Last week we talked about food influencer @JustineLoveSushi putting a high end LA restaurant on blast for charging a $110 cake cutting fee… for a cake Justine and 10 of her friends brought to the restaurant from an outside bakery. While $110 out of context sounded high, y’all schooled me in the comments about the fee covering labor and dishwashing and space in the kitchen and table space and more, to the point where $10/person became actually quite reasonable. Thank you, I’m here to learn! So here’s another case: TikToker @elisa_does dined at an Eataly restaurant located at the Park MGM in Las Vegas, where she ordered one pasta dish and one San Pellegrino sparkling water bottle. And the total, for just those two items, came to $52.95. That’s a lotta lira! (RIP Italian Lira, you always made me feel so rich.) Comments to Elisa’s post were divided between those who were gagged by the grand total, and those who couldn’t help but ask back to Elisa: “But you still ordered it off the menu?”
A viral video of a woman who paid $52.95 for a bowl of pasta and a beverage at Eataly has resurfaced. The video comes amid growing controversy about rising food prices at restaurants, sparking widespread debate on the internet.
The video was originally posted by TikToker @elisa_does in late 2025 and has since resurfaced on X and Reddit amid renewed discussion about restaurant pricing.
In the video, the woman shared a bill featuring her order and the cost of $52.95, which she had to pay. The video showed her drawing attention to the bill and the food itself — a modest portion of pasta and a water, totaling $52.95.
She said she was dining at Eataly at the Park MGM in Las Vegas. The comment section of her TikTok blew up with people sharing their thoughts. Many commenters criticized her for complaining about the price rather than checking the menu beforehand.
They also wondered why she didn’t read the price on the menu before ordering. However, she responded to the scrutiny in a separate video. The woman addressed the criticism and explained her intention.
The intent wasn’t to complain, but rather to “make a difference.” The weekend after she had posted her review, the TikToker highlighted the change that followed.
Caesar’s Entertainment offered Nevada residents 25% off food and beverages at its restaurants and lounges, along with free parking.
The offer ran from September 21 to October 20, 2025 — temporary, the TikToker acknowledged, but still a step in the right direction in her view. In conclusion, she said, “It goes to show that one little voice, such as mine, yelling out $52.95…can help make a difference.”
Multiple users have reshared the video, highlighting the crisis with hiked food prices at restaurants.
The X account Matrix Mysteries shared the video with the caption, “Vegas used to drain your wallet at the tables, now it does it before you sit down.” This sparked a flurry of mixed responses.
One user mentioned, “Even if she did this for views or boosting engagement, the menu prices are ridiculous. It’s pasta and water!” The next one said, “Ohh no. I’m making that at home FOR A FAMILY for $5.95.”
As with Cake Cutting-Gate, my first instinct was to seek out the menu. Elisa doesn’t name the exact pasta she ordered, but between having a best friend of proud Italian heritage and my own studies in eating — where I’ve majored in carbs — I am making the educated guess that Elisa had the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese: “Housemade Tagliatelle Pasta, Pork & Beef Ragù alla Bolognese, Agriform Parmigiano DOP.” It’s also the second most expensive pasta on the menu at $35, the most expensive being a dish with lots of seafood ($40), which Elisa’s pasta clearly doesn’t have. And then the sparkling water is $9. That gets us to $43, so $9.95 covers tax and tip. Call me pazzo, but I’m rather inclined to agree with the “But you knew what you ordered” faction. There were other options on the menu! Even just among the pastas; I mean, the Bucatini Cacio E Pepe was RIGHT THERE, and only $27! (Is my New Yorker showing at “only $27”?) Plus, pasta can absolutely be worth $35… though I highly doubt that pasta would be found at an Eataly. Anyway, that’s my two cents on this intersection of cash and cucina. But as long as Elisa feels she “made a difference,” good for her. That kind of validation is priceless.
Note by CB: Elisha’s video is below and you can follow her on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
