Tourists take Greek bar to court over €600 crab legs

Platys Gialos in Mykonos is home to ritzy restaurants and 800 euro plates, but also claims of a 'scam culture'. Photo / Getty Images

Two American tourists claim they were strong-armed into paying over $980 for two mojitos and portion of crab at a seaside restaurant in Mykonos.

Brendon Moulton and her 19-year old daughter Kaylea had just arrived in Mykonos when they went to visit Platys Gialos beach. The pair were there on recommendation of their travel agent, who had told them to visit the famously glitzy tourist beach.

However the mother and daughter allege what began as a trip to the beachside paradise ended in legal threats, intimidation and an outrageous bill.

Platys Gialos is known for expensive hotels and celebrity restaurateurs, including a steakhouse belonging to Nusret 'Salt Bae' Gökçe. However the Moultons say bars' pricing tactics verge on being predatory.

Talking to local newspaper, θEMA, they said they were beckoned in by staff from the DK Oyster Bar.

"An employee of one of the restaurants in Platys Gialos jumped in front of us and started saying persistently: "Sit here! Sit here!," said Moulton.

They agreed, however when it came time to pay the bill things turned nasty. They were presented with a bill for €520.80 and an €80 mandatory tip, for the two drinks and a plate of crab legs.

They refused to pay the bill saying "two mojitos and two crab legs can not make 600 euros." To which the bar staff said they would not be able to return to the US without paying.

"He then told me verbatim: 'I will call the police. They will keep you here and you will not return to your homeland. We can easily find where you live,'"Moulton told the paper.

The mother and daughter said they eventually settled up the bill which was well outside their travel budget. With their bill paid and day ruined, Kaylea and Bendon sat outside the restaurant and began telling passers by what had just happened and not to fall for the "scam".

This led to further confrontation.

"... the 'boss' of the store came out furious and approached us in a threatening mood," she said. Eventually, under duress, they felt they had to leave.

Platys Gialos is famous for pricey restaurants with unsavoury practices. Visitors are regularly warned against waiters offering "free sunbeds" or approaching tourists on the beach. Tripadvisor is full of reviews and warnings and photos of outrageous receipts from beachfront restaurants.

The pair are now pressing legal action against the restaurant. Brenda Moulton's lawyer Marizanna Kikiri says that her clients suffered threats and unfair treatment from the restaurant.

DK Oyster is infamous among the dining scene on Mykonos, which travellers say is riddled by a "scam culture".

Angry customers have taken to Tripadvisor to post receipts from their experience. Photo / Screenshot

In 2019 the same bar was landed with a similar claim from another US tourist who said he was scalped for €836 ($1435) for six plates of calamari.

A group called "DKOysterScam.com" recently published an English-language website warning tourists specifically against the restaurant on Platys Gailos.

They claim they lure in tourists with offers of "free sunbeds" and "confusing" prices for specials. They also allege that DK Oyster does not warn tourists of the final price, as restaurants charging by weight are obliged to do under

Greek Law

.

DK Oyster has been approached for comment on these allegations.

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The practice, which is not exclusively to DK Oyster, happens across Mykonos and was recently the focus of a large-scale investigation by the Greek Finance Ministry. The Times Reported that there were tens of thousands of raids by undercover officers between 2019 and 2020 looking into the "rip-off culture" and suspected tax evasion.

They reported that among those restaurants investigated was a steakhouse belonging to Nusret Gökçe - an internet celebrity chef known as "Salt Bae".

Charging up to €760 for a plate of steak, the restaurant was found to have made €25,800 ($42,500) in undeclared profits from a single night. The restaurant was issued with a 48 hour closure, during the investigation.

In spite of over 50,000 raids made on hotels and restaurants it appears the practice of springing astronomical bills on unsuspecting tourists continues.