Stomper asks why restaurant served pricier ala carte items, charged service fee for takeaway food

Was she overcharged?

Stomper Henry is baffled by how much his wife forked out for a takeaway meal that she bought for him.

He said his wife had lunch with some friends at Clan 7, a Chinese restaurant located in Lorong Chuan, last Thursday (June 22).

Henry told Stomp: "It was her first time at this restaurant. She and her friends found the char siew meat and roasted pork belly in the restaurant's Trio Platter nice, so she decided to order a pack of 'char siew & roasted pork belly rice' for me.

"My wife told the staff that it was for takeaway. They did not say anything and just placed the order for her."

Henry said his wife had expected just "one lunch box with all the meats and rice together". But that was not the case.

The Stomper added: "After my wife settled the bill and collected the takeaway order, she was surprised to find that she had been charged for one box of char siew meat at $16, one box of roasted pork belly at $18 and one box of rice for $1.50.

"As she was giving her friend a birthday treat, she didn't want to argue with the restaurant about it. But after she brought me back my lunch, I found this so ridiculous.

"I scanned the QR code on the box to check the restaurant's menu. It's true there's no such item called 'char siew & roasted pork belly rice' but there was a Duo Platter which costs only $22.80."

Photos that Henry shared show ala carte prices for char siew meat ($16) and roasted pork belly ($18). Customers can also opt for these two meats in a Duo Platter, which is priced at $22.80.

Additionally, the takeaway meal that Henry's wife ordered was billed in the same receipt as her dine-in lunch, meaning that she was charged GST and service charge for Henry's two meats and rice too.

Henry said: "I would like Stomp to ask the restaurant why the staff did not clarify with my wife before placing the order. Why did they not place the order for Duo Platter instead when she had ordered two roasted items? And why is there a need to pay service charge on a takeaway order?"

In response to a Stomp query, Clan 7 clarified that the ala carte meats are bigger portions than those in a platter.

The restaurant also explained that the issue with the service charge was an isolated glitch.

Clan 7 told Stomp on Wednesday (June 28): "Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

"First of all, we regret to learn that our valued customers are disappointed over their experience at Clan 7. Based on our findings, below are the clarifications we wish to provide on this matter:

"A. Ala-carte items vs Duo Platter

"Per the menu extract you provided, the customers would be able to view the different options of roasted delights available to them i.e. either ala carte (200g) or Duo Platter (approximately 140g per item).

"From the receipt, we understand that the customers have ordered the Trio Platter for dine-in and should be aware on the availability of the duo platter option.

"In the event that our team had placed the wrong order for ala carte items, we would be able to exchange the items for the duo platter upon takeaway and billing.

"Based on our past experiences and encounters, we allude this incident to be a likely case of communication breakdown between the parties when the takeaway orders were placed. We will remind our team to verify with all customers whether ala carte or duo/trio platter would be preferred for roasted delights in specific.

"B. Service Charges for Takeaway items

"Per the receipt you provided, the point of sale (P.O.S.) system should capture that the takeaway items are excluded from service charges.

"To this end, we have reviewed the Clan 7 system and found the subsequent receipts to be in order. We will escalate this isolated incident to the backend IT administrator to investigate and explain the glitch.

"Accordingly, it is in our procedure to provide a refund of the excess service charges for the affected takeaway items."

View more photos in the gallery.