Sandwiches for 8 euros and drinks for 4.50: for those who stop to eat at motorway service stations, the break in the car is one of the worst memories of the holidays. This is a well-known fact and has become even more evident in recent months on the days when part of the country gets going.
In June 2024, Altroconsumo conducted a survey at 22 service stations between Milan, Naples, Rome and Venice, after monitoring the prices of motorway tolls (this year they were respectively 4% and 2.3% higher): the survey confirmed the impression of all those who travel on wheels. Some products cost up to 70% more than in the city’s bars. The top spot is occupied by sandwiches, where a simple salami sandwich can cost as much as €8, against a national average of €4.20 (data from Osservaprezzi, Sandwich 2024). For coffee the price is €1.40, for cappuccino €1.84 and for the inevitable brioche €1.57, which are therefore 14, 12 and even 26 percent more expensive.
The price of bottled water is shocking: it is €3.35 per litre, compared to €0.67 in the supermarket. Lemonades and energy drinks are not to be mentioned, with peak prices of €10.66 and €14.40 per litre respectively. In cans they cost between €3.50 and €4.50. And finally, packaged ice cream and chips also spoil the snacking mood: the former costs €50 per kilo (12 more than the average price), the latter €55.56. Fancy some chocolate? A 100-gram bar costs an average of €3.70.
You can get nervous, annoyed, feel like you’re being made fun of: it’s all legitimate. Ultimately, however, an explanation can be found by thinking about the rules of marketing. After three years of rampant inflation, we are certainly more sensitive, but the rule of supply and demand still applies. Once you’re on the motorway, the options are actually extremely limited, unless you want to exit at the first toll booth. Not even the “packed lunch” option is ideal (free parking is even rarer), so you’re forced to stop at Autogrill or one of the few competitors from the Sarni group, including Chef Express, Finifast, MyChef and Ristop. To complete the picture, we must also mention the cost of the rental contracts with the owners, the price of the concessions for motorway catering and the royalties for the use of the brands that these large companies support and therefore have to “pass on” to the travelers’ bill.
Also pay attention to the displays – or rather the baskets – of the so-called “offers”, which are often not so practical. Pay attention to the price per kg or per litre and look closely at the label.
