A man was left baffled after getting a bill for two cocktails at stylish new bar in Manchester that “made no sense”.
The man, who did not wish to be named, had gone for a drink with his flatmate to Sexy Fish bar and restaurant on Spinningfields. They sat at the bar and ordered two classic negroni cocktails.
However, the friends were left scratching their heads after the total amount in the bill simply “didn’t add up”.
The receipt shows that they were charged for two negronis priced at £9.25 which would add up to £18.50, yet the subtotal on the receipt is for £28 for the two drinks, reported Manchester Evening News.
The man explained: “I went in for a drink with my flatmate and we ordered two negronis. When the bill arrived the full total was almost £32 which at first I was like OK, that’s the price here.
“But when I looked more closely at the receipt I could see it didn’t make any sense. I couldn’t work it out because since when does 2 x £9.25 equal £28? Naturally, because of this I decided to query it with the bar staff.
“They seemed to be at a bit of a loss at first, but then explained it was because they used Plymouth Gin. So, you pay £9.25 for a negroni but then the gin you have adds to the cost? To me that just felt a bit sneaky.”
He continued: “It seems a bit snide to me because it is quite a big difference in price. If you wanted to change to a more premium product it would make sense, but not for Plymouth Gin. There was no conversation on how they charge for the drinks, and when the bill came we were both just as shocked as each other.”
The man claimed he immediately queried it with staff, who at first “seemed at a loss to explain it”.
He was then told it was because the drink was made with a “gin upgrade”, which he claims he was not aware of.
Sexy Fish have confirmed that the receipt was the result of a “till error” that has now been rectified at the bar.
They said the drink was made with Plymouth Gin, which is classed as an upgrade on their standard negroni which is normally priced at £9.25.
With Plymouth Gin the cocktail is then priced at £14, hence the sub-total price of £28 on the bill. The total bill came to £31.78 once Sexy Fish’s 13.5% service charge was added on top.
A spokesperson for Sexy Fish said: “A customer ordered a cocktail not on our menu, which was made especially for him. The receipt was unfortunately not displayed correctly due to a till error, but the guest was charged the correct amount.
“The guest was immediately notified about the error at the time of purchase. He paid without any issue and appeared happy with the drinks.”
