PARIS will forever be a popular tourist spot for those seeking a long weekend of culture, art and fine French dining.
But tourists heading to the French capital for a relaxing break should beware the latest scandal to hit the city’s streets – fake pints.
Le ParisienLocal reporters investigated the scandal[/caption] GettyLocal reporters investigated the claims in Paris bars[/caption]An investigation from local outlet Le Parisien has found that numerous establishments around Paris will sell beers in far smaller glasses than shown on the menu.
The practice of tight bartenders serving smaller “pints” than advertised had done the rounds online through a social media account called “Balance ta pinte”.
In a fiendish scam that will shock Brit pubgoers to their core, some popular establishments are listing 50 cl beers on their menus.
But rather than serving the full quantity, some waiters will only fill glasses of 37 to 40 cl.
These trick glasses are designed to still look like a proper pint, so they would still appear “full” – despite holding less beer than advertised.
This means that patrons can be cheated out of as much as a quarter of the pint they paid for.
A standard British pint comes to 568 ml, whereas a pinte sold in France will be 500 ml (50 cl), so Brit holidaymakers on the receiving end of the scam will get far less beer than they’d usually expect.
Balance ta pinte initially listed some establishments that are alleged to engage in this practice, but later withdrew this after pressure.
Blogger Marc, known online as Radin Malin, had discovered one such fake pint in a Toulouse bar a year ago in a now viral video.
“These are really glasses that are made to scam people,” he said.
The claims prompted reporters from Le Parisien to go undercover as tourists to investigate the French capital’s bars.
Posing as credulous holidaymakers, they ordered their pints at classic al fresco Parisian diners.
But when their waiters weren’t looking, they’d tip their beer into a measuring cup to see the horrifying truth.
The beer was indeed at least 10 cl short of the 50 cl it had been sold as.
Upon being challenged, one waiter would simply insisted their drinks were a full 50 cl – despite being self-evidently smaller.
“You really have to have a good eye to avoid getting ripped off,” customers said according to the outlet.
Many patrons are resigned to not complaining about their petits pints, instead opting to find another bar once they’d finished their undersized drinks.
Under French law, the word “pint” does not face any specific sales regulation.
But precise metric quantities sold must match what is served, with stringent penalties on businesses that cut corners.
Lawyer Baptiste Robelin told Le Parisien: “Using the word pint for a capacity of 40 cl does not in itself constitute an offence.
“On the other hand, if the menu indicates 50 cl, we are indeed in the case of a clear offence.”
A requirement for the use of measuring cups ended in 2016, making it harder for patrons to monitor compliance with the rules.
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