Online rage about overpriced shrimp in Qingdao restaurant

World Today

A restaurant in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao caught a lot of online heat after a customer was charged over 1,500 yuan ($235) for a dish of shrimp, which is over ten times higher than its prevailing market price.

The customer, identified as Mr. Zhu, ordered some shrimp during his trip to Qingdao on Monday, but never expected the price to be so high, according to the Beijing Youth Daily on Tuesday.

(Photo: Weibo)

The shrimp meal was priced at 38 yuan ($5.98), but Zhu was not informed that the price was for each individual shrimp, instead of a plate.

After finishing his meal, Zhu went to the checkout counter and was stunned to know he had to pay 2,700 yuan ($424) for the dinner. He checked the details and surprisingly found out that the shrimp dish cost 1,520 yuan ($239).

As the restaurant insisted the price was marked on the menu, Zhu went back to the menu and found out, in an inconspicuous spot at the bottom of the menu, it read, “Seafood is charged individually.” Outraged, he called police.

A menu and receipt photos have been posted on Weibo.

After negotiations from the police, Zhu finally paid 2,000 yuan ($314).

In a telephone interview with the Beijing Youth Daily, the restaurant said the price is reasonable because the shrimp are fresh from the sea and have a higher nutritional value.

But netizens didn’t buy the explanation. Many people on Sina Weibo, China’s major micro-blogging platform, are calling for stricter management on unreasonable charges in the catering industry, since this is not the first scam reported in the country.

Story by CCTV NEWS.