Overpriced shrimp
An open-air restaurant in Qingdao, Shandong Province, was fined 90,000 yuan ($14,000) after it charged a customer over 1,500 yuan for a dish of shrimp.
The Price Bureau in Qingdao announced on its official Sina Weibo account on Tuesday night that the restaurant was involved in misleading customers and its license was suspended.
A picture posted by a local Net user on Sina Weibo showed that the restaurant was closed on Tuesday.
A customer surnamed Zhu from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province was charged for 2,700 yuan for a dinner during his trip in Qingdao on Sunday, which included 1,520 yuan for a shrimp dish, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Tuesday.
After the restaurant owner told Zhu that the price on the menu meant 38 yuan per shrimp not per dish, Zhu called police.
But the police said that Zhu's complaint was not in their jurisdiction, Zhu was quoted as saying by cri.cn.
And the local price bureau initially told Zhu when he called that they could do nothing in "an open market."
The owner of the restaurant insisted that the price was marked on the menu but Zhu only found an inconspicuous note at the bottom of the menu which read, "Seafood is charged individually."
Police finally came to mediate in the quarrel and Zhu paid 2,000 yuan for the meal.
Zhu's experience triggered public discussion after the bill was posted on social media.
After the outcry, Qingdao authorities announced Tuesday they would investigate.
Some Net users called for stricter supervision to prevent unreasonable charges in the catering industry. Others share their own experience of being overcharged by restaurants during the National Day holidays.
A Net user posted a bill on Sina Weibo, saying that a restaurant in Qingdao charged her 3,000 yuan for crabs without crab legs.
"Authorities need to strengthen supervision over some restaurants," a Net user commented.
