One in 20 people have admitted to walking out of a restaurant without paying, a trend that is reportedly increasing across Britain. Restaurant owners are left shaken and out of pocket, with some facing multiple incidents in a short period.
Aldo Esposito, owner of La Bella Vista in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, says his restaurant has been hit three times in three months. In one case, a table of four claimed a severe allergic reaction and fled without paying a £200 bill. Another group of 12 complained about a foreign object in their food, refusing to pay over £400. Most recently, three women ran off after racking up a £300 drinks tab.
Police often treat these cases as civil matters, frustrating owners. However, a couple from Port Talbot were jailed this summer for a series of dine-and-dash offences. Ann McDonagh received 12 months and Bernard McDonagh eight months after defrauding restaurants using a dud card and failing to return.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality, says the number of incidents is small but serious. “These businesses operate on very tight net-profit margins – less than 4%,” she notes. The cashflow impact cannot be reclaimed, unlike insurance losses. The cost of living crisis is blamed for a rise in shoplifting, which some see as linked to dine-and-dash.
Donna Jones, police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, urges businesses to name and shame offenders online. However, a police spokesperson warns that sharing images of suspected offenders may not aid justice and could backfire if the person is innocent.
