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Dine and Dashers - What should be done to stamp it out.?

(47 Posts)
TerriBull Wed 01-May-24 14:39:14

A relatively new phenomenon, it's stealing by another name. I really feel for the restaurants, some relatively small family run businesses, who have already had to weather Covid, which was damaging to so many of the service industries.

How greedy these freeloaders appear, they order everything, one party even ordered 2 lots of puddings, who does that shock Some of them roll up mob handed, even with children in tow, what an awful example they are setting them. Often they are caught on CCTV, surely they realise that their images will be circulated and often they are so clear my thoughts are "well someone will know who you are"

It was mooted somewhere that maybe restaurants should take a deposit, but the overwhelming majority of diners wouldn't dream of conning a restaurant in this way.

Any thoughts on how restaurants should protect themselves.

HousePlantQueen Thu 09-May-24 18:37:27

Callistemon21

HousePlantQueen

nanna8

We often have to pay on ordering, especially in pubs and hotels. I don’t think there is a problem like that here, though, never heard of it. They would call the cops here. Our cops are armed.

Awful though these thieves are, I don't think their despicable behaviour merits being gunned down. Bit harsh 😳

That wasn't suggested.

Although being made to pay at gunpoint or marched off for a night in the cells might deter them from trying to steal again.

Sorry, I did mean that to be humorous! Anyway, I saw the news report of the two delightful people in Cardiff, she has also got convictions for shoplifting. They looked as if they did more dining than dashing I have to say.

Callistemon21 Thu 09-May-24 17:34:25

HousePlantQueen

nanna8

We often have to pay on ordering, especially in pubs and hotels. I don’t think there is a problem like that here, though, never heard of it. They would call the cops here. Our cops are armed.

Awful though these thieves are, I don't think their despicable behaviour merits being gunned down. Bit harsh 😳

That wasn't suggested.

Although being made to pay at gunpoint or marched off for a night in the cells might deter them from trying to steal again.

Hellogirl1 Thu 09-May-24 16:48:28

The local pub where I like to eat out at takes payment when you order at the bar.

HousePlantQueen Thu 09-May-24 16:42:16

nanna8

We often have to pay on ordering, especially in pubs and hotels. I don’t think there is a problem like that here, though, never heard of it. They would call the cops here. Our cops are armed.

Awful though these thieves are, I don't think their despicable behaviour merits being gunned down. Bit harsh 😳

nanna8 Thu 09-May-24 13:57:37

We often have to pay on ordering, especially in pubs and hotels. I don’t think there is a problem like that here, though, never heard of it. They would call the cops here. Our cops are armed.

Freya5 Thu 09-May-24 13:42:59

petra

HousePlantQueen

Regrettably, if you are the kind of person ie a thief, who does this, you are unlikely to be embarrassed or ashamed when your face is plastered all over social media.

Like this solicitor.

Maybe not, they are brazen after all, thieves. Still having their mugs posted all over social media will warn other against serving them.

aonk Thu 09-May-24 11:48:16

I would be happy to pay on ordering if only to protect the owners of the restaurant. However a couple of months ago we had a family meal out for a special birthday. The service was poor and some of the food wasn’t very nice. When we complained the manager agreed with us that it wasn’t acceptable and offered a generous discount on the bill. How would that work if you had already paid? Also people don’t always order everything at once. They might wait to see if they want a dessert for example or ask for another drink or some coffee. Would you have to pay each time you order something extra?

Callistemon21 Thu 09-May-24 09:46:49

They do look as if they've done quite a lot of dining but strolling rather than dashing 🤔

www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c72pyem9gdlo

Chocolatelovinggran Thu 09-May-24 09:09:12

A family in Wales have been prosecuted this week for a series of these crimes. They await sentencing. Their pictures were published.
Hopefully any restaurant they attempt to grace with their presence in future will recognise them and be "fully booked "

Grantanow Thu 09-May-24 08:26:51

Exit gates?

loopyloo Fri 03-May-24 11:20:39

Local policemen that's what we need

Desdemona Fri 03-May-24 10:54:53

pascal30

we don't seem to have done that because we have a tradition pf asking if the meal was alright when presenting the bill. I agree that people should be asked to pay before or present their card details at the time of booking...

