A diner was asked to shell out ¥1,520 for a dish because the price was per prawn, a fact stated in small print on the menu; Restaurant said it charged high prices because its prawns were freshly caught
Beijing: A restaurant and local officials in a eastern Chinese city have been punished after a public outcry on the eatery’s misleading pricing of seafood. A diner said he ordered a prawn dish marked as ¥38 (R390) on the menu of Shande Live Seafood and Barbecue in Qingdao capital of Shandong province.
Pricey tale
The customer said he was asked to shell out ¥1,520 (Rs 15,500) because the price listed was per prawn, a fact only stated in small print on the menu.
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The man immediately sought intervention from the government but to no avail. He later reported the incident on Sina Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, attracting huge attention. Travellers routinely complain about exorbitant pricing during holidays, as well as the local governments’ failure to help the situation.
Many took to social media to ridicule the restaurant and Qingdao. News outlets also piled on, with China’s state broadcaster devoting prime time to the scandal.
Qingdao’s municipal government has revoked the restaurant’s license and fined it ¥90,000 (R9.2 lakh). An official in charge of market regulation, where the restaurant was located, has been suspended.
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