Staff at a Bologna restaurant have spoken warmly of their experience hosting Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, describing the pair as “absolutely amazing” and “kind-hearted people.”
Riccardo Lelli, the owner of Trattoria della Santa, told PEOPLE in an interview translated by waitress Saria Ahmed, that the couple dined at the restaurant on July 21, the day before Gomez’s 34th birthday, after a member of Blanco’s team made a reservation a few days earlier.
Although the reservation was originally for a private table, when the couple arrived they chose to sit outside under the Portici di Bologna, the city’s iconic arched walkways.
“They were absolutely amazing, very lovely, kind-hearted people,” Lelli said.
“They showered us with compliments on the food, on the service, and they were just great customers.” Ahmed added from his own perspective: “As a waitress, I can tell you that we had a good experience with them.”
The couple ordered generously from the menu, choosing eggplant parmigiana, a rocket salad, tagliatelle with mushrooms, buffalo cheese ravioli, tortelloni with butter and sage, lasagna bolognese and the restaurant’s signature pasta with cream-filled Balanzoni.
The staff noted that the couple were well aware that pasta is the thing to order in Bologna. Blanco, 38, apparently enjoyed the food so much that he got up to share it with his team.
Ahmed also confessed to an inadvertent misstep.
When the couple asked for another round of prosecco, she automatically suggested they order a bottle as it would be more economical, before promptly catching herself.
“As I was going to get it, I was like, ‘What did I just say to them? Why did I say this?’, like they need something more financial. So I just laughed to myself.”
On the style front, Ahmed noted that Gomez “looked lovely” in a white satin dress and scarf with sunglasses, while Blanco stuck to her signature streetwear look.
Lelli shared a photo of the pair on the restaurant’s Instagram, Blanco throwing up a peace sign, Gomez posing in front and captioning it simply: “Thank you so much for dining with us.”
