Paradise Group Restaurants cheat on gas usage

[Darryn]

I don't understand this kind of cheating - at the end of the day, how much can save on gas as a proportion of total operating costs?

 

Seems rather foolish to me..

 

and remember, the fine will be "per instance" - so it might get very expensive very fast (remember the guy that got into trouble for 20+ red plate cheating instances)

[Darthrevan]

I don't understand this kind of cheating - at the end of the day, how much can save on gas as a proportion of total operating costs?

 

quite a small sum it seems..assuming: 24 restaurants x $10k/month x 12 months = $2.88m saved per annum

[Opel17]

If I know how I will also do the same. LoL..

Seals meant to secure the bypass valve of gas meters were found missing. In some instances, the position of the valve was moved from "closed" to "open", allowing gas to flow without registering on the meters.

 

This is somewhat like bike enter carpark via pavement, instead of via the entry ticket machine.

[Little_prince]

I don't understand this kind of cheating - at the end of the day, how much can save on gas as a proportion of total operating costs?

 

Seems rather foolish to me..

 

and remember, the fine will be "per instance" - so it might get very expensive very fast (remember the guy that got into trouble for 20+ red plate cheating instances)

 

sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit

[Little_prince]

Seals meant to secure the bypass valve of gas meters were found missing. In some instances, the position of the valve was moved from "closed" to "open", allowing gas to flow without registering on the meters.

 

This is somewhat like bike enter carpark via pavement, instead of via the entry ticket machine.

would never expect to see such systematic cheating from such an establishment....

 

those small mom &pop cze char stall, maybe.... but a proper restaurant with 20+ branches? c'mon

 

if 1 or 2 branch do that, maybe branch manager hand itchy. so many branches, means it's probably orders from above.

 

shame on them

[Darryn]

 

quite a small sum it seems..assuming: 24 restaurants x $10k/month x 12 months = $2.88m saved per annum

 

While that sounds like, and is a lot of money - it would need to be put into the context of total operating costs, and also of total gas costs.

 

I was doing a quick google to see if I could get some info on how much gas a restaurant uses on a daily basis - but this seems to be rather difficult.

 

My out-right guess would be that your figure of $10k would be more about right for the total month supply - and you can'r really expect to get away with recording a zero gas use right? At most - what? 50% cheat - is it really worth it given the penalities?

[Lala81]

seriously, if they cheat on something so basic like gas expenses for a restaurant. i really shudder to think what other cost cutting practices the management has put in place. It's definitely systemic since so many branches involved.

i won't eat there again. ingredients may be cheong one also ...

[Ah_Zai]

Is that an honest mistake?

[Watwheels]

seriously, if they cheat on something so basic like gas expenses for a restaurant. i really shudder to think what other cost cutting practices the management has put in place. It's definitely systemic since so many branches involved.

i won't eat there again. ingredients may be cheong one also ...

I bet many other kitchens do the same. As for food the taste do not lie. Their customers not stupid. They are also not the dumb to tarnish their own signboard.

[Count-Bracula]

What a load of GAZ! WHY THEY LIKE DAT!!

[Count-Bracula]

hmmmm........... next time eating at the restuarant, will ask the waiter, cook by gas or charcoal .....

If they want cheap affordable gas, I can supply.

[Camrysfa]

Think this SG restaurant group could have 'saved' a few hundred K. This 2012 HK report is abt a gang of 90 ppl doing the same thing; restaurants involved; HK can mete upto 14 years jail. How about SG?

 

Police have rounded up more than 90 people suspected of participating in a widespread meter-tampering scheme - thought to have cost gas and power providers HK$30 million - to help restaurants lower their utility bills.

Authorities launched an operation eight days ago after receiving a tip-off about the practice, which involves more than 100 cafes, canteens, hot-pot shops and restaurants spread across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories, police said.

In all, 93 were arrested in "Operation Toughminer" - 80 men and 13 women, aged 25 to 69. Those arrested include the owners of the establishments and other people believed to have tampered with meters.

Five of the suspects have been charged with conspiracy to defraud. The others were released pending further investigations.

Police said the owners and managers of the businesses gave at least some of the money they saved to other, unnamed individuals involved in the scheme. As evidence, police seized 62 gas meters, 29 power meters, a cache of tools and two private cars.

Authorities have warned members of the public not to tamper with the meters that public utilities rely on to fairly administer charges.

The police said that, under the Theft Ordinance, business owners who approve or allow people to tamper with their utility meters could be charged with fraud and face sentences of up to 14 years in prison.

The police said the operation was conducted in co-operation with the public utilities and that authorities would continue to work with the utility companies to combat crime.

[Myxilplix]

Ok question from a different direction:

 

Would any of this tampering or by-passing or whatever they did constitute as a safety hazard? Because you don't wanna fook around with gas explosions.

 

If got safety violations, hoot them with that also (although we know in Singapore first priority is ah gong's money, safety is secondary).

[Lotr]

Next time better don't go already, they will also increase prices or reduce portion size in order to maintain margins

[Lala81]

I bet many other kitchens do the same. As for food the taste do not lie. Their customers not stupid. They are also not the dumb to tarnish their own signboard.

 

There are a lot of things that taste similar but are not what u paid for.

For example fake shark fin is aplenty. Taste the same also.

i guess if normal cze char then nvm lor, but restaurant i would be wary.

[Throttle2]

would never expect to see such systematic cheating from such an establishment....

 

those small mom &pop cze char stall, maybe.... but a proper restaurant with 20+ branches? c'mon

 

if 1 or 2 branch do that, maybe branch manager hand itchy. so many branches, means it's probably orders from above.

 

shame on them

It is still tze char stall to me. Haha

Nothing special at all.

Food so so, service normal, deco obiang.

 

What the big deal?

[SuPerBoRed]

It is still tze char stall to me. Haha

Nothing special at all.

Food so so, service normal, deco obiang.

 

What the big deal?

Actually the cream crab dish is nice to me.. Regular buyer of the char siew bun also..

But after this report.. Real turn off... All the qns the food all start popping up

Actually the cream crab dish is nice to me.. Regular buyer of the char siew bun also..

But after this report.. Real turn off... All the qns abt the food all start popping up

[Wt_know]

paradise, crystal kitchen, soup restaurant, dian xiao er, pu tien, etc ... variants of fancy tze char?

 

It is still tze char stall to me. Haha
Nothing special at all.
Food so so, service normal, deco obiang.

What the big deal?

 

Edited January 20, 2014 by Wt_know