We are way too polite in this country! Thieving scumbags take total advantage of this.

If there is (genuinely) something wrong with a meal, then it shouldn't be a problem for the restaurant to offer a replacement or a refund surely?

pascal30 Fri 03-May-24 09:26:07

we don't seem to have done that because we have a tradition pf asking if the meal was alright when presenting the bill. I agree that people should be asked to pay before or present their card details at the time of booking...

Oreo Thu 02-May-24 20:45:20

Only one way to stop it as already said on this thread, you order and then pay at the bar then sit at your table.I sometimes go to a pub for a meal with friends where this happens, it’s fine and saves waiting about for the bill later.

GrannyGravy13 Thu 02-May-24 19:10:39

Shoplift, dine and dash etc., are classed as victimless crimes but we all become victims when prices increase to cover the losses

nandad Thu 02-May-24 19:06:57

Re the solicitor but not quite the same thing. Friend is the manager of a well known store in a well to do area. Recent shoplifters have included a high ranking police officer (who did it regularly) a politician and a well known academic. Head office seldom prosecute but invariably we are the ones who end up paying.

Tenko Thu 02-May-24 18:46:12

I wouldn’t call them diners and dashers , I’d call them thieving scumbags !!!
And unfortunately it’s not new. It happens in hairdressers and nail bars too . They have expensive treatments and walk out or complain that they’re not happy.
The way around it is to take a card number or a deposit. And hope it’s not declined .

petra Thu 02-May-24 17:26:35

HousePlantQueen

Regrettably, if you are the kind of person ie a thief, who does this, you are unlikely to be embarrassed or ashamed when your face is plastered all over social media.

Like this solicitor.

AreWeThereYet Thu 02-May-24 17:23:28

HousePlantQueen

Regrettably, if you are the kind of person ie a thief, who does this, you are unlikely to be embarrassed or ashamed when your face is plastered all over social media.

I saw one restaurant had the culprits on CCTV. They put a post on their Facebook saying that if the bill wasn't paid by the end of the week they would post the faces on Facebook for everyone to see and to warn other restaurants that they might not pay. The woman went in the following day and paid up.

It's not new, when I was a teenager people used to talk about doing it, but it seems to be growing and people know they can often get away with it. I doubt many places could afford for this to happen to them very often these days. Although I expect prices will go up and the rest of us will pay for it.

Urmstongran Thu 02-May-24 17:14:51

Well that awful woman solicitor has been struck off. She pretended to the delivery driver she had already paid the £43 on line. As he passed her the food she shut the door in his face. Driver checked with the restaurant. No, she hadn’t paid. Poor driver had the £43 deducted from his wages.

She was also ordered to pay costs of £4,489. Could have dined at The Ivy for less. What a now-out-of-work idiot.

RunaroundSue Wed 01-May-24 21:09:01

All restaurants need to do is like many other restaurants do and that is take payment immediately after the customers have ordered their meals. If the transaction goes through, i.e. credit card then there is no way they can dine and dash.

Where else can you order something and not pay for it upfront. Every customer should pay immediately after ordering their meals.

NotAGran55 Wed 01-May-24 20:59:48

‘Doing a runner’ isn’t new. I saw a table of eight fly out of the door at The Hard Rock Cafe 40 years ago.

Elusivebutterfly Wed 01-May-24 20:58:16

This is not new. I saw a young couple do a runner in a nice country pub around 20 years ago. I've seen it elsewhere as well in the past.

Aveline Wed 01-May-24 20:04:01

When DS was being a waiter, a table ran out before he could stop them. The manager took the price of that meal out of his wages!! 😡 It was a long time ago and DS was very young. He complained that it was unfair so they sacked him. Dine and dash is nothing new. I doubt managers would be allowed to behave like that these days.

SueDonim Wed 01-May-24 20:01:40

If it’s a matter of not having enough money in the account then yes, pre-paying is the answer. I quite like prepaying, you can leave when you’re done, no hanging about.

It would also prevent the complainers from getting an immediate ‘reward’ as the money would take some time to be refunded to their account.

62Granny when I was first married there was a corner shop nearby where those repeat offenders who didn’t pay their bills had their names on display in the shop window until they paid up! I suppose that was social media 1970’s style. 🤔