Rubbernecking tourists flock to notorious holiday bar DK Oyster to see customers fleeced by £70 drinks & £1200 calamari
RUBBERNECKING tourists are flocking down to a notorious holiday bar just to see customers fleeced by £70 drinks and £1200 calamari.
DK Oyster Bar, in Platys Gialos, Mykonos, has been bombarded with negative reviews from furious diners who claim to have been duped into paying hundreds of pounds for dishes and drinks.
But the restaurant has now also become a tourist destination in its own right with holidaymakers turning up to see unsuspecting diners “get scammed”.
One horrified customer revealed he was charged more than £1,200 for a disappointing meal including “chewy” calamari and “inedible” pasta.
“We were stung, they should put up warning signs,” Dad-of-two David told The Sun Online.
Another diner told The Sun Online he was charged £360 for four drinks and a snack at the restaurant on the Greek island.
A third wrote on Trip Advisor that he was forced to pay £50 for an “undrinkable” lemonade at the now-infamous bar.
While yet another spent £300 on a child’s meal due to the waiter’s sneaky tactic.
As of publication, DK Oyster has an average rating of 2 stars on TripAdvisor – with a staggering 1,344 terrible reviews, 57 poor reviews, 28 average reviews, 70 very good reviews and 479 excellent reviews.
But Dimitrios Kalamaras, the owner of DK Oyster Bar, has defended his high prices after being accused of ripping off tourists and damaging the reputation of Mykonos.
One bar owner told The Sun: “He would rip off anyone who wondered near his bar.”
Another added: “Don’t go anywhere near this place and never let him put your bank card near his card machine. You won’t know your real bill until you get home.”
Dimitrios denied claims that customers don’t know the prices before they step inside.
He also accused many of his reviewers on TripAdvisor of lying, and said following “dozens” of similar “false” claims, he had installed three blackboards at the entrance to the restaurant displaying his prices.
Justifying his higher-than-average prices, he said that DK Oyster’s “concept” was completely different to other restaurants.
And he accused critics of being “influencers” who were looking for a free meal.
He said: “Unfortunately, all of us who work in the hospitality sector have been approached by notorious ‘influencers’ who instead of making their living by advertising products and services to their audience, they put pressure on certain businesses for exorbitant fees and free meals.
“In DK Oyster, we have advertised in the ways we consider suitable for our restaurant and we will not succumb to the influencers who have been attracted to the beautiful island of Mykonos.”
The restaurant has been regularly taking on the reviewers, defending their practices and claiming the customers are exaggerating or making the claims up.
Posts by the posh eatery has seen them blast “outrageous lies” by a reviewer as he claimed he was charged 50 euros for a glass of water.
“It is obvious that you have no idea about the cost and the amount of work that a business in Mykonos requires in order to be profitable. If that is a crime, what can I say?” they said in another, responding to a man who was charged 25 euros for a beer.
Is it against the law to charge such high prices?
It might seem like daylight robbery, but it's not illegal to charge high prices for goods and services.
DK Oyster is back in the headlines for the exorbitant prices, and while it’s not illegal to charge for services, it is illegal to not advertise the price.
According to EU regulations, when you buy goods or services in the EU, a customer must be clearly informed about the total price, including all taxes and additional charges.
Tourists in Greece are being targeted by a new campaign being run by Greece’s Independent Public Revenue Authority (AADE) that encourages them to demand a receipt before paying.
Under Greek law, all suppliers of goods and services are obliged to issue receipts to their customers. It goes on to say that the consumer is not obliged to pay if a receipt is not issued.
Companies in Greece can also be fined if they are found guilty of unfair commercial practices, such as misleading or aggressive marketing communications.