Greek cops raid rip-off restaurants after tourists hit with extortionate bills – including £500 for calamari
GREEK cops are raiding rip-off restaurants in Mykonos after tourists continue to get hit with extortionate food bills – including £500 for six pieces of calamari.
The stunning European island is cracking down on tax evasion and restaurants charging exorbitant prices, after a string of complaints from holidaymakers.
The Times reports that the Greek finance ministry are planning to conduct over 50,000 raids in the coming weeks – with undercover tax inspectors targeting restaurants attempting to cheat customers.
This summer, a nondescript seaside restaurant on the island charged a customer £500 for just six pieces of calamari.
The squid was part of a £655 rip-off meal that included a £70 grilled chicken dish and a squabble with staff over the bill.
Another customer on the island complained that they were charged over £120 for two glasses of prosecco at a different restaurant.
According to reports, officers have already closed down dozens of businesses that have been caught cheating their customers.
One popular restaurant affected by the raids is internet meme Salt Bae‘s steakhouse Nusr-Et, which serves massive platters of meat at huge prices.
The Turkish chef went viral a few years ago when footage of him flamboyantly sprinkling salt onto a steak at his restaurant surfaced online.
But his restaurant in Mykonos was temporarily closed after tax officers investigated and his team had failed to declare almost £18,000 in profits.
The popular restaurant, which is set to open in London later this year, serves up platters of meat priced at almost £550.
‘SCAM CULTURE’
While Mykonos restaurant owners have hit back at the critics and insist that customers have full knowledge of prices before they place an order, tourists have spoken out against the “scam culture” on the island.
Tourist Yannis Psarras, from London, said recently: “Me and my wife were dragged for a drink only to pay €230 for a €20 bottle of wine and a couple of sides.
“These guys run the ultimate scam.
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“They invite you in on a non-existent offer – like free sunbeds – they don’t show you the price list, they list prices by 100 grams rather than per portion or per kg or something more standard.
“It’s really a playbook of scamming tourists!”
Greece has been trying to crack down on tax evasion for years but the cheats are still thriving while the economy sinks.
Recent surveys have shown that nearly a quarter of all economic activity in Greece goes undeclared.
The same surveys show that tax evasion deprives the state of £14 billion in undeclared revenue each year – about 9 per cent of Greece’s gross domestic product.