An prominent Mykonos beach club that has been accused of routinely forcing visitors to pay exorbitant charges, including an American couple from New Jersey, is still taking advantage of trusting travellers.
Numerous clients, all of whom were foreign visitors, complained to DailyMail.com that they had been “scammed” in the previous week after being forced to pay hundreds of dollars at the upscale Greek Island restaurant DK Oyster.
However, a local store employee who placed an order in Greek was informed that he could get six oysters for just $50—nearly a fourth of what tourists had to spend.
In May 2019, a party of American visitors were overcharged nearly $800 at DK Oyster for six plates of calamari, six beers, three starters of chicken Caesar salad, two bottles of water, and a glass of tomato juice.
Theodora McCormick, a 50-year-old American lawyer from New Jersey, and her husband claim they received a $557 bill last week for a dozen oysters, two oversized beers delivered in enormous glass boots, and two drinks.
However, McCormick said that when she objected about the outrageous prices, a line of intimidatingly “hulking” masculine servers approached them until they decided to pay the bill.
The consumers who were being charged the high fees were all foreign visitors, according to evidence found by DailyMail.com.
A Mexican family spent $280 for two cocktails and two soft drinks, while a French pair was charged $424.65 for a dozen oysters, two cocktails, and a bottle of mineral water.
For a dish of fried chips, two beers, six oysters, and a bottle of mineral water that were not purchased, DailyMail.com itself was charged $216.40.
When DailyMail.com talked to the victims, they all complained about not being told the pricing before placing their orders and about being intimidated by large waiters when they received their bills.
A number of customers reported that touts enticed them inside the bar by offering them free use of sunbeds in exchange for only one drink apiece.
On the last day of their vacation, the New Jersey couple said they were seeking for a taxi to take them back to their hotel when a staff member at DK Oyster suggested they phone a cab inside.
I suggested to my husband that we call a cab and have a drink, McCormick said. My bad for making that error.
She said that when she requested a cocktail menu, the waiter failed to provide one and instead read her a list of available drinks.
Two beers, two martinis, and a dozen oysters were also ordered by the pair, which McCormick said was persuaded by the server.
The pair prepared themselves for steep charges when the drinks came in enormous glass boots, each holding around three pints.
“It was Mykonos, we knew it was going to be insane,” McCormick said. We estimated the cost to be at around 250 euros. However, the charge we received was around $500.
There must be a mistake, my spouse said.
When they objected, she said, “a gang of enormous, muscular males” encircled them and demanded payment. She said, “There are no female waiters there.”
In retrospect, McCormick said she understood the eatery was a blatant “scam.”
Dimitrios Kalamara, the proprietor of the pub, meanwhile, referred to the duo as “want tobe influencers” who were vying for attention.
Then, a 32-year-old Greek store employee named Costas tested if locals would similarly be paid exorbitant pricing at the pub for DailyMail.com.
He grabbed a seat at the front of the bar, overlooking the beach, and informed the staff that he wasn’t hungry and just needed a drink.
Despite his protests, he was given the option to purchase oysters for $5 each on a plate of six for $30 euros as opposed to the French visitors’ $18 price per oyster.
After I placed my order in Greek, they served me a drink, he said. I had informed them that I was a native of Mykonos, just as they were.
They first warned me not to enter the pub since the costs were so exorbitant and I may not be able to pay it.
As our conversation progressed, they became cordial and offered me a drink in a glass with a rim that was probably the size of a football.
One waiter joked that I was glad I wasn’t a tourist since my drink would have cost three times as much, and the bartender loudly laughed.
However, they continued to charge me $50 when I had anticipated paying little more than $15. However, it was a sizable cocktail with many liqueurs blended together.
It was a strong drink, and I now feel a bit insane and dizzy.
However, I regret that the pub is overcharging visitors and I will not go there again because of this.
“I was unaware that this pub was defrauding tourists visiting Mykonos, but I will warn my customers and encourage my friends to do the same,” the speaker said.
The bar’s personnel brazenly targeted new victims last week at the bar and restaurant at PlatisGialos on the southern point of Mykonos despite recent news about the American couple’s ordeal.
Two nurses who were instructed to pay $542.78 for a Mojito cocktail, a Red Bull energy drink, and two servings of moussaka and calamari were two additional victims DailyMail.com talked to.
A Mexican family spent $280 for two cocktails and two soft drinks, while a French pair was charged $424.65 for a dozen oysters, two cocktails, and a bottle of mineral water.
