Restaurant Customer 'Accidentally' Ate A $300 White Truffle

Getty Images/Giuseppe CacaceA restaurant patron in DC thought a truffle display was up for grabs.

A Sunday afternoon brunch attendee made a very expensive mix-up when she confused a rare, white Alba truffle for a complimentary offering. 

The owners of Equinox - a Washington, DC based restaurant - had placed one of their Alba truffles they had purchased in a glass case in order to promote a new vegan brunch buffet they were offering, reports the Washington Post. The special promotion included shavings of the truffle for a $20 surcharge. 

But one customer apparently thought the display was free and took a massive bite out of the truffle.

The single bite she took was "the size of a silver dollar" and cost an estimated $300, owners Ellen Kassoff Gray and Tod Gray told The Post. 

But the customer was not impressed with the special delicacy, telling co-owner Gray that she didn't like the taste, and "suggested the chef salvage the unbitten part," according to the Washington Post.  

Luckily for the customer, Gray decided to not charge the diner for the $300 mistake. 

White Alba truffles are so expensive because they are difficult for restaurateurs to get their hands on. They are incredibly rare, hard to find, and only available for three months of the year. When these truffles are unearthed, they usually sell for astounding prices - a buyer in China recently offered $1 million for a 4.16 pound find.

Here's hoping the customer learned her lesson.