Anchor prices in hospitality: what changes on 17 November and how to comply without reprinting
From 17 November 2026, all hospitality businesses in Croatia must display the so-called anchor price next to the current one. The rule sounds simple, but in practice it changes how menus, price lists and ads are managed. This article walks through what the regulation actually requires and shows the easiest path to compliance.
What is an anchor price
The anchor price is the price that applied to a product or service on 10 September 2026. The Croatian government adopted the decisions on 10 September, they were published in the Official Gazette 101/2026, and they apply from 17 November 2026. The obligation covers retailers and all consumer-facing service providers, hospitality included.
For dishes and drinks introduced after the reference date, a simple rule applies: the first price becomes the anchor. You can still change the current price freely, but the anchor stays tied to the prescribed date.
Where the anchor price must be displayed
Everywhere a guest sees a price: on the price list and the menu, on boards and flyers, in ads and on the website. For promotional offers the rules stack, so next to the promotional price you also show the lowest price in the previous 30 days and the anchor price - three prices for one item.
Whoever publishes a price list on their own website has an extra obligation: a machine-readable price list in the prescribed format.
What this means for a printed menu
Every price change now also means a change on paper. Adding the anchor by hand or with stickers next to the existing price is allowed, so you do not necessarily have to reprint everything, but a menu covered in stickers quickly loses the look you want in front of guests and stops looking professional.
For venues with daily menus, seasonal offers and frequent price adjustments, maintaining compliance by hand becomes a job that repeats week after week.
A digital menu stays compliant automatically
On a digital menu, the anchor price is just one more field on the item. In the Orderary app you enter it once, and it appears next to every price on the totem, the tablet and the QR menu - tidy, legible and in every language the guest chooses.
When you change the current price, the display stays compliant with no printing, no stickers and no worry that some copy of the menu was left behind.
Orderary also connects to your POS system - the one where you already manage your prices anyway. When you enter or update a price at the till, it syncs to Orderary automatically, so the totem, the tablet and the QR menu update on their own. No double work and no manual copying: you change a price in one place and it applies everywhere.
A short compliance checklist
- Record the prices that applied on 10 September 2026 for every item on offer
- Add the anchor price everywhere you show the current price, ads included
- For promotions, also prepare the lowest price in the previous 30 days
- If you publish a price list on your website, prepare a machine-readable version too (CSV, XML)
- Decide who on the team maintains prices and how changes are recorded
This article is informational and does not constitute legal advice. For how the rules apply to your specific case, check official sources or consult a professional.
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