A family of nine allegedly executed a carefully orchestrated dine-and-dash at a Turkish restaurant in Hertfordshire, escaping in a van after leaving a £159.60 bill unpaid. The incident, captured on CCTV, occurred on June 30 at Turkish Kitchen, a family-run establishment.
How the Dine-and-Dash Unfolded
General manager Klaus Ademi, 30, stated that the group—comprising five adults and four children—arrived and ordered normally, including a sharing platter, lamb ribs, three beers, a strawberry daiquiri, a Coke Zero, and a lemonade. Nothing raised suspicion during the meal. However, when staff presented the bill, the customers repeatedly insisted they would pay 'in a minute'.
Security footage shows the group leaving two or three at a time, with one person remaining at the table until the others had departed. Moments later, the final diner walked out and climbed into a white van waiting directly outside, which then drove away. Ademi described it as 'like a getaway car' and a 'whole plan to leave without paying'.
Impact on the Family-Run Business
Ademi, who has worked at the restaurant for seven years, was off duty at the time but reviewed the CCTV footage afterward. He expressed shock and anger, noting that such an incident had never happened before. 'It's a family business and it's quite a large loss, especially right now when restaurants are struggling,' he said. 'It is hard to make a profit with all the costs rising. It doesn't just affect us money-wise; it affects the staff emotionally.'
The restaurant shared the CCTV footage on Facebook in an effort to identify the group and recover the outstanding amount. In a Facebook post, Turkish Kitchen stated: 'Today, a group of five adults and four children left our restaurant without paying their £159.60 bill. This was not a misunderstanding or an accidental oversight. From everything we witnessed, it appeared to be a deliberate decision to leave without paying.'
Restaurant Appeals for Payment
The post continued: 'A £159.60 loss is significant for a family-run business like ours and directly affects our staff, suppliers and our ability to keep serving the community. To the people involved, you still have the opportunity to do the right thing by contacting us and settling the outstanding bill.'
Ademi confirmed he intends to report the incident to the police. The restaurant hopes the public appeal will lead to the identification of the group or prompt them to come forward and pay.
