‘Got one for $25 in Jamaica’: Woman asks for market price lobster at St. Maarten restaurant. Then she says they try to charge her double
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A woman took a trip to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Then she nearly got charged double what she thought she would pay.
StarrBoom (@_lastarr_) said she wanted to post a “fun review” of Astra, a restaurant situated on the shore of the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Instead, she posted a video of herself speaking to a manager regarding a miscommunication.
The content creator thought that she was purchasing an entire lobster for $38. But her server apparently did not communicate that the price was per pound, not per lobster. When she saw her receipt, she was baffled by the price.
As of this writing, her video describing the experience has more than 2.6 million views.
What Happened With This Lobster Purchase?
StarrBoom wanted to try a special “catch your own lobster” dish at Astra. So she went to the restaurant.
When her waiter arrived, she inquired about the lobster. They let her know that the “market price” was $38. StarrBoom thought this meant that if she were to order the lobster, it would cost $38 altogether. In actuality, the waiter was saying that the lobster was $38 per pound.
She caught her lobster, which she named “Charlie.” Then she gave the lobster to the staff at Astra so that they could cook it.
She received the cooked version of “Charlie” and ate the crustacean. Her verdict?
“ It was very fatty, and I'm not sure if that's the right word for lobster, but I had to like keep taking pieces and throwing it off to the side,” she said. “My fiancé said it might have not been cooked well. … I really don't know, but it… I had to move those pieces to the side.”
Regardless, she seemingly had a pleasant experience trying out Astra until she received her receipt. At first, she thought she was charged for two lobsters. She immediately asked her waiter about the discrepancy. That's when she learned the lobster was $38 per pound.
She asked to speak with a manager, and her waiter told her that “He's gonna tell you exactly what I just told you.” Starrboom asked to speak with him anyway.
How did the manager respond?
When the manager came out, Starrboom explained the dilemma.
The manager asked, “So she told you the lobster's $38. $38 flat. Not $38 a pound?” The content creator confirmed that was the case.
The manager then told Starrboom that he would speak to the server.
To avoid a situation where each side had opposing accounts, Starrboom mentioned that she had the entire incident on video. The manager asked to see the video, and the content creator showed him the clip. That ended up resolving the issue.
“ Honestly, the manager was nice,” Starrboom said. “He basically … took off the service charge, which was $38, but he left the second lobster, which was $38. So basically the lobster on the receipt [was] treated like the service charge.”
Her final review was mixed: “ The lobster was fatty or rubbery, whatever you wanna say. They are not honest with the prices. … I ordered a cucumber melon martini because it sounded refreshing, and … It was like all, what is the word? Syrup. I did not like it. I didn't finish it. However, I'm still happy I had my experience.”
@_lastarr_ So I went to Astra in St. Marteen wanting to give a fun review and this is all I got for yall
Wait, isn't lobster usually charged per pound?
While some supported the content creator, others questioned why she didn't realize the lobster was $38 per pound. A majority of her comment section, in fact, told Starrboom that lobster is almost always charged by pound rather than per meal.
“Getting scammed?? Lobster is ALWAYS charged by weight,” one commenter said.
Starrboom replied, “Hi, you're wrong,” with a heart emoji.
Another commenter said, “Everyone knows it's charged per weight….right?”
A third commenter said, “Market Price IS per pound.”
Market price doesn't necessarily mean that the price depends on weight. Toast says that market price refers to any dish that has a fluctuating price due to the cost of its main ingredients.
Some restaurants charge per plate. But in the United States, “market price” for a whole lobster typically refers to cost per pound rather than per plate. In 2022, when the price of lobster was at an astoundingly high price, that meant paying $100 for a two-pound lobster pre-tax at Prime Rib.
When ordering a “lobster tail,” however, market price can refer to just the dish. That's why it's important to clarify and ask whether a “market price” dish is by pound or by dish.
Subplot News has reached out to Starrboom via TikTok direct message and Astra via email for comment.
The post ‘Got one for $25 in Jamaica': Woman asks for market price lobster at St. Maarten restaurant. Then she says they try to charge her double appeared first on Subplot News.
