A tourist charged nearly $1,000 for crab in a Singapore restaurant got way greater than crabby about it — she even called the cops.
Junko Shinba, of Japan, told AsiaOne that she visited Seafood Paradise together with her sightseeing group last month when she took up a waiter’s advice and ordered the eatery’s signature Alaskan king chili crab dish.
She was told it was $30 in Singapore dollars — but not that that was the worth “per 100 grams,” she claimed.
Her group of 4 ended up getting way greater than they may eat, she said, with it weighing in at about 7.7 kilos, or 3,500 grams.
That meant it cost $938 in Singapore dollars, which is slightly below $700 US.
“All of us became speechless knowing that one dinner for 4 adults cost that much,” the 50-year-old told the outlet.
“None of us were informed that the entire crab can be cooked just for us, as another restaurants serve crabs partially,” she said, saying they were served a lot “there have been three plates filled with crab” left over.
A spokesperson from the group that owns Seafood Paradise told the outlet that the crab cost $26.80 per 100 grams and claimed the worth of the dish had been “clearly communicated.”
“To stop any miscommunication, the staff even brought the entire Alaskan King crab to the table before preparation,” they said.
Shinba, nevertheless, was so outraged she called the cops and the Singapore Tourism Board.
“Upon payment, the purchasers refused to pay the bill and requested to make a police report. Hence, the restaurant manager assisted in making the police report,” noted the restaurant, which said police arrived to mediate.
Eventually, the restaurant offered the crabby customer a paltry $107.40 discount on the bill totaling $1,322 — about $970 US — “out of goodwill,” the restaurant owners reportedly said.
Alaskan king crab typically retails within the continental US for about $70 per pound, in keeping with a scan of seafood web sites.
Meaning it could cost the typical American $539 for to organize a 7.7 pound dish of the delicacy at home.
