Police are searching for a group of diners who fled a restaurant without paying a £539 bill, the latest in a series of 'dine and dash' incidents that are reportedly on the rise in Britain. The incident occurred at La Bella Vista, an Italian restaurant in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, where owner Aldo Esposito said the group of four adults and eight children left without paying after complaining about a supposed allergy issue.
Esposito told the BBC that the group claimed one member had a severe allergic reaction to an ingredient in their meal, despite being asked about allergies when ordering. They refused to pay the £200 bill and left. In a separate incident, a group of three women ran off without paying a £300 drinks bill. Esposito said police told him the matters were civil, not criminal, and advised against taking the larger group to court due to the hassle.
A survey in 2018 found that one in 20 people had walked out without paying. Donna Jones, the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said 'dine and dash' incidents are 'shooting up', possibly linked to the cost of living crisis. She urged businesses to share images of offenders online to name and shame them.
However, a police spokesperson cautioned that publicly sharing images may not help the criminal justice process and could lead to legal issues if innocent people are identified. They encouraged businesses to report all offences and provide evidence.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, said the number of incidents remains small but has a serious impact on businesses operating on net-profit margins of less than 4%. 'The cashflow impact is not something that can be reclaimed,' she said, noting that diners often target high-value items like T-bone steaks.
The McDonaghs, a couple from Port Talbot, were recently jailed for a series of dine-and-dash offences, using a dud card and failing to return after promising to get cash. Judge Paul Thomas KC at Swansea Crown Court described their actions as 'cynical and brazen'.
