Two individuals left a restaurant without paying a hefty bill of £170 after indulging in oysters and a few rounds of shots during a spirited lunch.
Employees at Relentless – Steak and Lobster House in Portsmouth, Hampshire, were compelled to contact the police last week when the duo devoured oysters and scallops before making a quick getaway.
Restaurant owner Scott Matthews, aged 39, recounted that the two men entered the establishment on January 29, giving the impression of being electricians, and commenced their indulgent order.
According to Matthews, they cleverly bypassed a pre-payment system by initially paying £130 for their meal, taking advantage of the policy where additional orders are settled at the meal’s conclusion.
However, they subsequently ordered multiple rounds of drinks, shots, oysters, and scallops, racking up an extra £170, which they allegedly left unpaid.
Mr. Matthews explained that after placing their final order, the pair mentioned stepping outside for a vape but instead dashed to their van and drove off.
The owner, who started the business 20 years ago, said: ‘They ordered a double round of drinks, shots, loads of oysters and scallops.
‘The waitress noticed they had gone within about three minutes, the chef came out and as he comes out you can see them speeding off in the van. They shouldn’t have been driving at all with the alcohol involved.
A seafood restaurant owner has introduced a pre-payment system after a series of alleged dine and dash incidents, with the most recent seeing two men walk out on a £170 bill
Customers at Relentless – Steak and Lobster House in Portsmouth, Hampshire, now have to pre-pay for their food in a bid to thwart the crime
‘As a business you have just got to take the knock on the chin for it but at the end of the day that is someone’s days wages.
‘As a small, independent business owner, I find this incredibly disheartening. Incidents like this don’t just affect a balance sheet – they impact real people who work hard every day.’
Mr Matthews said that this is not the first time they have been hit, with their location of Port Solent apparently having been previously called a ‘dine and dash hotspot’.
He told the Daily Mail he has been forced to bring in measures to counter the crime, with customers at Relentless now having to pre-pay for their food.
Mr Matthews felt his hand was forced after numerous incidents including one where a group racked up an £800 bill before making off.
‘We have to protect jobs and we have to protect the business,’ he told the Mail.
‘It’s hard at the moment, our rent and rates and service charge all add up to over £100,000, and we have £4,000 of utilities a month.
‘There is very, very little profit margin or room for error. It might seem like only £200 but that’s half a week’s wages for someone.’
He added that insisting on pre-payment for customers has ‘damaged the business’ as some customers refuse to accept it, but said he would have had to close down without the measure.
On the problem dine and dashers pose to the hospitality industry, he said: ‘It damages morale, it damages the business, and it damages the country.’
Owner Scott Matthews said the pair, who have been reported to police, ‘deliberately outsmarted’ the pre-payment system by ordering multiple rounds of drink and food
The latest incident has been reported to police, but Mr Matthews is urging the thieves to come forward and settle their bill before matters need to be escalated
The owner believes they are targeted because they are surrounded by chain restaurants, so people often assume they must be too.
He said the highest bill that has been walked out on was £800, which triggered their new system of pre-payment.
However, Mr Matthews said that customers have not been very understanding of the policy, and it has lost them a lot of revenue.
He added: ‘We have had so many issues in the past. They were saying it was a hotspot at one point for dine and dash. It is just annoying that it happens all the time.
‘We lose so much revenue because we have to do prepayment, it is just unbelievable. No one wants to prepay but we have to protect our business.
‘It is not normal hardworking people that do this. It is a different clientele. You can’t discriminate against anyone, so we do prepayment for everyone.
‘It is damaging for us and for the customer. It is just a nightmare. It is very hard in hospitality at the moment as I’m sure everyone is aware. It is just another hit on us.’
The latest incident has been reported to police, but Mr Matthews is urging the thieves to come forward and settle their bill before matters need to be escalated.
Hampshire Constabulary said: ‘We received a report that on Thursday 29 January, two men had left a restaurant on The Boardwalk in Paulsgrove without paying.
‘An investigation has been launched and enquiries are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this time.’
