Eatery in 640,000-VND Meal Case Fined Over 8.2 Million VND

On November 3, the People’s Committee of Nghia Giang Commune issued an administrative fine against the owner of Ba Chin eatery, located on the access road to the Da Nang–Quang Ngai expressway, for two violations: failing to list prices and selling goods above listed prices.

Specifically, the mustard greens soup was sold 10,000 VND higher than the declared price, while boiled chicken was not listed on the price board. In addition to paying the fine, the eatery must display prices fully and refund the excess amount charged to the customer.

This enforcement action was taken after local police stepped in to clarify the violations.

(The 300,000-VND chicken portion criticized by the driver for its high price)

The Meal Dispute

The incident stemmed from a meal on October 22 involving driver Nguyen Van Duc and three companions. The group ordered half a boiled chicken, boiled sweet potato greens, braised pork with eggs, minced meat mustard greens soup, and rice, and was billed a total of 640,000 VND.

Within that total, half a chicken cost 300,000 VND, braised pork with eggs was 150,000 VND, mustard greens soup was 80,000 VND, sweet potato greens were 60,000 VND, and rice was 50,000 VND. Believing the price was excessively high, Mr. Duc questioned the charges, leading to an argument with the staff. Afterward, the eatery reduced the chicken portion to 250,000 VND, bringing the total bill down to 590,000 VND.

Mr. Duc said the eatery neither listed nor announced the price of each dish before serving. The incident was posted on social media, sparking considerable debate.

Mrs. Tran Thi Minh Trinh, the eatery’s owner, later explained that a whole chicken costs 500,000 VND. When the customer ordered half a chicken but requested extra cuts from the remaining chicken, the staff charged 300,000 VND instead of the customary 250,000 VND. She admitted that the eatery did not notify the customer of the price beforehand and apologized to the guest.

Land Use Violations and Public Apology

During the inspection, local authorities also determined that several facilities on the eatery’s premises had been built by the landowner on agricultural land without permission, with a total violating area of 1,747 square meters. The landowner was fined 15 million VND in May but has not yet rectified the situation; the commune is continuing to urge compliance.

On the morning of November 3, Ba Chin eatery published an apology to customers, transport companies, and the people of Quang Ngai, stating that it would not dispute right or wrong and hoped to prove its change through food quality and service attitude.

Source: vnexpress.net