The Mykonos beach restaurant, DK Oyster, is going viral for yet another incident of alleged epicurean extortion. This time, the Mykonos-based eatery allegedly charged a US couple over $550 for a dozen oysters and four drinks. When the waiter handed the bill, they shocked the couple. “My husband was like, ‘There’s got to be a mistake,’” New Jersey lawyer Theodora McCormick, 50, told the Sun of the alleged “weird experience,” which occurred last month while she and her husband were vacationing on the Mediterranean island. When they tried to complain, waiters got aggressive with them.
This isn’t the first time DK Oyster tries this scheme. Less than a week ago, they allegedly did the same to a group of Canadian tourists overcharging them nearly $600. It has previously been accused of scamming tourists – allegations it always furiously denies as it defends its high prices.
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Theodora shares that their trip went South when looking for a cab back to their hotel when they spotted a sign outside DK Oyster explaining taxis could be hailed from inside. “I told my husband, ‘Oh, why don’t we call a taxi and grab a drink,'” she said. “That was my big mistake.”
When the waiter came over, Theodora said she asked for a cocktail menu, but the waiter rattled off a list of options. The couple ordered two martinis and two beers and were served two giant glass boots – each around three pints. The waiter also pestered them to order some seafood and so the couple ordered a dozen oysters.
Theodora shared, “It was Mykonos, Greece we knew it was going to be ridiculous,” she said. “250-odd euros, that’s what we were thinking…But when we got the bill and it was around 500 euros (£460). My husband was like, ‘there’s got to be a mistake.”
When they tried to complain about the bill, Theodora said they were immediately surrounded by the waiters, “a group of big, hulking men”.
As it was a day before they were scheduled to fly home, they felt they had no choice but to back down and pay.
When they got back to their hotel and looked at the DK Oyster Bar’s hundreds of negative reviews on TripAdvisor that they realized they had been scammed. “I feel foolish because I don’t normally fall for those types of scams,” she said. “It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. We weren’t planning on eating there, but we saw the sign.”
Aside from DK Oysters, Theodora said that they had visited a number of the Greek islands as well as Mykonos, and that most of their meals were “extremely reasonable,” and that they were often able to enjoy great meals for just 40 euros (£36).
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DK Oyster has a reputation for high prices – and was recently fined £25,000 after an audit by Cyclades Regional Tourism Agency, reports Protothema and the Greek City Times.
The investigation was sparked by two Americans who claimed they were charged more than £500 for a pair of mojitos and some crab legs.
And this week, the notorious bar’s owner Dimitrios Kalamaras issued a direct response to his critics – and denied customers’ claims they don’t know the prices before they step inside.
He 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.
Dimitrios also said that “no adult in their right mind” would order a drink without seeing how much it costs first and told customers to discuss the price with the manager before they order.