After being asked to pay $542.78 for one Mojito, a Red Bull energy drink, and two plates of moussaka and calamari, Danish nurses Amanda Miehs and Almma Rasmussen from Copenhagen were almost in tears.
‘We were passing that pub and they offered us the use of sunbeds for myself and Almma provided we purchased a drink,’ Amanda, 28, told DailyMail.com.
We agreed because of the busyness of the other bars’ loungers and the crowdedness of the beach.
We simply drank tap water and one drink, a Red Bull. They informed us that the moussaka cost $24.
I kept asking for the bill or the menu to see how much the meal would cost us. But they held it back from us until the very end.
One of the servers repeatedly claimed that he was unable to provide us with the bill because he had offered us a discount and needed to discuss it with his supervisor.
Our friend Paresa, who is also vacationing in Mykonos, contacted us while we were there to ask whether we were at the bar she had heard about that had overcharged customers and defrauded them of their money.
Almma, 25, said, “We chose to leave because we were worried. The sunbeds next to us were mainly vacant, so I figured that others must have been warned as our buddy had just informed us.
We were shocked to get a bill for $542.78 when we walked inside the pub to pay, and we let them know how unhappy we were.
We yelled at them, and they cursed back, but eventually they agreed to lower the total to $440.95 by $120.17.
‘By that time, we simply wanted to go since three of the waiters were standing inches away from our faces and started calling us foolish people and insisting that we pay the bill before we could leave.
“There were just males and they terrified us; there were no servers.”
“I wonder what would have occurred if we had refused to pay anything more than the few euros that it should have been,” said the group.
We’re furious, and I don’t see how that bar can still be operational after being exposed for defrauding visitors.
In order to purchase six oysters apiece, two margaritas, and a bottle of mineral water on Wednesday, Phillipe Lafaix and his wife Christin, who reside in Paris, said that they were charged $424.65.
The price of the oysters alone, $216.91, is over four times what customers spend for the “Shellfish Platter” at London’s renowned Bentley’s Oyster Bar & Grill, which includes oysters, mussels, crevettes, clams, and whelks.
The pair was escorted to the rear of the pub and told to “pay up now and go out” after contesting the amount and calling it “a clear fraud.”
A fan of Liverpool and business professional Phillipe said that the staff’s threatening behaviour made them feel compelled to pay the amount.
The waiter called me dumb and insisted that I pay $424.65 despite the fact that I informed him that we had never been presented a menu and that the pricing was a disgrace.
I was ready to reject when he stated, “You are dumb and that is what you must pay,” but we were frightened when three guys stepped in front of us.
When we initially came by, the bar was really welcoming and told us we could use the loungers for free if we purchased a drink.
We sat at a table in the front of the restaurant and ordered two margaritas, six oysters each, and some water because we didn’t want to use the sunbeds.
We stayed for an hour because we wanted to unwind while on vacation, but at no point were we given a price list so we could see how much they would charge for the drinks.
The director of a renewable energy company, Christine, age 58, remarked: “When they brought us the margaritas, they were in huge glasses filled to the rim.
I questioned whether the bar had an ulterior motive because I believed there was absolutely no way we could drink those on their own.
‘Perhaps they served large cocktails like that to encourage inebriation and subsequent drink orders so they could demand more money.
“People would just keep drinking without realising how much they were spending,”
She claimed that she and her husband were unable to finish their large cocktails before facing reality and asking for the bill.
They requested more than $400, said Christine. Since I had booked our flights six months in advance, I was shocked to discover that the bill for that one hour was greater than the cost of our Paris flights.
The bill also included a $50 tip. I questioned, “What for?” All they did was serve us once, and the guy in all black at the front had been staring at us through his dark sunglasses the whole time, making us feel really uncomfortable.
“Perhaps they were frightening us and preparing us up for when the bill was to come,” we speculated.
When the amount was handed to me, I was astonished, Phillipe continued. They asked me to go to the back of the pub when I informed them it was too much.
“They then gave me a tariff, and I noticed that it was $18 for one oyster, which was absurd.” Even the oysters weren’t that great. They were virtually tasteless and excessively dry.
I reside in Paris with my wife, so we are familiar with delicious meals. The meal was terrible, and the price was scandalous.
But it was like to meeting a mafia boss. To be allowed to go, I felt I had no option than to pay them $425.58. Even though I considered outright refusing, I chose not to.
But I’d want to caution others from going there. They’ll suffer the same fraud that we did. Mykonos is a lovely, friendly vacation destination, so I don’t understand why the local government hasn’t revoked the bar’s liquor licence.
