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Jul. 28, 2007
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JANE ANN MORRISON: Cafe's sweet gelato leaves sour taste in mouths of unsuspecting tourists

JANE ANN MORRISON
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For me to pay nearly $18 for a gelato, I'd want Harrison Ford attached and licking the other side.

Sadly, "The Bomb" at Della Spiga Cafe at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace does not come with Harrison Ford. But it does cost $16.69 (nearly $18 with tax). I'm not saying the gelato wasn't good. It was. But I could sympathize with tourists from Oregon who first complained to me about feeling ripped off by the cafe located outside the FAO Schwartz toy store.

But first, I had to investigate.

Once there, I saw how the manipulative marketing scheme works.

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    • The Della Spiga gets tourists coming and going. The open-air café sitting in the middle of the mall has two gelato cases, one on each side of the cafe. No matter which way you're walking, you can't miss the vision of cool, luscious, colorful gelato. And truly, they looked wonderful. Customers are offered free samples of 24 flavors with enticing names.

    I ordered a medium, first tasting the Triple Bavarian Chocolate with Fudge Swirl but then ordering a lemon gelato with a fancy name I don't remember. The guy behind the counter packed my cup to the brim then walked it to the cash register, which wasn't visible from standing in front of the gelato case.

    A sign on the cash register explains the Pee-Wee is $5.59, the small is $7.59, the medium is $9.99, the grande is $12.59 and The Bomb is $16.59. The Bomb doesn't look overwhelmingly large. Most people were ordering grandes or The Bomb from my observation.

    I sampled mine, then waited and watched the next customers buy gelato.

    Georgina Stewart, a 21-year-old tourist from England, had offered to buy gelato for the San Diego family she was visiting. When the bill totaled nearly $45 for two grandes and The Bomb, I could see the shock on her face.

    When she sat down with the D'Angelo family to eat the most expensive gelato they'd ever had, I joined them.

    Tim D'Angelo, his daughter Cecilia, and Georgina all said the gelato was excellent. His wife, Marion, opted for a Double Bloody Mary at $14.

    Yes, Georgina felt ripped off. "But isn't that the whole idea of Vegas? It's all about the money," she said.

    Meanwhile, down at Trevi, the restaurant near the fountain midway in the mall, the gelato stand was selling sorbet for $3.95 and gelato for $4.50. And the prices were posted nearby.

    Della Spiga's owner Gerry Shlesinger is proud of his product. He said starting in August he's going to be offering an even larger gelato called "The Terminator" ... for $35.

    Shlesinger, also the owner of Las Vegas Helicopters, has been in business here 17 years. He said the imported gelato is made of the finest ingredients; he has to pay for a sophisticated system of freezing and transporting. "It's the best of the best," he said. And he provides a place to sit down. And it is the Forum Shops.

    "We have a liberal refund policy," Shlesinger said. "We've refunded people who have eaten half of it and decided they don't like it."

    He declined to tell me the brand he imports. "It's a world-class gelato and that has a value," he said, noting that his gelato is sold in a mall containing stores where people pay $90,000 for watches and $10,000 for designer dresses.

    However, Della Spiga looks like a fast-food operation, not a gourmet restaurant.

    If the prices were displayed where the gelato was scooped, I wouldn't have a problem. But few bother to ask the price.

    Debra Parsons, the Oregonian who e-mailed me her complaint, said she had never seen her husband so disturbed over the price of an item when they paid more than $42 for three gelatos.

    Could I do anything to stop this gelato entrapment?

    Actually, no.

    But if it's gourmet gelato (and it is), then Shlesinger shouldn't be afraid to post his prices prominently.

    That's never going to happen. His business would plummet faster than a scoop of his gelato falling off a cone.

    Instead, tourists burned up by paying that much for gelato just go home grumbling about being taken in Las Vegas.

    Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call 383-0275.



