Managing a restaurant comes with many compromises. As the old adage goes, the customer is always right. However, one local eatery believes there is a limit to this philosophy and that its raison d'être should not be compromised for the sake of pleasing customers.

Fausto Soldini, a businessman, consultant, and owner of Zero Sei Group, which operates Zero Sei Trattoria Romana on Old Theatre Street and the Sotto Pinsa Romana chain, has directed his restaurants to decline requests that "mess with the authentic flavours" of its Italian cuisine.

Fausto has been described as a spokesperson for the entire Italian subculture of Roman cuisine. In a social media post on his Zero Sei Trattoria Romana page, the restaurant questioned whether the customer is always right and answered its own question by saying: "Certainly, up to a point."

"If you call yourself an 'Italian restaurant' and you compromise every day, maybe it's time to take a stand," it wrote on Facebook.

The post laid down a set of rules for the Zero Sei and Sotto Pinsa Romana restaurants, which foodies who subscribe to the Roman way of eating are certain to agree with:

• Spare the ketchup on pinsa.
• Bid farewell to cappuccino at lunch or dinner.
• Hold the parmesan on seafood plates.
• No knives allowed for spaghetti.
• Cappuccino and carbonara? Just say no.
• Pineapple is a pinsa no-go.
• Butter out, olive oil in for bread.

The post continued, and was signed by Fausto himself: "Zero Sei Group is on a mission to safeguard the timeless essence of Rome and Italian culinary traditions worldwide. While globalization and cultural diversity are cool, we’re not about to let anyone mess with the authentic flavours of our cuisine."

Should customers be accommodated when a restaurant is able to, even if such requests go against its ethos? In the social media age, many restaurant managers believe saying no when able to accommodate is not worth the potential negative publicity online.