Dine and dash

I would have got a payment to them @Iocanepowder
I couldn’t just take a free meal because their cc system let them down. So many restaurants have very tight margins and it’s a tough business.

Oh I can

I’m interested to know why people seem to be putting the onus on us and not the restaurant itself.

Did they give us a phone number to call, or bank details, or an order number or anything to give us another option to pay? No. They expected us to sit there an extra 20 mins while they tried to make the card machines work. I think we waited long enough.

Then you could have paid the next time, couldn't you? Or sent them it afterwards.

You can’t tell anything about me.

Yes that I can clearly tell about you

We did this 40 years ago. 2 entrances I went to the loo thinking DH was going to pay, he went out the other door thinking I paid.
It was only the next morning we realised that we had too much cash.
We returned that night with the cash and a big apology.

I worked in TGIF’s as a student and they would make Irish travellers pay up front.

No idea how they got away with this as it is quite clearly discrimination. It was in a large city and we did have a problem with the dine and dash so I understand why they did it but … surely they should do it for everyone and not single out a group.

And I don’t think they are Mumsnetters who would reply to @Isthisit2025 as to why they do it. ☹️

Me too. Pay up front. And it's fine to either add tips in advance or say 'this is a non-tipping establishment and just increase the cost of the tea and the staff's pay to reflect that.

Lots of London restaurants now take £25 to £35 per person for no-shows - More if it is a Michelin starred place. because twats were booking tables at several places then choosing on the night which they preferred, leaving restaurants with staffing and food bought for a number of covers than never appeared. I am always happy to agree to money for no-shows for that reason.

That's disgraceful. They'll need to start taking payment upfront now as well.

Pay up front is now very common. I went to a place that I hadn't been to for about 4 years. It used to be that you'd pay at the end. But the staff now ask for payment before you receive any food/drink. I'm happy to pay up front, makes leaving easier.

Also agree it’s nice to pay upfront. Always super quick in Nandos.

Yeah sorry i’m not going to feel guilty for not paying for one thing 15 years ago when they couldn’t take my payment at the right time.

I’ve said there wasn’t a nearby cash machine within a reasonable distance. The place wasn’t exactly on my doorstep and I didn’t have a car at the time, so no I don’t think taking an hour and a half out of another of my days to pay this place was reasonable tbh.

With regards to bank transfer, i’ve already mentioned it was something like 15 years ago. This was a long time betore I had a banking app on my phone.

And tbh when card machines go down in places, the only notices i’ve seen have been ‘cash only’, no mention of bank transfer. I would think it’s unlikely they could monitor who has made what payment and whether it was the correct amount.

I also doubt for example, that if someone had to either pay bus fare or pay for parking to just return the next to pay, they wouldn’t, and nor should they.

The BBC report gave a number of frankly ridiculous excuses, and they said they would like to apologise - once they'd been caught!

I was a little puzzled that they had two separate (understandably half-hearted) defence barristers - is that normal for a couple?

their justification is that they are thief, and they don't care, what else? no difference with stealing from Tesco or Primark or anywhere else.

This kind of people do it because they think they can get away with it.

I will own up to leaving a pub after having lunch. It was 35 years ago, my husband, myself and 2 children age 1 and 3 had lunch in the garden, when we finished we asked one of the waiting staff for the bill, 10 minutes later i went and asked to pay the bill and was told someone would bring me the bill soon, 10 minutes later i went back in and asked to pay the bill and again i was told someone would be with me soon, 10 mins later with a fractious 1 year old i gave up waiting. We got in the car and left. After more than 30 mins waiting i didn't feel in the slightest bit guilty in not paying the bill.
I certainly would never go out with the intention of not paying and really do think that a partial upfront payment should be taken.

Me too. I’ve never heard it before, it’s horrible! For a moment it meant you’d made a meal for someone who had eaten and then left immediately 🤣
Used to be called doing a runner which I guess is just as bad..

You could have telephoned

Because they ate a meal and owed the business money

Ii always pay up front. I can easily wander off at the end of a meal without paying. More of a slow amble than a dash though.

Did this once - it was a café where you normally order at the counter and pay then but this time they did table service. But we were so used to the other method we left a couple hours later without thinking. OF COURSE we went back the next day and paid!!

Absolutely 🤣