Dine-and-dash gang of 20 leave staff distraught as they flee restaurant in their Land Rover and vans without paying £270 bill
A group of families have been accused of a mass ‘dine and dash’ after enjoying a meal at a restaurant and then fleeing without paying.
The massive theft at the Tamarind Bay restaurant in Exeter left the irate owners with £270 out of pocket.
The group of adults and children arrived at the restaurant at 7pm on Tuesday in a Land Rover and a handful of vans.
Photos showed the party had enjoyed curry, chips and naan bread with chutneys, as well as dozens of drinks, including Cobra beer and several bottles of Coca Cola and Fanta.
One family of three, including a baby, paid their £52 bill, but the others in the party left without paying.
Manager Saiful Rahman said he had seen many ‘dine and dash’ incidents in his 17 years of running restaurants, but said this one ‘takes the cake’.
A group of 20 enjoyed a sumptuous meal of curries, naans and chips before walking out without paying the £270 bill
The group also received dozens of drinks, including beer and Coca Cola
He said: ‘We have never seen a mass exodus. It was actually shocking.
“We did not ask for an upfront payment because from experience this would have caused an uproar because they would say we are discriminating against them while other groups of people are not asked to do so.”
He said a man with his family of four, including two children, suddenly stood up and said he was going to buy a birthday cake for the table next to them from the Tesco across the road.
Waiters noticed the scam after being followed by two other tables in the group, before attempting to chase down a family as they got into their vehicle and drove off towards Exeter city centre.
Despite asking for payment, all five tables walked away without payment, leaving a big mess behind.
The party arrived at Tamarind Bay restaurant, Exeter, in five vehicles
Mr Rahman said he reported the incident to police but was told it was considered a “non-emergency” once the guests left.
He said: ‘I couldn’t believe the sheer audacity. It seemed very well built and we had to clean up the mess they left behind. What happened is a big deal because bars, restaurants and cages are struggling, so I want justice.”
This is just the latest case in an epidemic of dining and boisterousness.
Last week an Italian restaurant was left empty-handed after a family ‘dinner and stormed’ after racking up a bill of £329.
The family of eight racked up an unpaid bill of £329 on Friday evening as they sat in Italian restaurant Bella Ciao in Port Talbot, just west of Swansea.
Employees at Italian restaurant Bella Ciao in Port Talbot, just west of Swansea, say the family of eight left the establishment on Friday evening without paying for their expensive meal.
Diners ordered expensive steaks, double desserts and fifteen bottles of soft drinks, but started sending back some half-empty plates, raising staff eyebrows.
Some people have taken matters into their own hands as emboldened thieves refuse to pay restaurant bills.
Frustration over a suspected serial dine-and-dash couple being chased over a series of ‘food thefts’ at struggling restaurants had their windows smashed by a masked gang, MailOnline can reveal.
AUGUST 2023: The couple at the River House Lounge & Restaurant in Swansea
The boarded up windows of the Port Talbot home where a masked gang struck and smashed the windows of the suspected thieves
Police have launched an investigation after a three-bedroom house in Port Talbot, South Wales, had its front windows smashed by a gang of men wearing black balaclavas.
The owners are said to have walked away from at least seven restaurants without paying the bill.
The eateries allege that a couple allegedly behind a “dine and dash” racket ordered expensive menu items – mostly steaks – before fleeing, leaving the bill unpaid.
South Wales Police said they have arrested two suspects, aged 41 and 39, for fraud and theft. They were taken to Swansea police station for questioning.
Earlier this month, six women shamelessly walked out of a pub in Worcester without paying their £140 bill.
The gang of women stuffed their faces with food and drink on Saturday, March 23, as they enjoyed a carvery at the Wheelbarrow Castle pub.
Footage from the pub’s security camera shows women in tracksuits walking past the bar as someone pushes a pram.
A woman (far right of photo) from a group dining can be heard complimenting the waitress on the “to die for” shrimp
The group racked up a huge bill, including six portions of roast beef and five portions of kid’s bolognese
La Bella Vista in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. The owner said she found vomit outside on the sidewalk after the family left
One of the women even takes the time to stand up and pick her nose while waiting for her friends to walk out without paying.
While the group of six women left a bill of £140, another group of women dined and stormed off, leaving behind a staggering bill of £425.
The ‘despicable group’ of four women and eight children were caught ordering hundreds of pounds worth of food and drink from La Bella Vista restaurant in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, for which they never paid.
The group ordered six portions of roast beef and five portions of children’s bolognese, before one of the women complimented the waitress on the restaurant’s prawns, saying they were ‘to die for’.
Deborah Esposito, co-owner of La Bella Vista, said she then found vomit on the sidewalk outside the restaurant.