'Rich' man vows never to return to seaside town after being chased by waiter over £429 tip

A wealthy Italian tourist was left outraged after being chased down and reprimanded by a waiter for the tip he had left at a glamorous holiday hotspot.

As a result the man described as "very rich" by local media has vowed to never return to the French Riviera again.

The diner had thought his tip to be quite generous considering he had left £429 (€500).

However, he was allegedly pursued by the staff member to the carpark of the restaurant in the prestigious resort and told it “wasn't enough”.

Here the waiter scolded the tourist for not reaching the "minimum" amount required - £859 (€1000).

A friend of the unnamed astonished Italian tourist claimed to the French publication Nice Matin: "[He] thought he had been generous by leaving €500, instead he was reprimanded.

"The waiter told him that it wasn't enough and that he could still make a small effort to reach €1,000 because it was more consistent in approaching 20 percent of the total amount of his bill."

While it is known the French Riviera is a destination favoured by the wealthy, the behaviour of some restaurants is making the stunning area inaccessible to most people and risks turning away even those who can afford it.

The French publication also reported a tourist claiming to have seen a restaurant asking clients to spend at least £1,288 (€1,500) per person if they wanted to dine there.

Much like the wealthy Italian, the visitor swore not to return to Saint-Tropez.

Shocking requests from restaurateurs appear to be widespread across the Riviera, as a local businessperson reported to have been given a flyer in Ramatuelle, a town near Saint-Tropez, advertising "premium" tables at a venue for an eye-watering £85,900 (€100,000).

Staff at restaurants are reported to be screening customers based on how wealthy they seem, and local restaurants are running a ‘black list’ of people who don’t tip well.