A Sheffield restaurant has fallen victim to a series of 'dine and dash' incidents totalling £1,000, as new figures suggest the practice is becoming more common across Britain. The owner, who asked not to be named, said the restaurant lost £400 from one group of 12 diners, £300 from three women who ran off after drinking, and another £300 from a table that claimed a medical emergency.
The incidents mirror a national trend. In August, a couple from Port Talbot were jailed for a string of dine-and-dash offences. Ann McDonagh received 12 months and Bernard McDonagh eight months after a judge ruled they had 'cynically and brazenly' defrauded restaurants using a dud card.
According to a 2018 survey, one in 20 people have walked out without paying. Donna Jones, police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, says incidents are 'shooting up', partly driven by the cost-of-living crisis. Shoplifting in England and Wales hit a 20-year high in 2023, up by a third on 2022.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, said the number of cases remains small but 'it is a serious matter for the businesses affected'. Restaurants operate on net-profit margins of less than 4%, and such losses cannot be reclaimed through insurance.
The Sheffield owner said police told him the incidents were 'a civil matter', but he believes they are criminal. A police spokesperson said publicly sharing images of suspects does not always help, and urged businesses to report offences with evidence.
