A man who left a restaurant in Vigo, Spain, without paying because he considered his €19 (£16) bill too expensive has been ordered to pay a €150 (£125) fine plus legal costs after a court upheld his fraud conviction.
The incident took place on August 22, 2025, on Teófilo Llorente Street in the Vello Vigués (Old Vigo) district of Galicia. The unnamed man was dining with three friends when they judged the price too high and left without paying. The Provincial Court of Pontevedra later upheld the conviction for fraud, and the man was ordered to pay the fine and legal costs.
Court Proceedings and Appeal
In March, Vigo Magistrates’ Court No. 5 had imposed a fine of €5 (£4.20) per day for one month. Judicial records show that even by the time of the trial, the defendant had not paid anything towards the cost of the drinks.
The man lodged an appeal, arguing that the deception involved was not significant enough to warrant a fraud charge and that the act had not been carried out for monetary gain. The Fifth Section of the Provincial Court rejected the claim, ruling that the man had indeed ordered and consumed the drinks before leaving without paying. The court decided he had not proved the amount was disproportionate and had not offered money to the restaurant. The judge noted that the man had acted "with a clear intent to make a financial gain."
Other Dine-and-Dash Cases in Spain
In related news, a British tourist was reported to have run up a €19,000 (£17,000) bill over six weeks at a hotel in Santa Ponça, Calvià, Spain, and defaulted on payment.
Another incident involved four diners who ran up a bill of about £100 each before skipping payment. Spanish TV show Aruser@s host Alba Sánchez explained that it happened in 2021 at a restaurant in Cerceda, A Coruña. The diners ordered octopus, ribeye steaks, Albariño wine, and shots without considering the price. The bill came to €447 (about £385). The owner sought legal action, and five years later all four were convicted and received an eight-month prison sentence.
Restaurant-owner Maria told Alba: "The customers ordered four soft drinks and then proceeded to add various items to the order: bread, a platter of Iberian cured meats, five servings of octopus, two ribeye steaks, two bottles of Albariño wine, two portions of potatoes, and four shots. They didn't deny anything. They didn't even look at the prices. In fact, I went to the kitchen and told my husband, 'We've just made our day with this table.'"
