The owners of a barbecue restaurant in Culleredo, northwestern Spain, are pursuing a police complaint after the organisers of a lavish birthday party disappeared without paying a £6,000 bill.
Carol Sao Luis, who runs the venue, said the booking came in early August. A woman wanted to hold a birthday party for her daughter, explaining that a family member had recently died and the child was very sad. She planned to invite many people and requested every extra service on offer.
"It was 'yes' to everything, and she wanted more of everything: seafood, meat, cakes, appetisers, and an open bar. Admittedly, something about the booking seemed strange, but since I asked for a deposit [of €500] and she paid it, I decided not to overthink it," Carol recalled.
Party of 80 guests with inflatables and open bar
On the day, around 80 guests arrived. "In addition to all the food, there were inflatables for the kids, personalised bottles, and non-stop alcohol service for nearly three hours," she said.
As the evening wore on, Carol became concerned. "It was getting late, and I wanted to go home, so I told the woman we needed to settle the bill. We went to another area, and that's when she told me she'd had an argument with her partner, who handled the finances, and couldn't pay me because she didn't have the money on her at the moment, though she promised to pay by the early hours of the morning at the latest."
Guests vanish and police investigate fraud
Some guests had already left, and while Carol and her husband discussed what to do, the remaining 40 or so also disappeared. Realising the host was among them, Carol photographed the car's licence plate, saying she knew she might need it for a police report, which is what happened.
Carol contacted the host on WhatsApp to follow up on the promised payment, but was told the money was not coming. "She simply replied that we hadn't provided the agreed-upon services," Carol said.
She added: "The police have already located the person involved, and they told me it likely constitutes fraud. Now we'll see what happens, because €7,000 is a huge amount of money for a business like ours, and things like this can't be overlooked."
She concluded: "Despite everything, I'd like my case to raise awareness, because 'dine-and-dash' incidents are all too common, though I hope no one else ever has to go through an ordeal as terrible as mine."
Rising dine-and-dash incidents
Dine-and-dash crimes appear to be increasing, and restaurant owners in Spain and worldwide risk losing their livelihoods. In the UK, trade body UKHospitality reports that roughly one-third of its member venues have experienced a walkout. Of those affected, nearly 30% say the frequency is increasing.
The cost of living crisis is pushing up prices and leading to fewer staff on duty to watch for potential runners. Many restaurants are now considering pre-payment schemes to reduce the risk of being left out of pocket.
