French restaurants in St Tropez have started imposing a $5,000 minimum spend per table and decline reservations from previous low-spenders, Business Insider reports.

Tensions have escalated between restaurants and patrons due to tipping practices and extra dining fees. The rise of digital touchscreen payment systems has intensified tip requests, with some establishments using them to offset higher wages without increasing employee pay. While many eateries add multiple fees to bills, others prioritize higher-paying diners and returning customers.

Certain St Tropez restaurants are demanding over $1,500 per person and a minimum of $5,000 for table reservations, as revealed by the Nice Matin newspaper and later confirmed by the Guardian. Some of these establishments are also insisting on larger tips or outright denying reservations to returning patrons who previously didn’t spend enough.

Silvia Siri, the mayor of St. Tropez, has begun addressing these practices.

“These practices are odious for the resort, and therefore for our clientele, but also for local people.”

Siri warned restaurants about potential license revocations if found guilty of “extortion and organized racketeering” and “illegally compiling databases” of customers.

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