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Sandi.
We applaud Attorney General McCollum's continued vigilance to protect the Florida consumers and visitors and his statement about businesses serving grouper if they say that's what they have on their menu. He was very kind to the businesses that cheated by not fining them but letting them contribute to the lab. This surely got their attention and I hope the others who are cheating don't believe they will get off with just a $500 donation. When caught "Baiting and switching" it must embarrass the guilty ones a little or some of the hard core will just look at a $500 donation as the cost of doing business and is an amount they can be re-cooped in one evening. After we get a handle of this maybe we can move forward on enforcing our net weight rules and regulations. Again, congratulations and keep up the good work. Bob Jones --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- March 9, 2007 Phone: 850.245.0150 Sandi_Copes@oag.state.fl.us ATTORNEY GENERAL, TAMPA RESTAURANTS REACH AGREEMENT OVER FISH SUBSTITUTIONS ~ Three restaurants will alter menus, alert patrons when grouper is unavailable ~ TALLAHASSSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has reached an agreement with three Tampa area restaurants, resolving complaints that the restaurants may have been misrepresenting the sale of grouper to their patrons. La Teresita Cafeteria, Casual Cracker, Inc., d/b/a The Casual Clam, and Sunset Again Inc., d/b/a Woody's Waterfront Café, have all agreed to modify their business practices to accurately identify the fish being sold at their restaurants. "This was a prime example of baiting-and-switching, where the customer lost in the end," said Attorney General McCollum. "It is important that Florida businesses are honest and forthright with our state’s citizens and guests. If customers are led to believe they are ordering and purchasing grouper, they should then receive grouper, not a lesser substitute." Last October, the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division began investigating allegations that Tampa restaurants were advertising grouper on their menus, but were substituting other fish to the customers while continuing to charge them for the more expensive grouper. Investigators collected samples from more than 20 restaurants and sent the specimens to a St. Augustine lab for DNA testing. Upon receiving results that tested negative for grouper, seventeen separate investigations were launched into the purported fish substitutions. Today’s agreements resolve three of those investigations and the additional fourteen are ongoing with cooperation from the restaurants. Under today’s agreement, La Teresita Cafeteria, The Casual Clam and Woody's Waterfront Café will alter their menus to accurately reflect what type of fish is being sold to customers. They will also reimburse the state for the costs of its investigation. Additionally, each restaurant will make a $500 contribution to the laboratory that conducted the DNA testing. A copy of the test results are available online at: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-6Z5LE3/$file/GrouperSamples.pdf A copy of the agreement with La Teresita Cafeteria is available online at: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-6Z5LGH/$file/TeresitaAVC.pdf A copy of the agreement with Woody’s Waterfront Café is available online at: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-6Z5LGX/$file/WoodysAVC.pdf A copy of the agreement with The Casual Clam is available online at: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-6Z5LG6/$file/CasualClamAVC.pdf |
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