Daniel Paz, a 44-year-old security worker from Mexico, was charged $280 for two cocktails and two soft drinks when he was out with his wife and two kids.
Daniel from Guadalajara said as they left the bar: “Disgusting. outrageous and money theft.
“Until I received the bill, I had no idea that this pub would treat me in this manner. They really took my credit card, put a $280 charge on it, and then returned with the bill and the credit card receipt.
My two small girls were there, so I was unable to create a disturbance. I didn’t want to disturb them by yelling at the bar workers for defrauding us.
Due to the fact that my wife and I both have solid incomes, I can afford this amount.
But even so, it does not justify what they did. I have no other option except to concede that they have my money and I will never see it again.
“We are on vacation here, and the Greeks have been kind to us.”
However, these individuals are degrading Mykonos’ reputation and identity.
“I’m delighted the media is covering this bar,” you may say. It is necessary to alert visitors. Someone has to hold a sign outside the pub telling visitors not to go in.
The pub has received a tonne of “one star” reviews on TripAdvisor, all of which give it a “poor” rating and caution customers about its exorbitant rates.
Never again, Never again, never again, one irate traveller wrote. They overcharged us by around 30 times what they usually would.
Although exorbitant costs are to be expected, we won’t pay more than $200 for only three drinks.
This week, another wrote: “Scam. If you are unable to do business fairly, do not. They are quite pricey and don’t give you prior notice.
On the website, a third user wrote: “Steer clear! An overpriced tourist trap! Nothing special, but ten times as pricey as a standard Taverna.
Come on, it can’t be acceptable to charge €90–€100 for a drink, no one can afford that.
On Thursday, another person wrote: “I was unaware of the negative evaluations. My error. Restaurant dinner and a couple beverages valued at 70 euros cost €250. DO NOT TRAVEL!
DK Oyster bar is surrounded by other bars and restaurants where patrons may purchase food and drinks at a fraction of the cost, and its loungers are crowded together in eleven rows under black umbrellas.
The cost of a margarita at the next-door Acrogiali Beach Hotel is merely $14.77, and service is gratuity-free.
Customers may use their smartphones at the hotel’s tables to scan a QR code for menus and pricing.
Last week, sunbeds at nearby pubs looked to be almost always filled, but at DK Oyster, they were much less crowded, indicating that news had spread about its suspected fraud.
DailyMail.com saw the bar’s all-male, all-black employees attempting to attract passing visitors by promising them use of a sunbed in exchange for only one drink.
‘My suggestion is not to go in there because they make people spend too much money by frightening them,’ claimed a neighbouring waitress who requested to remain unnamed.
“On this beach, everyone knows everyone.” Simply put, we advise guests staying at our hotels and our clients to avoid going there.
But we are concerned that they could get irate with the other companies. The folks there are not pleasant.
‘They are bringing a poor reputation to Mykonos, and it appears like they are being let to continue doing their nasty business,’ a hotelier who also wished to remain unnamed added.
Nobody has managed to stop them. However, despite the fact that more and more people are becoming aware of them, there will always be visitors who visit the area innocently and end up being victims.
Canadian newlyweds Alex and Lindsay Breen were charged $410 earlier this month at the pub for a drink, a cocktail, and 12 oysters.
The owner of DK Oyster, Kalamaras, has never apologised for his pricing and maintains that they are justified by the high calibre of his cuisine and the breathtaking beachfront setting.
Customers’ complaints that they are not informed of rates before entering the restaurant were refuted by the owner, who claimed that he had posted his prices on blackboards at the entrance.
Kalamaras claimed that many of his TripAdvisor reviewers were dishonest, claiming that “no adult in their right mind” would purchase a drink without first reading the costs.
There are four “set menus for evening” on his restaurant’s website, but no pricing are provided.
The bar advertises that sunbeds and umbrellas are free to use, but it also adds in bold letters, “THE MONEY YOU PAY WORK AS A DEPOSIT.”
Additionally, it states that guests using the sunbeds in the first two lines (while skirting the surf) must purchase a bottle of DOM PERIGNON champagne.
Imagine the sun disappearing beyond the horizon, feeling the last of the daylight fading, and the coldness of night gradually creeping in, the website advises.
“Now is the time to spend it with your special someone, surprising them with a romantic supper, or with your friends, kicking off your evening in style and elegance with the best cuisine.
Dinnertime at the DK Oyster is a classy occasion, almost as if it were set in a faraway place, away from the summertime fun of the beach; nonetheless, it merges in harmony with the beachfront ambiance, making you feel that the whole beach is yours, set for your enjoyment alone!