Singapore restaurant denies that it cheated Japanese tourists

The Japanese tourists recently told Asia One that they had been overcharged after trying a chili-style Alaskan King Crab at Seafood Paradise in Clarke Quay last month.

After finishing their meal, they were shocked to receive the bill that charged them a total of S$1,322 (US$967), including a 10% service charge.

The 3.5-kg crab dish they ordered cost S$938 (US$686).

One of the Japanese tourists claimed they were not told they would be charged based on the weight of the crab, according to Asia One.

The waiter initially told her the Alaskan King Cab specialty dish was about S$30 "without explaining that they charge per 100 grams."

After arguing with the restaurant, the tourists called the police who arrived to settle the dispute before the restaurant offered them a S$107.40 discount, Channel News Asia reported.

The group eventually paid for the meal.

The Japanese tourists then reported the incident to the Singapore Tourism Board, which in turn brought the matter to the attention of the Consumers Association of Singapore.

Paradise Group, which owns the restaurant, wrote on its official Facebook page September 20 that it was "deeply upset" by viral accusations against them, and released CCTV screenshots to refute the tourist’s claims of overpriced crab.

The footage showed a waiter pointing at its menu and apparently explaining the pricing to the Japanese tourists before bringing out the live crab for them to observe.

"Seafood Paradise staff communicated twice to the customers that the price of the Alaskan King Crab was the same as the Scotland Snow Crab, while pointing to the menu," Paradise Group wrote on its Facebook post.

"The price of the Scotland Snow Crab was clearly indicated as S$26.80 per 100g on the menu. The staff also informed customers the total weight of the Alaskan King Crab was 3.5 kg.

"Customers were seen taking photos and even selfies with the live Alaskan King Crab," it said.

Paradise Group runs about 50 restaurants in Singapore and more than 60 others worldwide. The Clarke Quay Seafood Paradise outlet opened its doors just a few months ago.