On February 4, TikTok account "bichhong38h1" continued to post information about a family being "ripped off" when having lunch at Tan Mai restaurant on National Highway 1, through An Hiep commune (Tuy An district, Phu Yen).
"My family traveled from the South to the North, from the North to the South, and stopped at many places to eat, but there was no cheap restaurant with prices like this. The family of 4 adults and 4 children (2 7-year-olds, 1 5-year-old, and 1 3-year-old) went in to eat and did not ask for the price, and the restaurant did not list the price.
I thought it was only a few hundred thousand, but when I calculated the bill, it was a million dong. After a while of arguing, an older woman came out of the house and asked to recalculate the price (the bill was reduced to 690,000 dong). If the bill had been like this from the beginning, the family would have had no objection, but the staff's attitude was unacceptable," shared the account "bichhong38h1".
Account "bichhong38h1" said that he only posted it to let people know and avoid restaurants with "rip-off" situations, and at the same time asked to close the case.
On the same day, the interdisciplinary inspection team of Tuy An district came to work with the owner of Tan Mai restaurant to clarify the incident.
Ms. Ngo Thi Kieu My Trang - owner of Tan Mai restaurant said that when the group of customers came to the restaurant for lunch, they had negotiated and agreed on the price. After finishing the meal, the restaurant charged 1,010,000 VND but the customers did not pay in full and left.
"Nine customers came to the restaurant and agreed to pay for only 8 people (120,000 VND/portion/person), but when paying, the customers did not pay in full. Then the restaurant switched to charging for each dish, but the customers only paid 700,000 VND compared to the 1,010,000 VND on the bill, then got in the car and left, the owner of Tan Mai restaurant explained.
Ms. Trang also denied that the restaurant staff had a challenging attitude towards customers, as reported. "Because the restaurant was very crowded, there was no time to argue," Ms. Trang said.
Previously, on February 3 (the 6th day of Tet), a TikTok account named "bichhong38h1" posted information about a family going to a restaurant named Tan Mai for lunch and being "ripped off".
Account "bichhong38h1" shared that when the whole family stopped by for lunch, the restaurant did not have a menu, nor did it list specific prices.
"Ordered 2 bowls of rice, 2 plates of fried eggs, 1 bowl of Malabar spinach soup with meat, 1 plate of water spinach, 1 plate of stir-fried squid. The bill for this meal was 1,010,000 VND. When questioning the expensive price, the restaurant staff challenged me, saying that if I don't give lucky money on Tet, I'll compare prices," this account stated.
The incident quickly spread and attracted public attention. Many people expressed their outrage at the news that the restaurant was "ripping off" customers during Tet, affecting the friendly and hospitable image of the locality.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hoang - Vice Chairman of Tuy An District People's Committee said that the authorities have investigated and clarified the incident and will soon inform the inspection results.
"First, we will clarify the contents such as the listed selling price and the attitude of the staff as reflected by the customers. If there is a violation, it will be handled according to the regulations," said Mr. Hoang.
