A family has been accused of leaving a Turkish restaurant without paying after allegedly walking out on a £160 bill.
The group, made up of five adults and four children, reportedly ate a sharing platter, lamb ribs and ordered beers and other drinks at Turkish Kitchen in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, before getting into a van and driving away.
General manager Klaus Ademi said the diners seemed “normal” and had not ordered an excessive amount, but when staff asked them to pay, they allegedly said they would do so “in a minute.”
CCTV footage appears to show members of the party leaving the restaurant in smaller groups before making their way across the road.
The departures continued until only one man, wearing a blue T-shirt, remained seated at the table.
He then appeared to leave the restaurant casually and get into a white van that had been parked directly outside.
Mr Ademi, who said he was left “angry” by the incident, believes the staggered exit was planned to avoid paying the bill.
He later shared the footage on Facebook to alert other local businesses and called on the family to return and settle what they owe.
Klaus says he plans to report the incident to police but hasn’t done yet.
A group of five adults and four children snuck out of a restaurant in small groups
The final diner, in a blue t-shirt, strolled casually out of the door with the £160 still outstanding
Klaus, from Hatfield, Hertfordshire, said: ‘They were normal and they were ordering normal food, not exaggerating or over-ordering drinks.
‘They kept saying, “We’re going to pay soon, just in a minute.”
‘Then they all started to leave one by one and he [the last diner] left as well with the car waiting right in front of the door.
‘It was like a getaway car. It was a whole plan to leave without paying.
‘He walked out quickly and the staff saw him leaving and checked whether they had paid with someone else but they hadn’t.
‘This hasn’t happened before. It’s a family business and it’s quite a large loss, especially right now when restaurants are struggling.’
Klaus says the family had ordered a sharing platter, lamb ribs, three beers, a strawberry daiquiri, a Coke Zero and a lemonade.
The general manager, who has worked at the family business for seven years, says he was off shift when the incident happened but his shocked staff showed him the CCTV footage.
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They left without paying a bill of almost £160, after scoffing a sharing platter and lamb ribs
The final diner got into a white ‘getaway’ van that had been parked just outside
Klaus said: ‘It is hard to make a profit with all the costs rising. It doesn’t just affect us money-wise, it affects the staff emotionally.
‘You serve them all night, give them good food and good service and then they leave and not pay for anything.
‘When the staff told me about it I was shocked, angry and upset.’
In Klaus’s Facebook post he addressed the group and told them they ‘have the opportunity to do the right thing by contacting us and settling the outstanding bill’.
The post said: ‘Today, a group of five adults and four children left our restaurant without paying their £159.60 bill.
‘This was not a misunderstanding or an accidental oversight.
‘From everything we witnessed, it appeared to be a deliberate decision to leave without paying.
‘Independent restaurants are already under enormous pressure so rising food costs, wages, energy bills and other business expenses mean that every pound counts.
‘A £159.60 loss is significant for a family-run business like ours and directly affects our staff, suppliers and our ability to keep serving the community.
‘Our premises are fully covered by CCTV and we have saved footage of the incident.
‘This matter will be reported to the police and all available evidence will be provided.
‘We would also like to make other local restaurants, cafes and businesses aware of this incident so they can remain vigilant.
‘We are not asking anyone to make assumptions, only to be cautious and aware.
‘To the people involved – you still have the opportunity to do the right thing by contacting us and settling the outstanding bill.
‘To all of our loyal customers, thank you for your continued support. Your honesty and kindness are what keep independent businesses like ours going.
‘Please share this post to help us reach the people involved and to raise awareness among other local businesses.’
