The Pahang Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living has concluded its investigation into a restaurant that charged RM902 for a 2.7kg wild patin fish, ruling that there was no profiteering involved.
This incident surfaced after a Singaporean tourist, Mr. Ho (68), a stockbroker, claimed he was not informed of the price beforehand. He and his friends dined on March 16 at a restaurant in Genting Highlands, only to discover upon payment that a 2.7kg wild Patin fish cost RM902(approximately S$293). And left stunned after a meal at Genting Highlands resulted in a bill of RM1,762 (approximately S$572.88) — largely due to the high cost of a single fish dish.
Following the complaint, authorities launched an investigation under Ops Kesan 5.0 and reviewed the restaurant’s financial records, operating data and transaction history.
According to officials, profiteering is not determined solely by a high selling price. Instead, investigators examine a business’s profit margins and compare them with historical performance.
The investigation found that the restaurant’s average profit margin from January to March 2026 was 44.08%, well below the allowable profit margin of 56.74% calculated based on previous years’ business data.
As a result, the case has been closed with no further action taken against the restaurant.
The restaurant previously explained that the wild patin fish was sourced from the Pahang River and is considered rare due to limited supply. To avoid future misunderstandings, it has since improved its ordering process by clearly informing customers of the fish species, weight, price per 100g and total cost before confirming orders.
Photo and source: Oriental Daily
