“You said 5,000 won, but now you want 8,000” ... What happened at an all-you-can-eat restaurant [What do you think?]

[Financial News] A customer at a shabu-shabu all-you-can-eat restaurant who was asked to pay an environmental fee because some food was left over expressed disbelief at the owner’s demand to pay 3,000 won more than the amount listed on the menu. The owner reportedly demanded 8,000 won, saying that prices had risen but the menu had not yet been updated.
A story about customer A, who had a dispute with the owner over the amount of the environmental fee at a shabu-shabu all-you-can-eat restaurant, was featured on JTBC’s “Case Leader,” which aired on the 8th.
According to the program, A visited a shabu-shabu all-you-can-eat restaurant with two friends. They ate meat, vegetables, mushrooms and other items, then finished their meal with kalguksu. However, a little food and broth remained after they finished eating.
When the restaurant owner asked for an environmental fee because food was left over, A replied, “I’ll pay the 5,000 won listed on the menu.”
But the owner demanded a different amount, saying, “It’s not 5,000 won; you have to pay 8,000 won.” When A protested that the menu listed 5,000 won, the owner replied, “Do you know how much prices have gone up? I haven’t been able to update the menu yet.”
The owner went on to demand 8,000 won, saying, “Who told you to leave food? You should eat slowly and only as much as you can. You ordered all-you-can-eat and got greedy.”
All the panelists who heard the story sided with A and criticized the restaurant owner’s response as problematic.
Seung Jae-hyun of the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice (KICJ) said, “It is not appropriate to demand payment on the spot for an amount different from the one listed on the menu without informing the customer in advance.”
Attorney Park Ji-hoon said that the price listed on a menu can have contractual effect. “The most important thing at the point of a transaction is the expression of intent,” he said, explaining, “If the menu clearly states 5,000 won, then even if that amount was listed by mistake, the contract takes effect according to what was displayed.”
Netizens also criticized the restaurant owner’s actions. They commented, “Few restaurants charge an environmental fee for leftover food, so suddenly raising the amount as well is excessive,” “If they raised the price, they should have changed the menu first,” and “The owner is being unfairly greedy,” among other reactions.
[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter