Restaurant releases video to address tourist’s complaint about $700 meal
The Singapore restaurant accused of massively overcharging a grumpy customer last month said it was “deeply upset” by viral allegations against the restaurant and released security footage on Wednesday to refute the alleged shellfish scam.
Restaurant operator Paradise Group released screenshots of footage showing a waiter pointing at the menu, apparently explaining prices to tourist Junko Shinba and her sightseeing group, and pulling out the live crab so she could observe it before is prepared.
“Seafood Paradise staff told customers twice that the price of Alaskan king crab was the same as Scottish snow crab while pointing at the menu,” Paradise Group wrote in a lengthy Facebook post.
“The price of the Scottish snow crab was clearly stated on the menu at $26.80 per 100g. Staff also informed customers that the total weight of the Alaskan king crab was 3.5kg.
“To avoid any misunderstandings, they even brought the whole live Alaskan king crab to the table before cooking. Customers were seen taking photos and even selfies with the live Alaskan king crab.”
Shinba had claimed that her server at Seafood Paradise told her that the Alaskan king crab special cost about $30, but was shocked to find out that the price was “per 100 grams.”
When the bill arrived, Shinba and her sightseeing group called the police after seeing they were charged $938 in Singapore dollars – just under $700 – for the 7.7-pound delicacy.
Shinba, 50, had told AsiaOne that she was “speechless” over her high bill, claiming that “none of us were informed that the whole crab would be cooked just for us.”
The dish was so large that her party of four couldn’t even finish it, she claimed.
Paradise Group said it released the images because it was “deeply upset by the inaccurate claims made by this group of customers, which appeared aimed at damaging the reputation of our restaurant.”
After Shinba called the police and the Singapore Tourism Board, the restaurant group said it even deducted $107 from the $1,322 bill – about $970 – out of “goodwill.”