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    MikeMH wrote on March 17, 2008 01:01 AM: I enjoy trying gelato wherever I am and know gelato well. This place commendably decorates their mounds of gelato with cookies and other ingredients that are in the actual gelato to entice tourists. I sure fell for it. I know the average price in the US for a regular size is $3.00-5.50, and sometimes you can even mix 4 flavors. I was thinking to myself this can't be more than $5.

    This place is a complete ripoff. They hide the prices until you're already holding the merchandise and thoroughly ready to eat it. A regular size with two flavors (not 2 scoops but half-half) was $12.75. They don't even pile it on. They don't let the gelato above the cup's brim.

    In my opinion, this overcharging is a complete lack of respect for one's customers. My favorite gelato place in Chicago charges $3.50 for a regular with 4 mounds made by amazing ingredients from Pre-gel in-house with an Italian gelato machine.


    Dejinira wrote on November 29, 2007 10:36 PM: I guess it's kind of comforting (in a sad sort of way) that we are not the only ones that have been ripped off. My fiance and I were also intrigued since neither of us had ever tried gelato. We were offered samples and decided to order the smallest size they offered since we were full from our $25 dinner from the Caesar's Food COurt, which consisted of 2 slices of pizza, a bottle of water and a beer! So we ordered our Gelato's which were alright, but couldn't hold a candle to Coldstone's. We stepped over to the register to pay and were shocked to hear the woman say "$22.05". My poor fiance (literally if Caesar's has anything to do with it) looked dumbfounded as he handed over 25 bucks to the cashier who didn't even flinch when he asked her to repeat the price. If this is how Caesar's Palace treats their visitors, I will happily take my business elsewhere where they POST THEIR PRICES!


    Patti wrote on November 29, 2007 05:35 PM: I am there with you. My son asked if he could taste it, I said sure. He asked if he could buy it, I said sure, but get a small. The salesman behind the tasting case held up two cups, I said small, he lifted the smaller of the two. We bought four and paid $54.95, that works out to $1.02 a tablespoon, nothing is that good. As I try to write to the owner, I see there is no site to tell him what I think, so my comment to anyone interested is 'BUYER BEWARE, ASK FOR PRICES BEFORE HAND'.After completely enjoying our drinks at FAT TUESDAY, WHICH WERE CHEAP IN PRICE AND HIGH ON LIQUOR we stopped again to ask what size we got, we were told grande, which appears to be the third size, yet we were not once offered the smaller sizes. And the smaller cups were clearly out of sight.


    ED wrote on August 21, 2007 10:26 AM: THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP ON THIS. I AM COMING TO VEGAS IN NOVEMBER AND WILL AVOID THIS TYPE OF "SHIFTY SALES TACTICS".JUST BECAUSE THIS IS A HIGH END SHOPPING MALL DOES NOT MAKE IT A PLACE TO PRINT MONEY


    Jan wrote on August 17, 2007 09:55 AM: Do people not ask how much things are when they are buying? It is always buyer beware. I bought some of that expensive gelato in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace and the surprise was the size of the serving not the price (I looked for the prices.). It was only about three table spoons full. And it wasn't that good. I think it was about $5.50. I knew I was paying for the location as much as the treat. He has a premium location and the customer has to pay for that. He is unable to absorb it.


    Cora V. wrote on August 06, 2007 09:39 AM: I don't see this shop getting repeat business. I won't. Instead of advertising their good product for more business, they are pulling it down.
    I don't think they can fool the public especially if it is obvious.


    Michelle wrote on August 01, 2007 01:04 PM: Thanks for the heads up! I will definitely pass the word to my friends not to shop at Della Spiga for anything! There is a saying "what goes around comes around!” Hopefully they won't be in business long, continuing these pricing tactics. Don't give our great city of Las Vegas a bad reputation.


    pjs wrote on July 30, 2007 08:39 AM: all great comments--vegas has gotten out of control( in all their prices)


    Ally McBeal wrote on July 28, 2007 10:01 PM: $18 to eat frozen fruit? Only if Harrison Ford is eating my fruit at the same time.


    MotherOfGOD wrote on July 28, 2007 09:52 PM: One word: Diet.

    More than 'nuff said.


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