Sitting and drinking a 10 kuna coffee in the sun on the famous Split Riva for hours on end while gossiping about politicians but never voting them out is an Olympic passtime for most Croats. One small cup of coffee can last a good two hours when people get together to put the world to rights, but the price of 10 kuna for that cultural experience may soon be no more.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, one of the latest decisions made by the Split local authorities is the increase in the price of Croatian terraces. This will take effect today (April the 1st, 2022) plunging the already suffering catering and hospitality sector and the people of Split are into more issues.
Coffee will no longer cost 10 kuna. Whether the price will be bumped up to 12, 15 or 20 kuna hasn’t yet been firmly decided, but those in this business are very worried about whether people will be able to afford it, or simply change their habits out of principle.
Come rain or shine, be it a normal working day or a weekend, for many people, sitting on a nice Croatian terrace and mulling over a cheap coffee is an indispensable ritual. The favourite location for locals and foreigners alike in Croatia’s second largest city is always the Split Riva (waterfront).
“It’s better than going to psychotherapy. We don’t really have that. So for us Dalmatians, this is all we have. We’ll have to reduce our ”psychotherapy” to once a day and we will somehow manage,” stated Zora Gala.
“Everything can be left, I can even leave having a if I’m forced to do that. I can do that, but life is fleeting so why not indulge in some habits that are harmless?” said Matija Mrdjen.
An espresso on the Split Riva already costs between 9 and 12 kuna, according to RTL.
“People look at the bill, they didn’t ask how much it was upon making the order, but as soon as the coffee comes to the table, people immediately look at the bill and see what the price is,” said waiter Augustin Silic. In addition to other costs, Croatian terrace rental in the very heart of Split has been growing since April last year, in some cases by almost 100 percent.
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