'Did True Cost try to scam us?' Restaurant responds after customer's confusion over cover charge

What started out as a revolutionary pricing concept to excite diners has turned into quite the opposite for newly-opened Suntec City restaurant True Cost.

Its cover charge pricing concept, more commonly associated with nightclubs, seems to have resulted in some confusion among some customers, prompting the restaurant to issue an apology. 

TikTok user B_eccq shared in a video on Wednesday (July 6) that she was looking forward to a scrumptious meal there but ended up puzzled by how the restaurant's cover charge system worked instead. 

She wrote in her video, "Did True Cost just try to scam us?"

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@b_eccq/video/7117192174915079426?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=6944924152827184641[/embed]

B_eccq mentioned how the restaurant had assured her that if her dining group arrived at the restaurant before 5pm, they would not need to pay a cover charge.

This statement is backed up by what's on the True Cost website. Diners will need to pay a "modest cover charge from $5 to $15" and the fees fluctuate based on dates and time slots.

The restaurant confirmed with AsiaOne that diners do not have to pay any cover charge from 3pm to 5pm on weekdays. 

"We reached at 4.45pm and they asked us to pay (the cover charge)," B_eccq complained. After some back-and-forth with an employee, B_eccq said that he "looked flustered and mumbled to himself" before confirming she did not have to pay a cover charge.

Netizens were baffled in general and wondered whether such a pricing concept would work for restaurants. 

One TikTok user shared their True Cost experience which was strikingly similar to B_eccq's. They were told that a cover charge must be paid despite arriving before 5pm.

"He say cause I will dine-in past 5pm so I had to pay entrance fee [sic]."

However, some TikTok users have posted positive reviews of the place. One such video was posted on June 25. The user had a vastly different dining experience, and claimed True Cost diners can "access quality dishes at low prices" thanks to the cover charge. 

The comments section was brutal, to say the least, with other TikTok users sharing their thoughts on the restaurant's pricing concept.

"One prawn for $12.90 is not [a] low price," one said.

When AsiaOne reached out to True Cost, the restaurant mentioned that their pricing concept can give "good value to customers while proving to diners that quality food can be enjoyed without breaking the wallet".

As for the incident with B_eccq, True Cost apologised for the confusion.

"Due to the large amount of staff that we have hired, there may have been a lapse in our internal training processes, resulting in some of our newer staff not being familiar with our pricing system," it added.

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amierul@asiaone.com