TOKYO (TR) – A male restaurant worker was arrested for allegedly drawing customers away from a rival by falsely telling visitors the establishment was full in Shinjuku Ward, reports Nippon News Network (May 18).
Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested Shoho Kimoto, 25, for allegedly standing in front of a rival restaurant on April 20 and stealing away six customers by telling them it had no empty seats and waiting time would be 20 minutes.
Kimoto, who has been charged with obstruction of business, admits to the charges. “I copied what everyone else was doing in the area,” he said, adding that he did it because he was paid based on commission.
In the case last month, Kimoto pretended to check whether the rival restaurant had open seating when the six persons attempted to enter, police said, adding he earned commission of some 400,000 yen per month.
