Society

A night out by the sea turned into a shocking $340 bill — and a call to tax authorities

What was meant to be a simple dinner with friends in Poland ended in outrage, accusations of fraud, and a viral story.

Pete Muller / Freepik

Update: Sep 2nd, 2025 10:29 EDT

What began as a calm evening by the Baltic Sea ended in disbelief, frustration, and an official complaint to the Polish tax office.

A group of six friends had chosen what looked like a modest, unpretentious restaurant on the popular seaside promenade in Sarbinowo, Poland. The location was trendy but hardly upscale — the kind of place where they expected a relaxed, affordable meal.

Instead, they walked out with a bill totaling 1,233 zlotys (about $338).

“When I saw the total, I was stunned. At first, I thought it had to be a mistake,” one of the diners told local media.

Oversized portions, absurd surcharges

The waiter had been insistent about recommendations: two fish fillets plus an extra one “to share,” along with a traditional Polish soup to start.

What arrived at the table was overwhelming. One of the fish weighed nearly four pounds, while the other two came in at around 1.7 and 1.5 pounds each. Altogether, the group had been served over six and a half pounds of fish.

But the portions weren’t the only surprise. The receipt included charges that left the group speechless:

An extra fee for every celery stick added to the soup.
A surcharge for croutons.
Even a charge for the lemon wedges that came with the fish.

A suspicious receipt

The bill itself raised more red flags. It was dated three days earlier and failed to include the restaurant’s tax information. After the group protested, they were handed a “corrected” version, but the damage was done.

“It all seemed shady to us. We decided to report it to the tax office in case this was standard practice,” one diner explained.

Social media outrage spreads

The story quickly went viral after one of the diners posted about it in a Facebook group where travelers swap tips about Sarbinowo. Within hours, hundreds of people commented, many sharing nearly identical experiences.

Photos of other receipts showed customers being charged individually for items like carrots, noodles, or parsley added to their soups.

One woman said even her guesthouse owner had warned her to avoid the restaurant, mentioning that police had been called there multiple times over disputes with angry customers.

The restaurant fights back

As the backlash grew, the restaurant abruptly shut its doors. In a brief phone interview with the Polish daily Fakt, a spokesperson defended the charges:

“Customers don’t read the menu. The prices are listed. We always tell them to check before ordering.”

He also claimed the first receipt was simply a printing error and insisted the restaurant — which has been open for years — was struggling financially.