Alexa
Capozzoli
SUPERMARKETS
When we think of supermarkets in the United States, we think of very large grocery stores that sell all types of food and produce as well as household products like paper towels and cleaning supplies. This is not as common in Italian supermarkets. They have very few large stores so many grocery stores can only carry so much.
Almost all of the grocery stores that I went into were very small and had minimal aisles. They typically had merchandise lining the walls of the store and a couple of shelves in the middle- pictured to the right. This creates a certain flow to the store which makes you walk in a loop. This is a strong tactic because it almost forces consumers to see all the products that the store has to offer. It is also a great use of space in a small store.
One difference that I noticed was in every grocery store we went into, there was a consistency in a couple products that they carried no matter what the size of the store was. These products were cheese, wine, and a couple different types of meat. It did not matter the region we were in- each grocery store had those products to some degree. The alcohol is particularly interesting because only in some states in the United States can you buy alcohol in a supermarket.
FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS
The main fast food restaurants in Italy are ones that originated in the United States. We saw almost every fast food chain you could think of. The chain that we saw the most was McDonald's though. An interesting observation I had was that every McDonald's had a McCafe either right next to it or attached to it. This is one way that McDonald's alters their business depending on the culture of the country. Italians love their coffee and the variety of coffee- like lattes and cappuccinos. Each McDonald's offered every kind of coffee which they don't do in the United States.I was surprised at how much of the menu was the same in Italy as it was in the United States.
One thing that I found very interesting was in the McDonald's that we went to, they had you order completely electronically on the screens you can see on the right on the picture. There was no ordering in person. The only time you did was if you wanted to pay cash, but even then you would order on the screen then bring your receipt to the cashier then pay there. The stores also seemed a lot cleaner and more modern than the United States. I found these observations particularly interesting because we think of the United States as ahead of the curve in technology and the "modern" look, but these restaurants in Italy were a lot more updated than any McDonald's I have seen in the United States.
Other fast food restaurants we saw throughout Italy were Five Guys, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC, and Subway.
DINE IN RESTAURANTS
During our time in Italy, we visited many dine in restaurants. There was a variety to them, just like in any other country. They varied on price, menu, casual vs formal, and so on. I had many observations while eating at so many of these restaurants.
The menus were very different than the United States. Majority of the time, we have big menus with many options. The menus in Italy were typically smaller and had a lot of pictures of the food. The pictures are definitely catered towards the tourists, but even in touristy cities in the United States there are not many pictures on the menu. In many places merchandise is showed in store cases to show the potential customers what food they have. The atmosphere differs in places just like it does in the United States, but there was usually something about them that gave you the feeling you were in Italy.
In terms of money, you do not tip the waiter or waitress when in Italy. There is sometimes a table charge which was usually just a few Euros. Sometimes they give you "free" small snacks or appetizers, but when they do that you leave a little extra as a tip and a thank you. Water is not free at restaurants either; it is all bottled water and must be paid for. Also, they do not typically split bills. In the United States that is usually one of the first things they ask, especially if you are with friends. Other than that the pricing is typically the same- nicer places are more expensive and casual places are less expensive. Some places also have combo meal deals.
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