Update: Business Licence for Sanya "Seafood Scam" Restaurant Revoked

After being exposed on Weibo for scamming a customer out of 9,000 RMB, the "Haidao Yucun" (海岛渔村) seafood restaurant in Sanya was shut down by the authorities. Following the shut down, the Sanya Municipal Industry and Commerce Department investigated the restaurant and concluded that it was in fact cheating and misleading customers. Consequently, its business license has been revoked and the restaurant owners have been ordered to pay the maximum legal fine. Additionally, the restaurants owners and management have been blacklisted, meaning that they are prohibited from owning or managing another restaurant for the next three years.

The Sanya Municipal Industry and Commerce Department also indicated that they are keeping an eye on seafood stalls across the city for the following six big problems:

1) There's an irregularity on the product's price tag, the price is artificially high, or it exceeds the government's highest set price for the commodity.
2) There are taxis, pedicabs or others who are paid on commission by the seafood stall to bring it customers.
3) The name of the seafood product or its specifications are mislabelled.
4) The seafood stand operator deliberately refuses to or shifts responsibility when asked about supplying a tax invoice.
5) The seafood stand operator does not store their products in accordance with the provisions listed in the "Food Safety Law".
6) There are too many complaint hotline telephone numbers, and it's hard for consumers to determine which one they should call to report an abuse.

See also: Sun, Surf and Scams: The Seedy Side of Vacationing in China