'spit'.
The video also referenced the 17-year-old server and included a poll asking viewers whether he should be dismissed. The restaurant has not confirmed whether the teenager was actually fired.
Clara was unhappy with the response. 'Sometimes it almost makes you laugh when you watch it, but this isn't a laughing matter. It's serious,' she said.
Clara also said she had received death threats and racist abuse after the incident attracted widespread attention. She has asked for her surname to be withheld from reports.
