It's ridiculously low to attract customers. But where the restaurants "trick" you and get back their loss is in one or more of the following: 1) extra water in the weighing pan, so your crab is reportedly heavier than it actually is 2) the quality of the crab you get. I went to one of these ridiculously cheap places once (I think it was Empire ... Ling reviewed this place a few pages up) at the start of the season. The crabs were almost black in colour (very dark red). It didn't look healthy. Plus they wanted to put us at the table just inside the front door where everyone was standing and waiting. We decided to leave since they couldn't care less about a family of 4 coming in to feast on the most exotic & expensive of crabs. We ended up going to Mandarin on #3, and had a great tasting crab that was a vibrant red in colour. 3) the upcharge for cooking in 2 or 3 course (usually 3 I think). I know Empire charged a ridiculous $25 cooking charge, while Mandarin charged $15. The cost per pound was ~$13 vs ~$9, so the difference in charge by pound is made up for by the cooking charge 4) service ... the cheaper the crab, the more likely the service is rushed, as well as the cooking. They're obviously not making much from you for the crab, but it boggles me why they don't serve more friendlier when they know they're getting a killing off of you for other hidden charges. This season was a good one ... Since the mid-Jan, I've had king crab about 5-6 times already. Once at Imperial, twice at Mandarin, once at Jade, and once at Sun Sui Wah. My vote this year goes to Mandarin. (It probably helps that my parents knows one of the captains there, and have eaten king crab more than twice there this year alone with other friends)