Croatia’s restaurants, cafés and other service businesses will have to show what an item cost on Sept. 10 alongside the current price from Oct. 1, a move aimed at making price increases more visible but one that hospitality groups say could make menus harder to read and costlier to update.
Croatia Restaurants Must Show Sept. 10 Anchor Prices
The new “anchor price” rule is designed to give consumers a quick comparison of how much prices have risen or fallen, and it extends beyond printed menus to boards, posters, digital ads, websites and other price displays. For investors in Croatian hospitality and consumer-facing businesses, the change adds a new layer of compliance at a time when margins are already sensitive to labor, food and energy costs.
Under the government’s plan, a €2.50 coffee menu entry will also need to show its Sept. 10 price, with the historical figure serving only as a comparison, not as an alternative charge. If a dish or drink was not on sale that day, businesses must show the price from when it was introduced, according to guidance from the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts.
Industry groups are pushing back. HOK says the rules will force restaurants to redesign and reprint menus, maintain more historical pricing records and absorb extra administrative costs on short notice. Đurđica Mostarčić, who heads HOK’s accountants’ section, said discounts could create even more clutter, with as many as four figures appearing next to one product: the regular price, promotional price, lowest price in the prior period and the new anchor price.
The measure also requires businesses with websites to publish price lists in machine-readable formats such as CSV or XML, updated by 8 a.m. on the day new prices take effect. Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar says the aim is to help shoppers spot who has raised or cut prices and decide where to spend.
For restaurants and cafés, the policy lands squarely in the middle of the pricing battle between consumer scrutiny and cost inflation. For consumers, it could sharpen comparisons across venues. The next focus will be whether businesses comply smoothly by Oct. 1 or use the added disclosure to pass on more costs through simpler menus and fewer discounts.
| Entity | Gains | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Croatian consumers | ▲Clearer price comparisons | ▼More crowded menus |
| Croatian government | ▲Better price transparency | ▼Pushback from businesses |
| Restaurants and cafés | ▲Potentially more trust | ▼Reprint and compliance costs |
| Hospitality trade groups | ▲Stronger case for relief | ▼Less pricing flexibility |
