Customers are complaining after Chinese restaurant staff failed to inform them the 3-meat platter dish pricing

SINGAPORE: Following an initial complaint about the cost of a signature 3-meat platter meal in a Chinese restaurant, more customers are now saying they are also having the same issue at the said establishment. They are voicing their concerns to the authorities.

It was recently reported that a woman was shocked after being charged S$378 for a special roast meat platter. She claimed that she was not informed by the staff of the price beforehand, as she had ordered, and she deemed it unacceptable. Following the complaint, the restaurant admitted that there had been a misunderstanding and the issue had been resolved.

However, another customer complained that when they visited the same Chinese restaurant, the same incident happened. The staff did not inform them of the price of the meat platter, and they were surprised to see the bill.

Case details

According to Shin Min Daily News, a 51-year-old diner reported that on the third day of the Lunar New Year, she and her family went to Tao Yuan restaurant in Chinatown for a meal. As she was ordering food, an employee suggested a meat platter, but did not tell her the price.

After their meal, she was surprised as her bill came to $622. She just paid the bill and immediately left the restaurant, but she decided to write to the Consumer Association of Singapore.

“I originally thought it was expensive because of the Lunar New Year, but when I looked at the bill, I found that the platter cost more than $300, but the portion was very small,” she stated in her report.

Furthermore, she stated that they did not take any pictures of the food at that time, and since it was the Lunar New Year, they did not want to make a big fuss out of it.

In response, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) admitted that they have only received one complaint against the restaurant so far and are assisting the consumer in handling the case.

The authorities emphasised that restaurants should ensure that all prices, including items charged at market price and surcharges, must be clearly disclosed or displayed to consumers before they confirm their order.

At the same time, consumers are also advised to check the menu prices and confirm the total amount of their orders, including surcharges, to avoid any conflicts.

Other related news

In similar news related to Singaporean food stores, there was a report where a food stall owner was caught in the act when they were processing raw duck on the floor, and diners claimed that it was unhygienic.

Read more about the news story here.